Why does our sweet baby angel Jack need a sweet baby angel service dog?? Will we get to find out?
absolutely! i am, of course planning a few fics to cover this, but Jack has a couple of needs that could be well-met by a service dog
Jack has PTSD. this is central to this whole thing. he experienced a huge trauma at a young age, regardless of his recollection of the event itself. speaking from experience, that shit sneaks up on you in strange little ways later in life. there is a high co-morbidity rate between anxiety disorders and post traumatic stress disorder, as ptsd re-wires the way your brain processes experiences and possible threats.
ace can help him with his ptsd in a few ways. these are all things that dogs can actually do, which is amazing! here are some of her specific tasks and functions:
she’s able to sense and respond to a dissociative state. her training would allow her to practice grounding techniques for Jack to pull himself out of these episodes and come back to the present.
a dog of her size would be able to provide deep pressure therapy to alleviate symptoms of panic attacks, anxiety attacks, and nightmares. this is her primary task, and she’s always ready to alert him if she senses chemical changes that could signal an episode.
food/beverage/object retrieval
she can find help if Jack needs it, retrieving a human being who can assist with any situation that may be necessary, especially if Jack doesn’t have access to a phone or can’t clearly communicate during an episode
ace is super useful! and you don’t have to be severely/debilitatingly impacted by your disability for a service dog to have a positive impact on your life :)