My parents divorced a few years ago and I ended up moving from Snowpoint City to Malie City. Long story short, the experience left me with some pretty bad anxiety and my mother got me an Alolan vulpix as an emotional support animal to help. He was the sweetest, most affectionate thing I’d ever…or at least that was the case until he evolved a few weeks ago. I can’t take him anywhere without him shooting ice beams at strangers or getting super protective of me! What do I do to combat this?

This is a rare but unfortunate possibility in dealing with service pokémon. All of them normally receive training to minimize negative personality shifts as a result of evolution, but in the cases of wilder pokémon, such as most fox-like ones, sometimes, the training doesn’t quite stick.

Now, the reason why I say this is because it’s just a matter of training. It’s entirely possible for a service pokémon to be retrained to heel. If you’ve done your vulpix’s initial service training yourself, you can also do the same with your ninetales. Simply repeat the process you used to teach your vulpix to heel in public situations. It may take just as long as it had with your vulpix to retrain your ninetales, but be patient.

Alternatively, if you weren’t the one to train your vulpix, take him back to the service trainer who had, or take him to a pokémon center and ask for a trainer who specializes in conditioning service pokémon. Be prepared to be involved with the retraining process even here; your ninetales will respond far better with you present than if you simply left him in the trainer’s care. If you do choose this option, rest assured that you can still take your ninetales home at the end of each session. Just remember to continue reinforcing your trainer’s work as you go out and about with your ninetales.

Best of luck, anonymous!

I cannot eat certain ingredients due to allergies so I have my slurpuff take a sniff of them so I know I won’t get sick. When they do have ingredients inside that I can’t eat she eats them! This has become an expensive habit, how do I get her to stop?

Well, to be fair, your slurpuff is attempting to remove the dish so you don’t eat it at all. As you likely know, certain food allergies carry a risk of cross-contamination, meaning you may get sick from attempting to salvage the meal and eating around the ingredients. (This is especially true for nut allergies, due to the fact that many nuts have oils that may contaminate otherwise safe food.) So you will likely encounter some expense with handling food you’re allergic to either way, and if your slurpuff eats only the foods you can’t eat, it’s likely it’s operating under that assumption. Of course, it’s true that you’re likely referring to situations in which you’re eating out and can therefore ask a waiter to take back a dish and remake it free of charge; it’s just that it’s worth it to understand the reasoning behind your slurpuff’s habit.

That having been said, you may wish to switch to a growlithe, which, due to their extreme loyalty, will not eat anything unless it has express permission to eat it. Alternatively, considering the fact that you have a medical condition, you could possibly apply for a pokémon trained specifically to sniff for allergens.

If, however, you wish to continue using your slurpuff, it’s important to teach her to heel. When at home, set out a dish of her own food and train her to wait before eating it. Show her a treat as an incentive to wait. If she waits (that is, if she sits perfectly still, not if she goes for your hand instead), give her a treat. If she moves towards your hand or the dish, put the treat away. Eventually, she’ll associate waiting with rewards, so she’ll be easier to train to sniff out allergens. In order to do this, have her heel beside you and let her sniff the dish. If she tries to eat your food, have her stop and heel. If she listens to you, give her a treat and send back the dish that would have made you sick. Teach her to place a paw on your arm or give you some other signal that will let you know that the dish is dangerous without taking it for herself, and make it clear to her that she doesn’t have to get rid of the dish herself.

Also, be consistent with your training. If you allow her to sniff your food as you go grocery shopping or whenever you cook at home, don’t let her “dispose” of the food herself. Train her that it’s okay to send back the food or discard it some other way. If you’re consistent with what you teach her, she’ll be more likely to recall the lessons she’s learned when you take her with you to restaurants.

I have a service animal Sylveon, and because hes so cute and pink people think they can just come up and pet him. this makes him very uncomfortable because hes working to ensure i am safe and not near panic when we are out. he wears the vest saying “service animal” and everything. what do i do?

Sadly, this is a common problem for those with “cute” service pokémon, as not many people understand the fact that touching service pokémon may distract them from the very real, very important job they need to be doing. Until able-bodied people fully understand what service pokémon do and what it takes to be one, this will continue to be an issue, I’m afraid.

