On service dogs
Editor, The Commercial:
To all you dog lovers out there…
From a dog lover who has a service dog in our family. Service dogs are one of God’s greatest animal creations, to be a companion for persons with disabilities. They are smart, well-behaved, they adore their person and are happy to take care of their person.
There are a few things you need to know…
Please don’t ask what the service dog does; it’s not really any of your business. Can we ask of you what kind of medication you are on?
Not all of a person’s issues are visually or socially obvious. It’s the service dog that keeps them what you perceive as “normal.” That service dog probably stands in place watching for people who would approach unnoticed to startle a person with PTSD. That service dog can even make it possible for that person to do what we think are simple tasks, like going to the store. That service dog probably is constantly sniffing the air to detect if their person is about to have a seizure and pull that person to safety and lay on top of them while/until the seizure passes or detect whether their person’s blood sugar is out of whack and let their person know they need their diabetic medication. Service dogs can help their person find an empty chair, find or open the door, find the bathroom, the elevator, the street corner, their way home and many other things. The list goes on and on.
True (and I mean true) service dogs perform much-needed tasks for the person they serve.
If you are one of those “rules don’t apply to me” people, I want you to understand that when you order a service dog vest online and put it on your untrained dog who is unruly, barks and jumps on people and acts like an idiot when in public, it just shows YOU are the idiot! YOU make it very difficult for those persons who actually really need their dog to perform specific tasks in public.
True service dogs are welltrained professionals, trained by well-trained human professionals. Some are even bred to do their work. Some come from a long lineage of highly trained service dogs. When you see these well-trained professional dogs in public, you will notice they are completely focused on their person. They should be! They are trained to be that way.
Please don’t distract the service dog by making eye contact or stopping to pet the service dog or speaking to the service dog. Ever see a service dog wearing a vest that clearly states “please do not pet”? This is the reason.
There is a person bonded to that service dog you see in public. They have the service dog for a reason. They are a highly trained team.
Do you know how many times we have had to “tell the story”? Do you know how many dog stories we have had to listen to? We know people are curious about what the dog does and how this union happened; however, it is not all there is to the person with the service dog and their disability. Persons with a service dog would just like to have a normal conversation about something other than just the service dog or just your dog and all your dog stories. Sometimes a person with PTSD simply can’t engage in a lengthy conversation about their dog or yours. Sometimes it is all they can do to just be in public.
Service dogs are well loved by the entire family; yes, they get play time; yes, they get rest time; yes, they love their work; yes, their vest is their on/off switch; vest on=on duty; vest off=rest/ play time.
We have been kicked out of a restaurant, we have been told not to enter a public place, we have been attacked by socialized and unsocialized dogs, on and off-leash.
Having a service dog is not easy or always fun. It’s not always cute; it’s a lot of things that pertain to the reason the person has a service dog. It’s a lot of work!
It is my hope that you would have a better understanding about service dogs. Don’t break the rules by declaring your dog is a service dog when it clearly is not. Doing this makes it difficult for those who really need their service dog. JOY LOWE, PINE BLUFF