Service Dog Handlers hear it all the time while out with their Service Dog, almost as much as you hear "Oh my God it's so cute, can I pet your dog!?" you hear "Awe, I wish I had a Service Dog".
No, no you don't.
Why? because to have a Service Dog means you NEED that dog to get through day to day activities. This ranges from seizures to diabetes to PTSD to physical disabilities to psychiatric disabilities.
Saying "I wish I had a Service Dog" is an insult. It is like saying that the dog does nothing. They are just there to be there. They are more than just a dog, they are WORKING dogs, they are SERVICE dogs.
They are there for assign tasks to our disability. So don't be like the random people who once tried to get my S
So when you see a Service Dog remember:
-They're not pets
-Ask before you go to pet them
-NEVER distract them
-Yes making kissy noises and saying puppy distracts them
-Do NOT STARE at them! Would you want someone just staring at you while you were working?
-Do not take pictures or videos without asking. It's rude
-Don't be afraid to ask questions, but don't be intrusive, you could cause some harm and have to see the dog go to work. You never know if the handler is comfortable talking about it and they have no reason to tell you, it's none of your business honestly.
The anxiety that runs down my spine every time someone just reaches out for my Service Dog is unnerving. I missed class the other day and had a breakdown in Starbucks because my already hyper-alert self was thrown overboard by the amount of people who reached out for her and when I said no, continued to pet her and ignored me as if I didn't exist. If you saw someone in a wheel chair you wouldn't reach out for it and demand they let you use it, would you? No, because not only is it rude it is inconsiderate.
The long and the short of it is, be respectful, don't say or do things without thinking. Ask before you pet, vest or no vest, and don't say you wish you had a Service Dog, because you do not know what we have to go through every day. and how grateful we are to have our partners watching our back.