The best that you can do is, if you have the energy to do so, educate people who try to approach by informing them that your sylveon needs to concentrate on his task and that touching him will interrupt his concentration. Some people might not even understand then, but if that’s the case, then it’s best to deescalate the situation as much as possible or remove yourself (and your sylveon) quickly.

It may also help to have a friend along on days when you don’t feel up to explaining your sylveon’s purpose if you can. That way, you may have someone who can offer the explanation for you—or at least protect you from the more persistent individuals.

I apologize that this isn’t quite as helpful as you may have hoped, anonymous. Unfortunately, sensitivity towards the disabled is a concept that isn’t quite as widespread as it should be yet, and there are a lot of people in the world who simply don’t know how dangerous it can be to touch or otherwise interrupt a service pokémon. For this reason, it can be a bit tricky because these same people may not understand what their actions may do, especially when pet pokémon or pokémon that are otherwise okay to touch are so commonplace most humans who see a sylveon automatically think it’s a pet and therefore fine to touch, rather than assuming they should ask for permission first (and then listen if and when their humans say no). By attempting to educate those who approach you and try to touch your sylveon, there’s a chance you can defuse the situation before it happens—or at least give yourself a reasonable excuse for removing yourself from the situation.

And yes, it is rather unreasonable to ask someone (or their companion) to educate when approached, but that’s quite possibly the safest or more peaceful means of dealing with someone who has actually stopped in front of you and is currently reaching for your sylveon. Simply confronting them will make the situation worse, and if your sylveon is wearing an obvious service pokémon vest, you’ve done the best you can to offer prior warning before they approach.

Best of luck, anonymous.

are there pokemon who absolutely cannot become service pokemon? i was thinking of retiring my pikachu from battling, but he is really helpful when im having anxiety issues so i dont want to stop traveling with him.

There are a couple of things to consider, anonymous.

First, I would hate to say it, but service pokémon are typically trained for their tasks from birth. That isn’t to say your own pokémon can’t help you in their own way, but official service pokémon often need at least a year of task training and public training. You see, being a service pokémon isn’t just about knowing how to perform the tasks a human partner may need. It’s also about knowing how to be professional and calm at all times while on the job, and it’s about knowing how to focus, even in the most distracting of situations. For example, if a pet growlithe barks threateningly at a service growlithe, the service growlithe must know how to remain composed enough to focus on their work, not on attacking the other growlithe. Likewise, service pokémon must be calm and collected, even in settings jam-packed with people or in situations that are life-threatening to either their human partner or themselves (or both).

In some cases, a battle-ready pokémon may be taught to become a service pokémon, but to do so effectively, they must attend training with a specialized trainer, one who is not only capable of teaching a pokémon how to assist with their human partner’s disability but also how to heel and obey properly in any situation. This trainer must be certified for service training, and at the completion of the pokémon’s education, that pokémon must undergo thorough examination to ensure they can work reliably at all times. Only then may a pokémon be awarded the license to be a service pokémon. However, it’s also worth it to note that not every region allows for this process to happen with battle-ready pokémon, as battle-ready pokémon often react to situations with a battlefield mindset (that is to say, by attacking or preparing itself to attack), even years after retirement. Among the regions where you can train any retired battle-ready pokémon to become a service animal, you have Unova, Alola, and Kalos. For all others, it’s highly recommended that you double-check your local regulations.

That having been said, though, most species can be service pokémon. The only exceptions are cases in which the pokémon would pose a threat to surrounding humans (such as grimer, muk, and cryogonal) or are far too large to be usable (onix, steelix, wailord, gyarados, milotic, and Alolan exeggutor). Pokémon that have difficulties traveling on land (most aquatic pokémon) as well as pokémon that are made up of materials that may be detrimental to their environment (slugma and magcargo) tend to have varying regulations associated with them, depending on the region. In Hoenn and Alola, all of these pokémon are perfectly legal, but in Sinnoh, they’re barred. Of course, keep in mind that if you’re traveling to other regions, the only thing that matters if where your pokémon got its papers from, not whether or not your service pokémon is legal in the region you’re currently in. For example, if your service pokémon is a goldeen, you can travel anywhere you’d like with it. It’s just that if you live in Sinnoh, you can’t get a goldeen service pokémon. Also, you may have difficulties, as Sinnoh is a primarily mountainous region with an abundance of land routes that your goldeen may struggle with, but the point is, your service goldeen will still be legal.

