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One of the things Jackie and I have noticed the most when out in our communities with our Service Dogs is that many people are very curious about the dogs and often ask if they are "in training", or people feel that they can touch the dogs without asking. I mean, who wouldn't want to pet them, they are soft and so cute. BUT, they are working! Distracting our dogs (or any service or guide dog) while they are working is a "faux-paw".
So I wanted to take the time to write a Forum about this, as part of the reason we started our business - Canine Cavalry - was for Service Dog Awareness. It was (and still can be) a big trigger for us when we are asked invasive questions about ourselves (most people without a Service Dog would agree). Jackie and I are both Veterans of the Canadian Forces, and Former First Responders where we learned that it was pointless to ask for help, because we were "the help". So when it came time to ask for help in the form of a Service Dog, it took a lot of consideration and courage to ask for that help. Knowing that we needed help, but also knowing that having a Service Dog wouldn't allow us to blend in with our environment anymore, was a hard choice to make. We know that when we are out in public (which is already anxiety inducing for us) people stare, people watch us, people talk and whisper to each other - this can be hard for us to handle and this is one of the ways our dogs help us; they keep us distracted from the negativity that can surround us. So one may say, well me wanting to pet the dog, or say "hi" isn't negative - but for us it can be. It can be the last straw that day, we could be doing the last thing on our list for that day, but really wanted to go home hours ago - or maybe we didn't want to leave our safe space at all, but we had to for some reason. Please give us some grace and space, and try to think of it in these ways:
We ask that perhaps you ask yourself "why would this person, whom doesn't appear to have any injuries or limitations have a Service Dog?". This is because not all injuries are visible, many people have Service Dogs who don't appear to be Vision Impaired, and this is because Service Dogs now support many people whom have different limitations and injuries; from Autism Dogs, Anxiety Disorder Dogs, PTSD Dogs, Epilepsy Dogs and so on. And when they are distracted, this can literally mean life or death for the Handler of the team.
Thinking about it more: if a Cardiac Service Dog, which is a Medical Alert Dog and Medical Response Dog, is distracted, they could miss the signs that their handler needs life saving help; and all because someone wanted to say "hi" to the dog. Medical Alert Dogs can be trained to notify their handlers about an oncoming event so that they can react accordingly prior to the event. Medical Response Dogs can assist their handlers after the event has already occurred and provided help adapted to their handler's specific needs. For more information about Cardiac Service Dogs, please visit: https://www.servicedogtrainingschool.org/blog/cardiac-service-dogs
The Service Dog and their Handler are a team, a well trained, high functioning team. If you want to talk to them, always speak to the person first rather than approaching the dog. Even if someone looks at the dog and says "hi, you're a cute boy, aren't you", this is a distraction. We see it all the time, everyday, and then we need to refocus our dogs attention to the work at hand. Remember, the animal is working, and their human's life could depend on them staying focused on their job. DO NOT touch the dog without asking permission first, and please do not be surprised if the Handler says, "No, sorry, we are working". Just because the Service Dog is there, does not mean that the handler is in a great place to stop and chat or allow the dog to receive pats.
Thinking about it more: if someone sees a Service Dog and Handler Team who doesn't appear to be "injured", it is likely that the dog is a Service Dog to someone with a Mental Health Injury or Disorder (I'm not a big fan of this word!). Mental Health Injuries/Disorders can be anywhere from Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Schizophrenia, or Bi-Polar Disorder (and there's a Service Dog for all of them) to name a few. For these people, stopping to have a chat in a public place because someone wants to ask them "how" they got a Service Dog, or "why" they have a Service Dog can be very invasive - and it is a violation of their basic Human Rights. If we are in a good place, of course we will let our dog visit a stranger for a pat or two; but if we aren't, it could be that it took all of our will to go out in public that day, and we want nothing more than to get home where it's safe.
Our dogs are Accredited through Assistance Dogs International (https://assistancedogsinternational.org/) and International Guide Dog Federation (https://www.igdf.org.uk/) and are highly trained through BC and Alberta Guide Dogs (https://bcandalbertaguidedogs.com/).
This forum isn't meant to be harsh, it is for education so that the more people that know, the easier it is for our dogs to do their jobs. Would someone ask another person in a wheelchair if they can "pat" the wheelchair; they wouldn't. So why ask us invasive information about our health, or why we have a dog, if you wouldn't ask someone in a wheelchair these questions. So please think of it in this way; please give us some grace and space so that we can be functioning members of our communities again (because no one wants this more than us).