Don’t Bother Service Dogs

Hello, this is Ralf from Happy Dog Training. Welcome to another episode of Dog Talk. Today we’re going to talk about service dogs. We will have multiple episodes on different aspects of dogs for people with disabilities that are interesting for everybody, if you have a working dog or not. But today we’re going to focus on some very general things that are really applicable to everybody who walks around out there. Because you will encounter service dogs.

I’d like to share some thoughts on what you should and shouldn’t do with dogs for people with disabilities you meet, because I see it all the time when I take our service dogs out during training. Also, when I see what people who have our dogs deal with in the public, and what people report on social media about their encounters with people and their assistance dogs. There is a lot of bad behavior towards service dogs. It’s problematic. So why does this matter?

The Harm of Service Dog Fraud

Let me give just one example. There are many. A year or so ago, the FAA and airlines updated the requirements for a person to take a service dog on an airplane. People now have to fill out forms to provide information about who trained the dog, even though it’s legal to self train your service dog under law. So that’s allowable. But on the form they’re asking. And there are all kinds of hurdles people with service dogs now have to jump through to be able to bring their service dog on a plane. All, because there has been so much abuse in the past.

Many people who don’t have real service dogs have taken them on planes, and a lot of them have misbehaved and even attacked and bitten people. That led to a crackdown. That also led to the unfortunate fact that real emotional support animals no longer can fly on airplanes. They were allowed to and now they’re not, because that is how people abused the system.

Disabled People Suffer the Consequences

Now, service dog owners, the one with disabilities, the ones that are already struggling to get through the day, have to jump through additional hurdles to get their dog on a plane or other public transportation. Simply because other people abused the system or did things that are not above board.

Service Dogs Have Legal Protection

What I want to do in this episode is provide a couple of pointers, not about airplanes, but about what you should and shouldn’t do when you encounter a person with a service dog in public. Because, that is not a pet, that is a working animal. From a legal perspective, a service dog is like a wheelchair. That’s why there are wheelchair ramps on buildings. It’s because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA. Wheelchair ramps for the person with a wheelchair are reasonable access, reasonable accommodation.

A service dog is like a wheelchair. It is legally a piece of equipment. Obviously, that’s not how we think of our service dogs. Nobody thinks of a dog as a piece of equipment. But in legal terms, and why a service dog has access rights is, because it’s legally like a wheelchair. I don’t think you would go around touching people’s wheelchairs. The same applies to a service dog. But let’s take this step by step.

Public Etiquette Towards Service Dogs

If you if you encounter a dog out in public, and I’m not talking to people with service dogs now, I’m talking to everybody else. If you encounter a dog out in public and the dog is wearing a service vest and the vest has whatever indication on it, there’s a pretty good chance that is a service dog. Now, could that be a fake service dog? Sure. But it’s not the job of just anyone to investigate that, ask questions and harass the person with the service dog. That’s not the job of the of the average citizen.

That is a question for a store owner when somebody wants to come in with a dog. That’s a question for a business or for a hospital, or for a medical facility or any other public building to potentially check if a dog brought in doesn’t appear to be a legitimate service dog based on behavior. It’s on people who have actually the right to check and ask a few questions. We’ll get to those later.

You’re Not a Service Dog Sherlock Holmes

But it’s not up to anybody who just sees a dog out there to investigate if that’s real or not. Leave the service dogs alone. You’re likely looking at a person who has a disability of some sort. The disability may be visible. The disability may be invisible. It could be PTSD or a seizure disorder. It could be diabetes or a heart condition. None of these things are visible from the outside. That doesn’t mean the person doesn’t have a disability. Don’t bother people with service dogs

If a dog wears a vest, just leave it be. The dog may be cute. Don’t touch the dog. The dog may be absolutely adorable and look friendly and smile. Don’t touch the dog. It should be pretty straightforward that you shouldn’t touch the dog. And I think most people probably get that part. I oftentimes see adults telling their kids they shouldn’t bother the dog once you make them aware it is a service dog, but they themselves don’t look. That needs to be pointed out first. If the dog wears a vest, just assume it’s a service dog and leave the dog alone.

Don’t Bother Service Dogs

It shouldn’t require the service dog handler to tell you, this is a service dog. He’s wearing a piece of equipment that’s not necessarily common on a pet. So, in all likelihood, there is something different about this dog. Just assume he’s a service dog. I would say most parents I’ve seen actually act responsibly the moment they realize it’s a service dog.

