IT’S A DOG’S LIFE ON THE GOLD COAST
They may look cute, furry and playful, but service dogs provide a valuable and necessary role in the lives of their owners. Emily Mullis explains the dos and don’ts when interacting with them.
I HAVE had my service dog for about five months, and in that short amount of time, I have experienced quite a lot. The decision to own a service dog isn’t made lightly; while you do benefit greatly from having one, you also experience many deficits and drawbacks – most of which arise from interaction with the public. While it is
important to consider the training and care aspects of owning a service dog, you also need to be prepared for what the public can throw at you. Here are an American Service Dog-Owner’s top 5 “Service Dog Probs”.
Don’t Interact With Service Dogs – AT ALL!
Something I experience almost constantly is people who know they aren’t supposed to pet my
dog, so they try and distract her in other ways. These include trying to get her to sniff them, whistling, cooing, and trying to make eye-contact – all of which are extremely disrespectful to the owner and ultimately keeping the dog from adequately performing its job. Don’t do it.
Acknowledge the Person Attached to the Dog
We get it, our dogs are simultaneously cute and a visible representation of our disabilities, but shouldn’t the latter be more reason to ignore them? It’s almost hurtful when my only interaction with people is “Ooh, a puppy!” without any acknowledgment that I’m even there. My dog is a part of me, and I’m a person, so shouldn’t I be getting a “hello”, too? If you feel the need to point out a service dog, make sure you acknowledge the person she’s with. It means a lot to get a “hello” from a stranger!
My Dog Isn’t Your Photo Op
I have had people come up to me while my dog is working and ask to take photos of her (or they don’t even ask). That is just so weird, and I am made insanely uncomfortable with the idea of my dog being on someone else’s phone. Even if you think someone’s dog is just super cute, please remember that my dog is a part of me, and I’m a person – you wouldn’t keep a picture of someone’s arm or leg on your phone, so why do you need one of my onduty service dog?
“What’s She For?”
What may seem an innocent question to you is a seriously invasive question for someone with disabilities. While one may not mind telling you they have epilepsy, gluten allergy, or mental disabilities, others can find it to be a prying question. A woman, to whom I begrudgingly explained my handicaps to, then asked me “so, what’s the PTSD from?”. Questions like this should never be asked. Don’t pry into someone’s private life; if they want to tell you, they’ll tell you.
We Know, You’d Love to Pet Her
What I hear most frequently from people is “Oh I know I’m not supposed to pet her,” as if there’s a “but” in there – if they sound distraught enough about it, I’ll say, “sure, go ahead!”. No matter what you say, you are not going to pet my dog. It’s that simple. We know you’d love to pet them, it might even make your day. But, really, you should know better – you don’t get a free pass to pet a working dog just because you want to.