So in conclusion, it’s possible to retire your pikachu and train it to be an official service pokémon. However, it really depends on which region you live in and whether or not you’re willing to have your pikachu undergo a full year of training. You can still travel with him, however, as it’s possible to set him as pet or companion pokémon, or one that you’re incapable of using for battle, so if you’re not willing to go through all that hassle, that’s an option as well.

What pokemon would be good for someone with different kinds of OCD?

Unlike other mental conditions, service pokémon associated with OCD are often more physical in nature. That is, whereas someone with depression may need a pokémon with Sweet Scent or a psychic-type to go about their daily tasks, someone with certain types of OCD may need something a bit more tangible—something that can touch them. The reason why is because many of the issues typically related to OCD—repetitive behavior, dermatillomania, and so forth—need immediate intervention and therefore can’t be solved by the less intrusive methods other service pokémon offer. For that reason, oddly enough, the traditional service growlithe and houndour tend to be the most popular, as they’re trained to recognize these behaviors as not being standard for a human (as it were) and can therefore paw at their owners when they happen to interrupt. Eevee are also popular for this, especially given that they evolve into espeon, who can detect the beginning of these behaviors before they happen.

For the less physical symptoms of OCD, such as anxiety and intrusive thoughts, pokémon with Sweet Scent and psychic-types are indeed used as well, as described in my earlier post on them. (Click here to read that, if you wish.) This would be why some people prefer to use espeon, rather than the traditional growlithe or houndour, but others prefer the comfort of a pet-like pokémon over the comfort of the aura projected by a psychic.

Finally, of course, there is also the fact that OCD is often treated with medication, at which point, many patients with OCD prefer a service pokémon that can also remind them of when to take their next dose. Service growlithe can indeed be trained to do this, but other humans may wish to pair their growlithe with a hoothoot trained to hoot certain patterns (often just loud enough to force their partners to act to get them to stop) when their internal clocks “strike” the moment their partners need to take their medication.

As always, it’s best to work with both your doctor and your local service pokémon agency to figure out what you would need out of a service pokémon. Given that OCD describes a number of different symptoms (some of which may not be solved by a pokémon alone), you may need one or more service pokémon trained to do specific tasks, so it’s best to communicate with the agency and your doctor to find out what symptoms would work with your specific case and treatment plan.

I have a growlithe service animal (for anyone who needs a service animal I totally recommend them) and was wondering if it would be a bad idea to evolve him? I use him for anxiety and he sleeps with me at night. He has an amazing sense of smell and can detect any ingredients in foods I cannot eat, as well as can sense when I’m gonna have a panic attack based on my heart rate and breathing patterns. Would that change if he was an archanine?

Excellent question—and one that’s important for all those who rely on service pokémon.

The truth is that, yes, evolution will actually improve a pokémon’s ability to perform. In your case, your growlithe’s senses of smell and hearing will be sharpened exponentially upon his evolution into arcanine, so if you thought he had an amazing sense of smell now, imagine having a pokémon who can detect panic attacks faster, the millisecond your breathing and heart rate change.

However, there is a price to it, and that’s the fact that while your growlithe may be two feet tall (assuming he is of average height), your arcanine will be over three times as large. For humans who live in rural or suburban areas or whose arcanine will also be helping with their partner’s mobility, it’s easy to take this difference in height in stride. However, for people living in urban areas or who otherwise can’t deal with the difference in size, evolving a service growlithe may result in more troubles than it’s really worth. You likely won’t be able to enter the same establishments or do many of the same things as you had when you just had a small growlithe by your side.

In other words, while evolving your service pokémon generally does enhance their abilities to assist you, always keep in mind that evolution brings about a physical difference that not many people can handle. It’s a good idea to do plenty of research into the changes that would occur to both your partner’s form and powers before going through with it.

I get really terrible nightmares due to PTSD. Would it be a good idea to invest in a Munna or Drowzy to eat my nightmares?

