Leave people with service animals alone-even if you don’t think it’s a service animal
I had a question about this which has led me to think about it a lot. There’s a couple parts to this:
There’s lots of us with PTSD dogs or other psychiatric dogs, and we don’t want to talk to you
My dog tells me if someone’s getting close to me and I haven’t noticed them yet. My anxiety and paranoia makes it so I don’t want people anywhere near me most of the time. Unfortunately, having an amazing and perfect dog with me means that people want to talk to me about my dog. I get that. But I hate it.
If someone obviously has a service dog, please leave them alone. If you’re not sure if it’s a service dog, ask if the dog is working, and if they say yet, leave them alone.
Some people with service dogs, or who are training service dogs, may be open to talking about them and spreading awareness. If you are really, absolutely certain you see a person who wants to talk, you can try asking, “May I ask some questions about your dog?” If they don’t seem really eager to talk, then leave them alone.
If you don’t think it’s a service dog, don’t take matters into your own hands
My dog doesn’t look like a “typical” service dog. He’s a seven pound terrier mix, and in businesses I carry him in a bag. It actually makes it easier for him to alert me, because I’m close enough for him to touch. But people assume he’s just a “purse pet.” My anxiety is already through the roof just because I’ve left the house. Imagine what it’s like when someone questions me about whether my dog is allowed to be there.
If it’s an employee of the business, it’s fair. They usually know how to act. They say “is that a service dog?” and I can say, “Yes.”* The interaction is very easy and brief. If the employee really wants to, they can ask what tasks the dog performs to mitigate a disability (and that is all they can ask, according to US law).
But if it’s just some customer who has decided they need to be nosy, they tend to start interrogating people about what kind of service dog they have, what your disability is, etc, etc. This isn’t just rude. This is harmful.
But I know there’s fake service dogs out there and someone needs to call them out
That someone is probably not you.
Here’s the thing that happens. We get people who abuse things meant for disabled people. Like disabled parking. Then we get other people who want to be champions for us poor disabled folks. They start leaving nasty notes or yelling at people who use disabled parking.
But what happens isn’t that people stop using disabled parking when they shouldn’t. What happens is that disabled people get yelled at. Because people didn’t see the placard, or didn’t realize the car has special plates for disabled veterans. Or because they just assumed the driver wasn’t “disabled enough” because they walked out of the car without a mobility aid. Disabled people end up bearing the brunt of abuse intended for non-disabled people.
This happens with service animals too. You get questioned if you are one of the many people who choose not to use a “service dog” vest, or who has a dog that doesn’t look like a “typical” service dog, or you don’t look like you’re “disabled enough” to need a service animal. There’s all these people without service animals who have taken it upon themselves to harass people without even understanding what a service dog is.
There are more and more of us training our own dogs
Up there where I said “yes” if someone asks if my dog is a service dog? What I actually need to say right now is, “He’s in training to be a service dog, may he come in?” Because in my state, they don’t have to allow dogs in training into stores, but can if they want (this varies by state).
Service dogs are expensive if you get one that’s already trained. And there aren’t enough service dogs being trained for the people who need them. PTSD service dogs tend to be prioritized for veterans. Which leaves a lot of poor people with PTSD out in the cold. A service dog can make our lives livable again, so more people are starting to train their own dogs.
There are a lot of people who don’t think this is good. Especially service dog trainers who get paid thousands of dollars per dog to train them. And other folks who have gotten used to service dogs being trained and distributed a certain way. Folks who have been involved with service dogs for decades. Hell, some people don’t even think PTSD service dogs should be a thing. They often sound very official and knowledgeable
But whatever they say, I need to be able to leave the house, and my dog helps me with that. He was picked specifically to be trained for service work, and has been learning how to work with me since day one. I am going to train my own dog, and I deserve a chance to do so.
I believe the fears about fake service dogs can only cause harm to people like me who are trying to make our lives better in any way we can. We’re not people who just can’t stand to leave our pets at home. We’re not entitled jerks who think we can do whatever we want. We don’t mistakenly believe our ill mannered pets are perfect. We are just trying to survive.
Here is your role as a person without a service animal, trying to help those of us with them
Do not ask a person if their dog is a service dog.
If you see a person with a service dog, leave them alone.
If you’re not sure whether they’re a service dog, ask if the dog’s working. If they say yes, leave them alone.
If they say the dog is not working, you can chose to leave them alone, or alert an employee to the situation.
If a dog is being disruptive or threatening, then alert an employee. Do not escalate the situation by trying to confront the dog handler yourself.
Learn more about what service dogs are and what they do. Understand there may be types of service dogs who do tasks you’ve never heard of before.
Spread awareness about the fact that there is no required registration for service dogs (in the US). There are legitimate training schools that issue certificates or IDs, but any service dog registration site is a scam.