In my personal experience, 99% of parents stop their children from from messing with a service dog. So kudos to those parents. But there are there are those who don’t, and I’m not sure this message will reach them. But generally, if a dog wears a vest, just assume it’s a service dog. Leave them alone.

Ignore Service Dogs in Every Aspect

But it goes further than not touching the dog. It goes a lot further than that. You should also not look at the dog. You can glance at the service dog and then look away. Don’t stare at the dog. Now you may wonder why can’t I look? I just want to look. I’m not doing anything. Well, you’re looking could distract a dog. It depends on the dog’s level of training, if that is distracting to the dog or not. Depends also on the dog. A lot of people train their own service dog and as such only reach a certain level of reliability [in ignoring distractions].

Don’t Distract Service Dogs

The dog may not be able to ignore the friendly person looking at them, because he may be very social. There is a lot to be said about the training of that dog and the background of that dog, and also many other factors. But in that moment, looking at a dog can be distracting even if it is a real service dog. The dog may miss an alert while the person has a heart episode. The dog may miss it because he’s distracted, from you looking at him and he’s looking back and he’s kind of checked out.

That shouldn’t happen with a real service dog, but it’s possible. So, when you look at a dog and stare at a service dog in public, you are increasing the likelihood of the dog missing an alert. It could be a vital alert. It could be an alert that can save a person’s life.

You Can Cause Real Harm

Again, the training could have missed some things, or the dog has not had any maintenance of the training, or the dog got startled, or he wasn’t the right dog for some reason and only reached a certain level of reliability. All these things can be true. But still, in that moment when you stare at the service dog, you’re going to distract that service dog from working and it could miss an alert. It could miss a task.

This could seriously impact the person who needs the service dog. So even looking at the dog can be problematic. I don’t mean a glance to see if there’s a vest. I mean staring and even commenting. “Oh, he is so cute!” “What a cute dog that is.” “He is so lovely.” Those are the things will people will say. And that is distracting. Now you’re talking in the direction of the dog and you’re talking at the person. You’re not touching the dog, but you’re talking to the dog. That’s also disruptive. More disruptive than looking. Again, the dog could miss an alert.

Bothering Service Dogs Could Kill a Person

The person could literally die if the wrong circumstances come together. I’m not exaggerating. That could absolutely happen. Let’s say the dog is alerting for the person to take a vital medication when certain body functions are getting out of whack, and the dog would normally detect that, but now you’re distracting the dog by talking to it and he misses that alert, misses to alert, misses to tell the person they need to take a medication, sit down, or call for help, and boom, it can end very poorly.

Just don’t talk to service dogs. Don’t look at service dogs. Don’t touch service dogs. I know it’s tempting. Especially, when they’re cute. I know they’re adorable. But these are vital helpers. They get a person with a disability through their day because that’s all they want to do. All they want is get through their day. They don’t want to be bothered. They’d much rather just have this dog at home as a pet and don’t need him to work. They would be so much happier if they didn’t have their disability [to deal with] and wouldn’t need the help.

Disabilities Are Often Invisible

They’re having a service dog because they have a disability, visible or invisible, obvious to you or not. And anything that affects the dog’s ability to work is a real problem just from a medical perspective. It can really have detrimental effects on a human being.

Just keep that in mind. I don’t think anybody who is doing these things, talks to the service dog, looks at them, is thinking of this. And this is why I’m sharing this in this podcast. Most people don’t have bad intentions. They’re not trying to harm anyone. They’re just admiring a beautiful animal. I get all that. But you could have really bad impact on someone’s health. And I don’t think you want that. I really think most people do not want this. And by pointing it out, hopefully we can reduce the incidents somewhat.

Service dogs are working dogs, out in public, doing vital jobs. If the disability of the person is obvious or not is not relevant. Just assume any dog with a vest is a service dog.

Service Dog Vests Are Optional

But, not all service dogs wear vests because legally they don’t have to. And with some tasks, the vests may get in the way. It really depends. Just because a dog sitting next to a person in a doctor’s office or sitting in a restaurant under a table doesn’t wear a vest, doesn’t mean that’s not a legitimate service dog either. It just means that dog doesn’t wear a vest. If he’s in a restaurant that normally doesn’t admit dogs. You can safely assume that when the person checked in, they were asked if this is a service dog and they were only let in after they confirmed so, and provided some additional information about why this dog is here.

The Service Dog Questions Businesses Can Ask

There are two questions businesses get to ask. And again, it’s not the job of other patrons to investigate why the dog is under the table. In many cases, you may not even know that a dog is under the table and are surprised when he emerges. A well-trained service dog will not necessarily stick out. Once the training is complete, he may just disappear under a table and you won’t even know he’s there.

