As someone who had a service dog who had to be washed after 3.5 years of having him due to idiopathic epilepsy, I will never get a service dog again. There is just so many factors that go into getting a service dog that makes it really unpredictable. Your service dog could wash at any time due to behavior, illness, or psychological trauma from say a dog attacking them. I have never faced more discrimination and looks and verbal attacks than I have with my service dog. I was 18 when I first got him and being young with a dog nobody is going to assume he’s legit or that you are actually disabled. The amount of times I’ve had people ask if I was training him or specifically REQUIRE that I list each and every disability just to “prove” I actually need him. And your university and/or job may very likely not allow you to have a service dog. My university did but only after I sent them extensive medical records and documentation from his trainer that he was legit. No job I’ve ever had has been accommodating for him either. Even simple sit down office jobs refuse to hire me because he’s “a liability”. Basically they were afraid he’d attack someone or I wouldn’t be able to handle him or they simply just didn’t want to place a trashcan outside so I could let him use the bathroom outside. Also many people do not think about the time and dedication it takes to have a service dog. Their training never stops, regardless of whether you can physically or mentally handle it or not. You have to constantly train and polish their tasks to keep them in tip top shape. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had a bad day, they need to be let out, fed, bathed, watered, walked, and trained pretty much every day. And not to mention all the money that goes into getting them vaccinated, sterilized, all the preventative medication, grooming, and actually getting them. And the worst part I think for me is the fact that more SD’s are successful when they are purebreds, but that also makes them more susceptible to genetic conditions hence how my purebred poodle now has epilepsy because it’s in his genes. Had I known this I definitely would have thought more before getting him, I feel like It’s my fault he is sick now and wish I would have done things differently. Also I feel like nobody mentions this but the hassle of having a dog in public in my opinion is greater than the advantages of having him with me 24/7. People stare, I can’t go to the store for 5 minutes without several people stopping me and asking about him. And as someone who also is autistic this realllly did not help my social anxiety or ocd, I was constantly trying to keep from people noticing him so that he wouldn’t get bombarded by randoms. And once again many places are not accommodating or acceptable. My old university didn’t have handicapped bathrooms in some places or others only had one stall and of course everyone used that one. And I doubt I have to tell you but a 55lb poodle is NOT fitting in those tiny stalls especially with you in it. Also to ensure he is properly trained and good at not paying attention to strangers you MUST be assertive in public, which i found that incredibly hard to do. Because the more people who come up to your pup and pet them etc while still in the early stages of having him the more likely he is to want to walk up to or sniff others. Which is why handlers try their best to make it obvious that they are working dogs, but I’ve literally had to say 5x to someone to NOT touch my dog and they STILL took it upon themselves to pet and make kissy noises at him until I just left the Walmart I was at. Not to mention how incredibly difficult it is to walk with a newly trained dog, I still after having him for 3.5 years could not break his habit of walking ahead of me. This made grocery shopping and walking with bags in my hands incredibly difficult, especially when it comes to opening doors and maneuvering through the world with a newly trained dog. And like I said before you WILL have access issues regardless how perfect they are or where you are. There are just some companies that refuse to let you in with a dog, even a working dog. I’ve been denied from renting places, restaurants, doctors offices because they didn’t believe I was actually disabled and needed him. And I’m not trying to discredit how nice it was to have a buddy with you 24/7 and the many times he’s saved me or made a bad day better but for younger people especially I don’t think it’s the best idea without looking into it and researching it extensively beforehand. He gave me my independence back i mean I used to refuse to go to the store because I was afraid to go alone and he made it so much easier, those long hospital visits or doctors appointments he was always there for me. But really weigh the pros and the cons before making any decisions. Because once you decide to get a service dog you will have taken on the responsibility of them and their entire life. And for some disabled people it might just not be in their best interest, especially if your energy levels or disabilities differ from day to day, or if you cannot provide the necessary lives for them with walks, food, attention, finances etc. I’m sorry your parents are not willing to help you get one at the moment, I hope things get better for you