An Indiana mom is fighting her city to keep her 160 pound pot-bellied pig. Farm animals are not allowed within New Castle city limits, according to city code, but Joy Burke said the 10-month-old pig named Dazie is her emotional support animal.
Burke has had her pig for about a year and said it’s never been a problem until someone complained to animal control. She claims Dazie helps her with anxiety and panic attacks.
Service dogs like Mo are allowed to go into places that regular pets can’t. They can go into restaurants, grocery stores, schools and any business where the service dog’s owner goes – all to keep an eye on his owner’s well-being.
The booming business of fake service dog gear – like vests and credentials – can make life more difficult for people like Walt who rely on a real service dog. Bogus businesses will sell the “service dog” gear to anyone who will send them money. And that can make having a true service dog difficult for people like Walt.
Up until this point there has been limited research on the how and why service dogs are believed to help PTSD symptoms.
“It’s not a cure. I think some people come into this thinking that the dog is magic and that PTSD will be gone once they have the dog but our data shows that it’s certainly not a cure but that it will substantially reduce symptoms for individuals,” said Assistant Professor of Human-Animal Interaction Maggie O’Haire.
The study was led by O’Haire. She said prior to the study there was a lot of anecdotal info and great stories but no science behind it.