SERVICE DOG PSA
So today I tripped. Fell flat on my face, it was awful but ultimately harmless. My service dog, however, is trained to go get an adult if I have a seizure, and he assumed this was a seizure (were training him to do more to care for me, but we didn’t learn I had epilepsy until a year after we got him)
I went after him after I had dusten off my jeans and my ego, and I found him trying to get the attention of a very annoyed woman. She was swatting him away and telling him to go away. So I feel like I need to make this heads up
If a service dog without a person approaches you, it means the person is down and in need of help
Don’t get scared, don’t get annoyed, follow the dog! If it had been an emergency situation, I could have vomited and choked, I could have hit my head, I could have had so many things happen to me. We’re going to update his training so if the first person doesn’t cooperate, he moves on, but seriously guys. If what’s-his-face could understand that lassie wanted him to go to the well, you can figure out that a dog in a vest proclaiming it a service dog wants you to follow him
A woman once came to my place of work with a dog wearing an obviously fake service dog vest and patch. I know this for two reasons. One, the dog was completely out of control and yipping and scampering around all over the place and jumping on everybody, which is generally not service dog behavior. And two, once she learned the owner of our company had a dog she immediately launched into her sales pitch pushing him to buy her fake service dog patches, which she flat out admitted are for getting your dog into places it otherwise wouldn’t be allowed. I think this might have also had some kind of pyramid scheme aspect.
“Did you know??? Businesses are not allowed to discriminate against you or your dog if it says it’s a service animal! It’s Federal law!!!”
I threw her out. This made her very incensed.
I told her in no uncertain terms that the only thing she’s accomplishing is training people – not dogs – that they can ignore legitimate service animals because they might be dipshit Karens like herself are going around with fake service dogs causing problems everywhere they go. I am positive she lacked the empathy or self-awareness to understand the harm that this could cause to someone with a real service dog who was in need of actual help.
But she’s still banned. Too bad, not sad.
I hope the owner had your back 💯 for what you did. People always trying to side-step rules and/or boundaries because they think they’re stupid or don’t apply to them are exactly what’s wrong with the world today.
In America we are just supposed to attach a note to the dog that says “thoughts and prayers”
Plus a bill for medical services provided by acknowledging the dog
Had no idea this was a thing, and I knew what a service dog was. Glad I learned something new today, thank you for sharing!
They should mention this on TV/Cable/other like they used to do in the old days when they used to broadcast PSAs.
Just imagine a service dog with a lil sigh that says, “Help! I need an adult!”
Like, me too, bud. Me too.
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Make sure you remove the ID finger before the ambulance arrives.
I won’t be making that mistake again.
Ohhhh, you!
what is this i love it
This is a meme image satirizing a scenario in which a disabled person is especially vulnerable, implying the obvious response to someone in such a position is to take advantage of them, as opposed to helping them.
Beyond its value for humor’s sake alone, it being a particularly funny meme helps spread awareness that a service dog on its own is an emergency that requires attention.
He is talking about the “oh, you” format
Oh okay. Then in that case I’ll explain here so as not to double-inbox them and split the thread:
Thats a popular meme in which a dog is accidentally making a very human-like expression from a humorous posture, which in combination looks like a shameful but frolicking admission of guilt. Someone placed a person making a reciprocal gesture in the sightline of that dog, appearing to gaze back while making a similarly lighthearted expression of judgement. Underlining the point is the caption, “Oh, you!” an idiom often uttered in similar scenarios between people in sitcoms.
Follow, don’t pet. Got it. Can I pet after?
If the owner is dead then you get to pet
I just like dogs. If one walked up to me and clearly wanted me to follow it I probably would.
I could have been abducted so easily as a kid if pedos in my area had known that one simple trick haha
Heck, I even followed the neighbours cat when he came and approached me clearly upset about something, on my way to the shop.
To be fair there was a slight drizzle, and he needed someone to ring their doorbell so he could go inside.
“Come with me, tiny human.”
Oh, are we having an adventure?
“Uhm… Yes. Kind of.”
Cool!!!