By Renee Michaels
Most Service Dogs, mine included wear patches that say, "Do not pet." Unfortunately, these patches are often ignored - sometimes intentionally. I had a lady admit to me that she could see the patches but she just really loved dogs, as if that should give her a pass. So let’s talk about why SD Handlers don’t want their dogs touched.
They have an important job to do.
Service Dogs don’t just help those with physical disabilities but also those with invisible disabilities such as Diabetes, POTS, PTSD, Hypoglycemia, heart issues, seizures, etc.
When you see a SD Team out in public, that means the dog is working and must stay focused on their Handler. Anything that could potentially distract the dog causing them to lose that focus, even for a second, can be dangerous and in some cases, deadly for their Handler.
I am not trying to be overly dramatic with that statement, but the reality is that many Service Dogs are trained to alert to some very serious health issues. If the dog misses an alert because someone is distracting them, it could be extremely dangerous. Since not all disabilities are visible, it’s almost impossible to know what medical issues someone has.
Did you know that it’s not just petting a Service Animal that can cause an issue?
I've had many people tell me that they know not to pet a service dog. Then they go on to say ‘hi’, smile, wave or try to get the dogs attention in other ways.
My favorite is when grown men bark at my dog. That happens way more often than you might think. I always wonder how they are not embarrassed over that ridiculous display of immaturity.
These are all considered distractions. They are all actions intended to get the dog’s attention.
Now the argument is that if the dog is so easily distracted then it’s not a real Service Dog or it’s not well trained.
My response is always, "how well can you focus on your job if I were to bark at you, make kissy noises, stick my hand in your face, pat your head, or yell at you from across the room over and over again?"
The Takeaway
If my goal was to distract you from your job I would eventually succeed, at least for a split second. We can’t expect dogs to do any better.
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5 comments
Great answer for all those that can’t resist petting a service dog…hopefully with education they’ll show restraint…and respect for the handler.
Very informative article. I never knew much about service dogs before. Renee is very knowledgeable.
Great article! My service dog is very good at ignoring distractions, but it definitely is hard for him to do so when a person comes right up to him. He starts performing his task for me when people get too close then I get “what’s wrong with him?” “Um, nothing. He is doing his job and you are interfering”. Thank you for educating people on the importance of leaving service dog teams alone!
Great info. People need to learn why this is important.
Nice article. It’s amazing how clueless and arrogant people can be on things like this, ignoring handlers’ requests to leave service animals alone. Look forward to reading more on the subject.