Choose munna. While both may eat nightmares, nightmares are actually a staple of munna’s diet. To a drowzee, it’s more or less like eating a lot of bread. Eventually, you get sick on bread, and in any case, you really can’t survive on bread alone.

(I … honestly don’t know what to make of your analogies anymore. —LH)

If you meant to ask if you should invest in either at all, this may be something to discuss with your doctor. It may be helpful, certainly; it’s just that it’s always important to inform them of any steps you take to manage your mental health so they can factor it in to your course of treatment. That and if you experience extreme, daily nightmares, you may need other service pokémon in addition to a munna to help you manage your sleep.

But either way, yes, if given the choice, you should really choose a munna and not a drowzee.

I have very bad insomnia problems, not only is it hard for me to fall asleep, but I also wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes multiple times. Would the use of sleep powder or sing be beneficial for me?

I would highly suggest only using Sleep Powder in cases where your insomnia is particularly severe. Using Sleep Powder routinely can cause a human to become dependent on it, and in any case, even one use can be risky. If you aren’t extremely familiar with your own body, it may be difficult to figure out the proper dosage. Incorrect dosages may be either ineffective or far too effective, depending on the situation. There have even been cases where the patient was incapable of falling asleep and wound up experiencing vivid hallucinations instead.

Granted, it is an effective sleep aid when taken responsibly. It just requires working with a doctor or, as I’ve mentioned above, an inordinate amount of knowledge concerning one’s own body to figure out what “responsibly” means. But when taken, it results in deep, restful, and (at the risk of revealing far too much about myself) essentially dreamless sleep.

Sing, meanwhile—as well as similar, non-chemically-based sleep moves (Grasswhistle, Lovely Kiss, Hypnosis, and even Yawn)—are indeed far easier to control. More specifically, while Sleep Powder users do consciously manage their quantified output but have no control over the specific qualities of their powder’s chemical potency, Sing users (as well as those using any of the other aforementioned moves) have complete control over the effectiveness of their techniques. Thus, not only would a Sing user lull you to sleep, but they’ll also be able to regulate their singing at a moment’s notice if they feel that they need to adjust. However, Hypnosis users, particularly members of the drowzee family, are preferable because their psychic abilities also allow them to monitor exactly how effective their techniques are. (It’s just that neither drowzee nor hypno should be used in proximity to children or on children directly, as their powers may induce pokémonitis instead.)

Of course, it’s also wise to consult with your doctor about a more long-term option. While these moves are great for treating insomnia on a night-to-night basis, it’s far less risky and far healthier to determine the root cause of your sleep issues and treat those. That way, you avoid developing a dependency on any of these sleep aids (all of them can be habit-forming), as well as any adverse side-effects your condition may have on your overall health. It may even be as simple as using a pokémon with Aromatherapy or Sweet Scent to reduce stress instead of following the procedures outlined above.

Good luck, anonymous.

I have two service animals: an absol and houndoom. While they’re both very gentle and kind, and are very well trained, people always give me dirty looks or tell me that I can’t bring them in stores or restaurants because no one wants a lifelong painful burn from a houndoom or to be cursed by an absol. How can I show people the stigma behind these Pokémon are false and that my Pokémon are just as well suited to service animal life as others are?

I’m afraid that dark-type service pokémon face many of the same challenges pet or battle-ready dark-types face, and there’s not much you can do about that unless you have the energy to educate (which not many people do, I know). There will always be people who are convinced that all dark-types, regardless of training, are uncontrollable beasts who will lash out at a moment’s notice. Sometimes, people can be convinced that your pokémon are harmless if you show them that they’re gentle (perhaps by having a non-dark pet or battle-ready pokémon accompany them), but this could be a distraction for your service pokémon. That and it’s not a guarantee that people will leave you alone, especially if you live in regions that are especially rich with anti-dark-type folklore.

My advice would be to ensure that your service pokémon are wearing their service vests, do your best to keep them professional at all times, and remember that you have an actual human right to bring your service pokémon with you. If a person simply gives you a dirty look, try your best to ignore it and remember that there is nothing wrong with you or your service pokémon. If possible, travel with a friend who’s comfortable with your service pokémon, as having at least one human with you who clearly doesn’t mind your absol or houndoom may be a comfort to others.

