The Case for the Ugly Service Dog
I hear, “OH! Your dog is SO GORGEOUS! I just HAVE to pet her!”, as the over exuberant stranger leans over to hug or pet a working service dog sitting perfectly next to their partner. The stories I can tell you about being in public with a service dog in training! As a trainer of such amazing creatures, one of the biggest issues for a service dog is to learn to ignore people. Why? Because service dogs MUST keep their focus on their partner. No, service dogs should not be social with the public. In a moment of excitement in anticipation of getting a treat or petting from someone new, that service dog might very well put their partner in danger. Someone whose dog provides balance, guidance, hearing alerts or even alerts their partner to an oncoming seizure could be distracted enough to cause their partner to fall, begin a seizure without notice, or miss an important emergency auditory message.
I often joke about how a service dog needs to be the ugliest dog on the planet in order to not draw the attention of the public so the public will not interfere. But, the truth of the matter is that the public must be educated about why it is critical they DO NOT draw the dog’s attention away from their partner.
When the public even asks the owner the dog’s name then they repeat it bending over and looking at the dog, a highly trained service dog will respond and look directly at the speaker. I urge my service dog clients to give false dog names to those that ask.
Many people never ask the owner if they can pet the service dog and begin to fondle all over the dog, placing the owner at great risk of falling, or missing a critical alert from the dog. It is particularly important to realize you may not see someone’s disability or realize what the danger might be for the owner, and it is an invasion of their privacy to ask.
In Idaho, State Code Title 18, Chapter 58 provides for imprisonment up to 6 months or a fine up to $1500 or both for interfering with the work of a service dog. That means even the most well intentioned pet, kiss, fondle can be prosecuted.
The State Code also says, “Any person, not being a disabled person or being trained to assist disabled persons, who uses an assistance device or assistance dog in an attempt to gain treatment or benefits as a disabled person, is guilty of a misdemeanor.” And, this code also provides for liability in the event that a poorly trained dog in public causes damage. This means faking a pet as a service dog to allow the dog access into a public place is illegal, too.
