Something weird, but strangely common happened the other week that inspired this post. I was on an elevator and a man in a wheelchair got in. He said the usual "Nice dog, what's his name?" I gave him Zido's "Undercover Name" which is Charlie (I'll talk more about that in a bit.) He then turned to me and said ...
Side note: This was a one-floor elevator trip, meaning I spent all of 5 seconds with this man whom I have never met in my entire 24 years of life.
Anywho, he turned to me and said "I know it says don't pet, but can I pet him?" I just smiled and said "No, he's working." and the guy said "Oh okay just thought I'd ask." We got out of the elevator, scanned out of the metro and then ended up needing to get on another elevator to the street level. While waiting for the 2nd elevator, he said "So what is he?" I said "Yellow lab" and he said "No what service does he do, if you don't mind me asking." I replied "Oh, he's a medic alert dog." To which he then said ...
Side side note: At this point, I've known the strange guy (let's call him Ned since I don't really know his name and Nosy Ned is all that comes to mind) for about 90 seconds.
Back to the story: He said "So what's your medical condition, if you don't mind me asking?" Now, I try to take a really understanding approach to people who see Zido and me. I get it, a service dog is an oddity and super interesting! I remember exactly what it was like before I got Zido when I would see a dog at work. They're living, breathing, furry, adorable heroes! So when people have questions about him, I tend to give them an answer without getting too personal. This question, though, is one that I get a lot, and I always respond with "That's actually really personal." This normally shocks the person into realizing that they've just asked a complete stranger what their medical history is. We got on the elevator and waited the next one-floor ride in slightly super awkward silence.
Now, the whole asking a total stranger what their medical history is really deserves a post all on its own. SPOILER ALERT: Don't do it. It's awkward and it's kind of creepy. So yeah...just don't. But the asking to pet him has inspired this particular post which will hopefully answer the question that we all learned at the ripe old age of two and asked our parents incessantly: Why?
One thing I've found is that when there is more than one person in a group and someone asks if they can pet him, another person will often times answer for me. Which is super awesome and incredibly helpful! Except for when they're wrong about why. So here are two of the "Why Myths" when it comes to petting a service dog:
1. "Oh, it's because he bites. See his muzzle?"
FALSE! While this is a major reason that you should teach children to ALWAYS ask before petting any kind of dog, it's not the reason that a person with a service dog should be using. A well-trained service dog is one that should in no way show aggression towards other humans or animals. In fact, Zido is so non-aggressive that in the few instances when we've been lunged at by other dogs, he has simply gotten in-between the other dogs and me and stood there, not fighting back.
The second part to this response is also wrong, pertaining particularly to Zido. He wears what's called a Gentle Leader while he's on duty. It goes around his snout and is what his leash is attached to. The reason for this is not to stop him from biting (he can fully open his mouth while wearing it), but it instead serves as something very similar to a horse's reins. I have no way of steering Zido with the handle on his harness, but the Gentle Leader allows me to let him know which way we're turning.
2. "She just doesn't want to share him"
Granted, this is one that's not actually said out loud, but I know it's a thought because, to be perfectly frank, it's one I thought before I was partnered with a service dog. I'm not sure if it's just a thought that most people are greedy, but I think it's why people tend to become offended once I've said that they can't pet him. One time, a guy asked, "Well that's not fair. Why do you get to pet him and we can't?" There are no selfish motives when I tell people they can't pet him, and I can probably guarantee it's the same for 98% of the other service dog partners out there. The only "selfish" reason would be safety related, but we'll get there soon.
Now for the facts. When someone pets a dog, what does the dog normally do? It starts wagging its tail, licking the person's hand, and basically any other way that they can tell the person that in that moment, that person is the most important thing in that dog's life. While a service dog is an incredibly well trained and disciplined dog, it's still a dog. They aren't robots in any way, shape, or form. So, when a working service dog is pet, for that moment the person doing the petting is taking the attention of the dog FROM the partner. Even if that pet lasts for all of three seconds, it could take much longer than those three seconds for the dog to refocus their attention back on their job.
Think about it: you're sitting at your desk working on a report that is the make or break of your entire company. Everything that you went to school for is riding on this report being done exactly right and exactly on time. If you miss even one number, the business falls. Now imagine all of your focus is on that report, and in walks a coworker (let's go back to Ned) and Ned says, "Hey I know you're really busy and all, but what are you doing this weekend?" You can't help but have some of your attention turn to Ned, so you stumble out an "Oh...uhhh...gosh let me think....I mean I think maybe I have some laundry to do...?" Your boss walks in and says "Ned, stop talking to him. I really need him to finish this report in the next five minutes." So you turn your attention back to your computer and stare at the screen thinking "Wait, where was I? I just found something but I can't quite remember. Ummmm...."
DING
Your five minutes are up. The company is bankrupt.
Okay, so let's bring it back to a service dog. While you may think that a quick pet can't really do much harm, during the time it takes the dog to focus back on their person, they could miss a key function of their job. If it's a seeing eye dog, maybe the dog isn't able to notice a curb and their partner falls. If it's a diabetic alert dog, maybe the dog doesn't catch the drop in blood sugar in enough time and their person passes out. If it's Zido, maybe he misses a quick jump in my heart rate and I fall and hit my head on the sidewalk. You might be thinking this seems a little over dramatic, but it's really not. These dogs are more than just an adorable companion (and trust us; we know they're cute!) These dogs are living, breathing, necessary pieces of medical equipment. Would you unplug someone's oxygen tank because you want to see what it's like? No. Would you stick your foot out and knock over a blind woman's cane? Gosh I hope not. Service dogs are no different. You should just practice as much self control as you can muster in that moment, and let. them. do. their. job.
On Zido's harness, there are four signs that say "Do NOT Pet. Working Service Dog." So that should make it pretty clear that petting is a no-go. However, it's important to let people know what else can be distracting for a service dog:
- Talking to them. You never even have to touch them, but talking directly to a service dog or saying their name is just as distracting. Hence (I always love an excuse to use the word "hence") Zido's under cover name. When we're out in public and someone asks what his name is, I tell them it's Charlie. This is because nine times out of ten, the person will immediately follow that up with "Hi Charlie." It sounds nothing like his real name, so Zee has no clue they're talking to him!
- Making eye contact. For dogs, eye contact is just as much a form of communication as words are. Have you ever heard about staring into your dog's eyes, yawning, and seeing if they yawn back? It's supposedly a way of determining a bond, but it all starts with taking their attention by making eye contact.
- Kissing/Whistling/General creepy noise-making. Okay. I think this goes without saying, but it's really never a good idea to do this even if a dog is literally nowhere to be found. There's probably few things worse than walking on the street and hearing a stranger make smooching noises as you walk by. If it catches your attention, you can better believe it catches the dog's attention.
There are plenty of memes out there about how hard it is to ignore a working service dog, and please believe me when I say I know what it's like. It's hard and it's tough, but it's necessary. My old neurologist said that this dog has done for me what some of the best doctors in the country couldn't do. He does it by staying attentive and focused on me, and me alone.
I hope this post has given you a little more information on why a service dog should be left alone! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below!
Love and blessings,
Zee and Me
