So, I have severe anxiety and depression, and I'm heading off to university next year. I really, really would like a psychiatric service dog. I've put it off for a while because I wanted to make sure I wouldn't have any roommates (it's 90% single rooms where I'm going, but there's always a chance) in case there were allergies, fears etc; I thought it would be pretty unfair to show up like "hey! guess what? i have a dog!". That's all sorted out now, but I've still got a big problem: my dad is majorly allergic. Like, allergic to hypo allergenic allergic. He was allergic to our pet hairless guinea pig we had a few years ago. I'm 2 hours away from home, which means I won't be coming home for day trips. I'll be here the occasional weekend, over Christmas break, etc, and I can't have a dog with me for that amount of time because it would quite possibly kill my dad. For a long time I just figured I wouldn't get one... but as more time goes by and I get closer and closer to leaving the place and the people I've called home for almost 18 years, I'm realizing more and more just how good it would be for me to have one. I get to my worst place when I'm stressed out, and this is going to be such an incredibly stressful year for me. I don't know what to do... I was just wondering if anybody here would have any advice or idea's as to how I could manage this.
Too bad your dad is allergic to the hypo ones - my family had an non shedding one and it work out pretty good. Anyways, are you going home for the summer? If your going home for the summer that makes it a lot more difficult as university summers are 4 months... If it's just for the weekend, then you could always see if a trusted friend/family member could look after it, or look into dog hotels (although it'd probably be expensive and the not preferred option). Do you know what exactly your dad is allergic to? How bad were his allergies to the hairless guinea pig? Maybe if it wasn't that bad he could deal with a hairless dog for a few days? Im not sure how set on a service dog you are, and I don't have much experience on therapy animals, but depending on what specifically your dad is allergic too, maybe you could look into different breeds, or maybe even a different service animal?
Yeah, I'll be coming home for the summer- which will make things 10x more difficult for sure. We also have a pet bird, which again, makes things more difficult. When we had the guinea pig, he was constantly sniffling and red eyed. It was basically 4 years of hell for him. He's allergic to most non-human mammals. While he could probably survive a mere weekend with a non shedding, hypo allergenic dog, weeks and months are another matter. We had a cat when I was young (she was going to be put down by my mom's coworker despite being a perfectly healthy 7 year old cat, so my parents took it in and she lived another 7 years) and while it definitely wasn't fun for him, he lived. I think it's worse now, though. I'll have to talk to him and see, I guess. I could wait until my first year ends and I have an apartment to live in, since I'd probably come home much less, but if I get a service dog, I think the very first year would probably be the most important year for me. I'm looking at a few small, non shed, hypo allergenic dogs like cockapoodles and havanese at the moment, but I'm also guessing a service dog would depend a lot on availability, too.
You could look for a pet sitter if you are willing to pay. I volunteer with an animal shelter and I know many volunteers who would often do pet sitting gigs for extended period of time. They are mostly retired without kids at home and they LOVE animals. They don't even charge that much actually. If you can find such people in your area you might consider it. Just make sure they love animals instead of doing it just for the money. Alternatively, you can do what I am doing (volunteering). This way you still get lots of love even if your living condition does not allow for a pet.
