Lots of people know that they aren't supposed to pet Service Dogs while we are working, but few know exactly why. Even less understand that they shouldn't DISTRACT us in ANY WAY.
You may be asking, Daisy-Mae what counts as a distraction?? That's actually pretty simple.
Petting is a distraction but so is talking to us, calling us by name, makeing direct eye contact with us or actions in the attempt to get our attention , like a funny sound.
So, now to the question everybody wants to ask…WHY? Why can't I play with the dog? I like dogs.The simple answer is that we are here to keep our partner safe. When we get distracted we are not paying attention to our job and our disabled human handler could very easily get hurt, ending up broken and bleeding. Or even worse. Broken and bleeding is BAD. You can’t pet Service Dogs because it’s distracting, and if a working dog is distracted because of something you do and our handler gets sick or injured, it’s your fault. You could have to pay medical bills or even go to jail.
So what should you do when you encounter a Service Dog team? You should simply ignore the dog completely. Pretend that we simply aren't there. Interact with the human partner as you would any other person.
“But? Shouldn’t I at least say hi? Isn’t it rude not to at least say hello?” NO. Read that again. NO. JUST PRETEND WE AREN'T THERE. Rest assured that the human partner will not think you are rude for ignoring their dog. Instead, they will marvel at your stellar Service Dog etiquette! Wouldn't you rather they think highly of you?
And while it's never appropriate to pet us without permission, some people may allow you to do so. So what's the best way to greet a person with a service dog? Easy talk to the person first. Introduce yourself, and always put our human partner first before you ask anything about us. f the answer is no you can't pet don't get upset just say "O.k" and walk away.
Now a lot of service dogs like myself we wear patches that say DO NOT PET.I really love that this nice person made a shirt that explains things a bit to people and that it's a shirt for my mama. I also love that the back points out that not all disabilities are visible. This shirt fits my mama great and it's super well made. It's short and to the point but not rude. Also it's cute but is still very professional
Petting is a distraction but so is talking to us, calling us by name, makeing direct eye contact with us or actions in the attempt to get our attention , like a funny sound.
So, now to the question everybody wants to ask…WHY? Why can't I play with the dog? I like dogs.The simple answer is that we are here to keep our partner safe. When we get distracted we are not paying attention to our job and our disabled human handler could very easily get hurt, ending up broken and bleeding. Or even worse. Broken and bleeding is BAD. You can’t pet Service Dogs because it’s distracting, and if a working dog is distracted because of something you do and our handler gets sick or injured, it’s your fault. You could have to pay medical bills or even go to jail.
So what should you do when you encounter a Service Dog team? You should simply ignore the dog completely. Pretend that we simply aren't there. Interact with the human partner as you would any other person.
“But? Shouldn’t I at least say hi? Isn’t it rude not to at least say hello?” NO. Read that again. NO. JUST PRETEND WE AREN'T THERE. Rest assured that the human partner will not think you are rude for ignoring their dog. Instead, they will marvel at your stellar Service Dog etiquette! Wouldn't you rather they think highly of you?
And while it's never appropriate to pet us without permission, some people may allow you to do so. So what's the best way to greet a person with a service dog? Easy talk to the person first. Introduce yourself, and always put our human partner first before you ask anything about us. f the answer is no you can't pet don't get upset just say "O.k" and walk away.
Now a lot of service dogs like myself we wear patches that say DO NOT PET.I really love that this nice person made a shirt that explains things a bit to people and that it's a shirt for my mama. I also love that the back points out that not all disabilities are visible. This shirt fits my mama great and it's super well made. It's short and to the point but not rude. Also it's cute but is still very professional
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https://www.etsy.com/shop/KKDcustomized
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