But again, that’s not a given. The dog could lie next to the table or next to the seat, or sit there. He may be alerting or working in that moment. Maybe he’s alerting a person with a gluten allergy. “Hey, don’t eat that.” There’s gluten in there. You ordered a non-gluten meal, but they gave you one with gluten. And I’m telling you, don’t put that in your mouth. Service dogs can alert to that. That is a completely invisible disability. And it would be Celiac disease. So a dog could alert a person with Celiac disease to gluten in food, even though they ordered gluten-free food. That could be very important.

Some Service Dogs Don’t Wear Vests

So, just because there isn’t equipment doesn’t mean it’s not a service dog. Usually, the behavior of a dog in public, unless it’s a service dog in training, that’s a little bit of a different story, makes it very clear that it is a trained service dog and its supposed to be there and legitimate. The ones that are poorly behaved are either in training or may be fake. But again, it’s not everybody’s job to investigate that. Let the businesses that admit people into their buildings, let the office managers, let the front desk staff, let the people who are actually in charge of those buildings ask those questions, because they will.

Is this a Service Dog?

Okay, so one of the questions that someone in a business may ask is “Is this a service dog?” Which is a yes or no question. And the person will answer that question with a yes or no. If it’s a no, well, out. If it’s a yes, okay. The next question is, what service does this dog provide? And that is a legitimate question. That is not an off-limits question. The business is allowed to ask. What service does this dog provide? Now, the person with a disability does not have to go into details. That would be crossing the line.

What Service Does The Dog Provide?

My girlfriend Sarah has her service dog, Storm and he’s a cardiac support dog. He also does mobility tasks, but he’s primarily a cardiac support dog. I took him to visit her in the hospital during a stay a year ago, and the front desk staff asked, what service does he provide? They looked in their binder and checked what the questions were and I said, he’s a cardiac support dog. And that is the answer to that question They do not get to ask, what cardiac conditions does she have and what exactly does he do for her? These questions are not okay because they are invasive. They invade her privacy and she doesn’t have to share that.

Now, in this case, it was a hospital. They could have just looked it up in her records. But in a restaurant that’s not the case. The question what service does he provide is fair. He’s a diabetic alert dog. She’s a psychiatric support dog. He’s a cardiac support dog. She’s a mobility support dog. Those are the answers people will give who understand the law and understand their rights. And that’s the end of that.

Service Dog Rights Are Not Absolute

If the dog then behaves in a way that is disruptive to the business, the business can still remove the dog. If a dog is acting aggressively or poops on the floor you can be asked to leave. So there are parameters under which a service dog, even a legitimate service dog, may be removed from a building or a restaurant. By the restaurant manager or owner, but not by other patrons. Those are a couple of things about the questions and the access that comes with it.

Service Dogs Laws and Criminal Penalties

Another thing to consider for everybody who doesn’t have a service dog, is that the interference with a service dog at work is a misdemeanor in the state of California. It may vary by the state you’re in of what crime you’re committing, but if you’re interfering with a service dog or the work of a service dog. You’re committing a misdemeanor and it can end you six months in jail.

Just think about that for a moment. You can look this up in the California Civil Code. I forgot the exact paragraph number. But interfering with a service dog is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a monetary fine. I think somewhere around $2,000 or so. Interfering with access. Preventing access of a service dog to a building is also a misdemeanor. Service dog fraud. Passing off your dog as a service dog when he’s not or she’s not, is also a misdemeanor. All these carry sentences of either monetary fines or jail time or both. Those are serious offenses.

Service Dog Laws Vary by State

So it would be better for everybody to not interfere with service dogs. The laws I just mentioned are for California. But many states have laws on the books that clarify what the penalties are. If you end up calling the cops, they may or may not know of these provisions because they’re not that well-known. That doesn’t change the fact that they exist and they’re real, and you can absolutely be charged with these. People have been charged. You can find several cases of business owners who threw people with service dogs out, or didn’t let them in and it cost them a pretty penny. And some even went to jail for a little while. So this does happen.

It is important for businesses to understand what the rules are, what the laws are and what they are allowed and not allowed to do for their own business safety and their business license safety and freedom. But it’s also important for everybody in the general public to understand that you should leave service dogs alone and not interfere with their work in any way.

