It’s often second nature for animal lovers to pet or greet any dogs they encounter while out and about, but nonprofit organization Can Do Canines wishes to emphasize to the public that this is a major no-no for service dogs.
Service dogs are dogs that have been specially trained to assist individuals with disabilities, which means that they’re working animals rather than simple companions or pets. Can Do Canines is a nonprofit organization that works to connect people with disabilities with the right service dogs for their particular needs.
Shenna Lemche, Can Do Canines’ client services and training manager, shares with CCX Media that it’s in fact highly inadvisable to pet or otherwise interact with a service dogs, as this distracts the dog from their work. Service dogs must be alert and highly attentive to their owners at all times, so that they can immediately perform any tasks that their owners require assistance with. Many service dogs also work with individuals with disabilities that aren’t visible, such as diabetes and epilepsy.
To distinguish them from companion animals, service dogs typically wear capes or vests marking them as such. Lemche emphasizes that it’s best for those encountering service dogs to look at them the same as any other medical devices they might see in public.
How to Help Your Service Dog Work Their Best
While your service dog is there expressly to help you, there are also things you can do to help them perform their work easily and effectively. Clear and easily visible identification, for instance, is the best way to quickly signal to people that your dog is a working dog and shouldn’t be distracted or disturbed. Besides the capes and vests mentioned above, custom dog collars, custom dog bandanas, Martingale collars, or harnesses will make your dog more easily identifiable as a service animal.
Want to learn more about service dogs, their work, and the proper etiquette to observe around them? You’ll find information about all these matters, plus a wealth of well-written pet news and content on other topics, over at the Barking Post Blog. Bookmark us today!