Dogs are indeed man’s best friend, they are loyal guardians and protectors, and they can be ideal companions and pacesetters in life. Perhaps their most valiant post, however, comes in their capacity as service dogs for men and women who need them.
Laura Joos knows this only too well. She has a service dog named Polly who helps let her know when she might lose consciousness. The dog goes everywhere with Joos, outfitted in a harness that clearly explains her duty.
Parents are being encouraged not to allow their children to pet service dogs whenever they see them in public. That’s because petting a service dog might distract them from the important work that they are doing.
Many animal experts agree that if you pet a service dog, there’s a strong possibility that they might get distracted from their task. Should their handler get sick or injured, chances are that you – and not your child – will be blamed.
Although many people know that you shouldn’t pet service dogs in public, a lot of children can’t help but do it anyway.
That’s precisely what happened when Joos encountered a young family while out with her service dog, two children, and niece on a shopping trip.
Joos had noticed the mom with three young children moving down the same aisle where she was shopping with her service dog, Polly. From the moment Joos heard the children calling, “A dog! A dog!” she knew there could be potential trouble and began looking for an alternate route.
Yet, with people behind her and shelves lining both sides, Joos had no choice but to pass by the overly excited children. She instinctively knew that the children would reach out and try to pet Polly, but what happened next astounded even her.
In an open Facebook post to the mother of the children, Joos stated: “Your daughter reached out and SMACKED my dog hard. An audible thud as her hand hit her back.”
While less well-trained dogs might have responded by snarling or even biting, Polly has been highly trained and socialized to serve as a service dog. She didn’t respond aggressively, but what happened next resulted in a potentially life-threatening event for Joos.
That single moment of distraction caused Polly to miss an important health alert in Joos. Five minutes before encountering the family, Joos received an alert from her service dog that her heart rate was climbing at a steady rate.
Her chest had become tight and her vision was becoming fuzzy. When the stranger’s child hit Joos’ service dog, she missed an important second alert. Joos’ heart rate neared 120. Fortunately, despite missing the second alert, she was able to make it to her vehicle before losing consciousness.
Animal experts strongly encourage parents to talk to their children about pet service dog etiquette. A few ground rules to go over include no petting, no talking to the pet, no saying his or her name, no making eye contact, and no action in an attempt to get the dog’s attention.
Regardless of what the dog is doing – or how cute they are for that matter – pet service dogs need to be focused on their partner at all times, and therefore cannot waste any moments being petted or cuddled by strangers, especially children.
While it’s noted that these dogs are also trained to avoid these kinds of distractions, dogs are still dogs and are still impervious to anything or anyone that comes their way.
Watch the video below for more details:
Source: OpposingViews
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