You Don’t Want to Harm People

When you talk to service dogs, when you address them, when you pet them, when you touch them, when you try to engage in some way because the dog is so cute, you could be walking straight into a jail cell. Obviously there are degrees of disrupting service dogs, but let’s say the dog misses something and there’s serious harm to the person. Rest assured, there will be serious consequences for you for doing so. Regardless of you being aware of it or not. That is a crime. Just keep that in mind.

Interfering With Service Dogs Can Be Very Expensive

So let me give you one last thing to think about in relationship to your own dogs and service dogs. Let’s say you live in a residential neighborhood, or you’re out camping or wherever you are with your dog, and you have a nice, friendly dog. Not a problem behavior in sight. Then somebody walks by with a service dog, and your dog comes and engages with that dog, and that interaction turns into a dog fight for some reason.

Maybe your dog was feeling bad, whatever it is. And it wasn’t started by the service dog, but it was started by your dog somehow. Whatever the freak circumstances were that led to it. It may be completely out of character. Or maybe your dog just didn’t like that dog. Well, some dogs just don’t like particular dogs.

Now that service dog ends up getting injured and it’s not even so much the physical injury. It’s the attack itself that is problematic, because the psychological trauma leads that dog no longer being able to work.

The Price Tag Can Bankrupt You

What do you think is going to happen next in that scenario? If your loose dog messed with a service dog. The ramifications of that will be rather expensive. Really, really expensive. Because now you’ve caused emotional distress to someone who no longer has a service dog and needs to get another one trained. The damage to their dog, maybe the psychological damage, not the physical. so much, depending on the injuries, obviously, but the psychological trauma of the attack may make that dog completely useless, in air quotes, as a service dog. It can no longer work.

They need a new dog. They no longer have a dog for the period for the time it takes to train a new one. There’s emotional distress from that. That price tag goes through the roof for you because your dog was loose. I don’t mean to scare anybody, but these consequences can become very expensive and pretty intense rather quickly.

Act Responsibly Around Service Dogs

Be aware that your actions, your interactions with service dogs, your dog’s interaction with a service dog can have a very detrimental impact on the person with a disability. All they want to do is get through their day. They have no other interest in just going about their day and not be bothered and getting back home, because they probably don’t have enough to do all these things on their own. That’s why they have a service dog and they need the help.

The last thing they need is external factors impacting their life more than it already is from on their disabilities. Please keep that in mind when you see a service dog. Maybe clip your dog on a leash when you see a service dog just to make sure nothing happens. It’s always better to err on the side of caution than on the side of carelessness.

Don’t Bother Disabled People

The last point, and that’s not directly related to dogs. But while we’re on the topic of interacting; people with disabilities also do not want to get asked what their disabilities are or what’s wrong with them. That should be obvious, but apparently it’s not.

We’ve seen things when we go out with service dogs in public, they’re just phenomenally ignorant. What some people will do makes you just shake your head sometimes. We had someone pull on the tail of a service dog in an elevator. Just think of that. You pull the tail of a dog in the elevator. First of all, why would you pull a tail of a dog you don’t know to begin with? It’s not your dog. But a service dog? I mean, this is the kind of stuff you run into. Or people will straight up say. “Hey, why do you have that dog? What’s wrong with you?” That’s just so inappropriate on every imaginary level.

Don’t be That Person

Where do you even go with that? The answer should probably be “He was assigned to me upon my release. There were some issues.” But okay, that’s a joke answer. It’s not a real answer.

People with service dogs are just trying to get through the day. That’s really the key message here. And it is best if nobody bothers their service dog and nobody bothers them. They’re having enough going on. They’re dealing with enough issues in their life. The last thing they need is additional friction, tension, and drama. They’re just trying to get through the day.

Conclusion

I hope that gave you some insights into service dogs in public and maybe some additional things to think about. If you are generally a friendly person and you just like the dog and it’s cute and think it’s okay to say hello. It’s not. Talking to the dog or even just admiring the dog and how beautiful it is can be a problem. These things are not as obvious as touching them. Obviously, no touching them is straightforward. I think most people know that part, but some of these other aspects may be not as straightforward.

Also, invisible disabilities are often not considered as much as the visible ones. Somebody missing an arm, is pretty straightforward. But if somebody has an invisible disability, like the ones I mentioned earlier, you can’t see any of that. It’s not visible to the outside world that there is something very serious going on inside that human being, and the service dog is probably going to get them through the day. So not bothering that dog is important.

Okay, so I hope you found this interesting, helpful, informative and you got something out of it. I’ll see you again next time. Bye.