If you’re confronted by someone, however, always remain calm. I know, it may seem difficult to stay calm in those situations, especially given how vehemently some people address dark-type handlers, but it’s important to avoid escalating the situation. Therefore, if you’re in an inescapable situation wherein someone questions your service pokémon or tells you that they need to be removed from the premises, calmly tell the other person that you’re disabled, that you need your service pokémon (and, if you wish, for what reason), and that the law of your region (in most cases) allows you to enter a business establishment with pokémon of any type who are trained to assist those with disabilities.

If an employee still has an issue with your service pokémon and they are not a manager, ask to speak with the manager. If it’s a fellow patron who has approached you, find an employee and ask for assistance. And if it’s the manager themselves, remind them that barring you entry is discrimination.

Should this fail to stop the manager or owner from barring you entry or kicking you and your service pokémon out, contact your region’s Division of Human Rights (the actual name also tends to depend on the region—be sure to educate yourself on your local laws and government bodies as well) to file a complaint against the establishment. This, of course, should be your very last option, as filing a complaint means working with the legal system, which itself could be more of a mess than it’s worth, depending on your region. Nonetheless, it’s still a viable option, especially if—blazes forbid—violence was involved.

I know this might not be the answer you’re looking for, anonymous, but I’m afraid the stigma against dark-types is always going to be a problem for us humans. Even if your pokémon are nothing if not professional, there will always be one or two people who will give you strange looks for having dark-type service pokémon. Thus, it’s best to ignore those who don’t engage with you and, whenever possible, to educate those who do. Who knows? Maybe, if your town is small enough or if you frequent an establishment enough, your efforts to educate will evolve into a rapport with the owners and regulars, who can then, in turn, help others to feel comfortable with your pokémon whenever you’re in. Friendship often breeds friendship, which is why it’s very important to stay calm, know your rights, and be prepared to de-escalate and educate, if you can.

Best of luck, anonymous.

Hey bill, i have a lot of anxiety and depression problems and wondered what the best Pokémon to help me through panic attacks and depressive episodes are?

Well, that may depend on what you need, and it may perhaps be a good idea to work with your therapist if you have one to determine the perfect pokémon for your situation.

If you’d like to know about what options you have before meeting with your doctor, some of the ones for anxiety are outlined here and here. It’s worth it to pay particularly close attention to the second link, as that describes in detail the way empathic resonance (or the act of “sharing an emotion” with another being) works in a therapeutic environment, which may be better suited to helping you through depressive episodes than aromatherapy, but really, many of the pokémon outlined in either post would work just as well.

Alternatively, for depression specifically, some people prefer to work with a pokémon known for empathy or affection, such as audino, the chansey line, or sylveon. Audino and chansey in particular are also typically medically trained (that is to say, they’re often frequently retired nurse pokémon), which means that not only are they capable of helping you through an episode, but they can also look after you in a medical sense as well. Other patients, meanwhile, prefer the company of popular pet pokémon such as growlithe, houndour, or clefairy, or pokémon that can be trained to hold conversations (either vocal or signed), such as chatot or jynx. All of these species are known to reduce stress through playtime or simple, straightforward interaction, so they’re ideal for more high-functioning individuals.

However, while it’s not exactly unheard of to have more than one service pokémon, you may find it easier to work with a single pokémon that can be empathic and help you through anxiety attacks, such as gardevoir or meowstic. As I’ve mentioned in the earlier posts, these pokémon are not only capable of giving off “comforting vibes,” as it were, but they’re also capable of foreseeing when an attack might happen, which allows them to be better prepared to step in than most other pokémon. Combine that with the aforementioned empathic resonance (or simply that some of the pokémon in this category are highly affectionate in a physical sense), and it’s easy to see why psychics tend to be rather popular as service pokémon.

Of course, I must emphasize that I can only mention options to you, and this should in no way be taken as medical advice, psychologically speaking or otherwise, as I’m possibly … not the least qualified individual to dispense medical advice but not exactly one who can legally offer any. Check with your doctor first (if you can) to go through these options or to find others I might not even be aware of. If you can’t get a doctor, most regions have their own social programs set up to connect individuals with social workers who can, in turn, help them find a suitable companion pokémon.

Best of luck, anonymous!