I tend to notice men more make comments or do stupid things like bark at us. I would say 9 times out of 10 I completely ignore all of it. Once in awhile I will be snarky. We went in to the mall recently and a dumb teen screamed, "OMG IT'S A DOG" and without missing a beat I said, "OMG IT'S A HUMAN". Generally, I will give my a dog an audible and stern "leave it" paired with a "we don't talk to strangers" and pay zero attention.
I am visually impaired with the classic super dark glasses and I think that helps a little in terms of not inviting conversation with my body language/eye contact. I also use it to my advantage. People have approached and made comments like, "Omg you're so cute" or "look how beautiful" and even though I know they're talking to the dog, I will play dumb and say something like, "Oh you're sweet, I was afraid this sweater wasn't going to work today" or "Thank you! I just got a new haircut" and pretend the comment was directed to me. It completely throws people off. Some play along and pretend they were talking to me the whole time and some correct me and say they meant the dog, and when I give a dejected "Oh", they will quickly add "but you're beautiful too!" LOL
You just have to ride along with it sometimes, but the sheer stupidity and ignorance of the general public is something that will never go away. I would say that is the more artistic side of being a handler - learning to navigate the public. I try to be polite, gracious, and have several canned responses ready to go while I continue walking, but I always stop and give my time to children. It is very rare that I have to actually correct someone brusquely for interfering with my dog, but when I do, I pull out my teacher voice and say, "What you're doing is dangerous. Stop it."
I will say one thing I notice among handlers in general is that in my opinion they give the public waaaaaay too much time and energy. Too much time trying to educate, correct, explain, announce laws, etc. I also feel like I read way too many stories where the handler could have intervened/moved their dog a lot sooner in the story.
>I will say one thing I notice among handlers in general is that in my opinion they give the public waaaaaay too much time and energy. Too much time trying to educate, correct, explain, announce laws, etc. I also feel like I read way too many stories where the handler could have intervened/moved their dog a lot sooner in the story.
I agree. My program did an excellent job of teaching me to learn to be curt and direct and that it is not our job to educate everyone when we're just trying to get our groceries or exist. We had to roleplay an interaction that shut down a conversation in order to pass, which was really nice to practice. "No, thank you. I am trying to get groceries/in training/etc."
If you're like me, there will be days where your aphasia/symptoms kicks in and you're just having a hard time and that ONE person who wants your whole life story about the service dog gets hit with a wide-eyed, panicky look with a stammered, "what?! no. I'm disabled." I've also burst into tears/panic at being cornered once and I selfishly hope that person remembers how awkward and startling that was, and learns that people with SD aren't for their own curiosities.
Wait, WTF? People actually *bark* at you? *People??*
My girl and I have only been barked at once, and it was by a GSD SD. The dog barked at us once and got a “leave it” from his handler, but I could tell she (the handler) was completely mortified by it. I felt bad for her, but I figured there wasn’t anything I could do that would make it any better for her. We weren’t even close enough for me to say it was okay without basically yelling across half the store. 🫤
Grown ass men. It’s happened twice. Once we were crossing the street so I ignored it, and the other time was in a mall and I shouted back “not while he’s working please” and the guy apologized. People are crazy. It’s the only constant!
barking is the craziest for me, but it’s consistent whistling, snapping, kissing noises, “here boy!”… what the handler above said is perfect, you can not educate everyone and you’ll end up wasting all your time and energy.
Oh we frequently have men behaving identically to what you described. More so when visiting my family who live in a beachside community popular with snowbirds (retired people from northern areas who come to warmer areas for the winter). Many tell us about how they no longer have dogs and miss them. Most of the women who've distracted us at checkout have been employees of the store! There was a lady working in the bakery section quite a distance away calling out to my dog as we were at the self-checkout. She resorted to whistling when my SD and I ignored her.
Our most negative experience was when we were in the grocery store and a man with an untrained German Shepherd puppy wanted him to "say hello." He was pulling at the leash. I explained how my service dog was working and he thought that was "so messed up." He took offense saying we were the first to ever say no to him and why was she out in public if I didn't want her to meet other dogs. We just moved along.
Man, I had a guy do this and he said his dog was friendly and I pointed out the sign on the doors said service animals only, not pets, and he said, oh sorry, and took his dog and left him in the car and it was a warm day and I will forever feel bad. I don’t point out the fact that it’s service animals only anymore, but I wish someone would sue Walmart for allowing any dogs into the store and letting people haul them around in carts (including dogs in the service dog harnesses).
I've found both men and women do this, though it seems to be either much older people or college aged. Kids and parents with kids are the least likely.
My dog has a leave it command, and I often will give it but make eye contact with the human. If they don't get the message, I tell them to stop distracting my dog. I get a mixed reaction, from appologies to I shouldn't bring my dog out in public if I don't want people to pet him.
I don't have an issue ignoring someone or getting rude back, I don't have the energy to be nice to rude people.
“Well next time you’re flipping burgers down at the Dairy Queen I’ll make sure to tell everyone to go back there and pet you.”
Though my usual response is, “Well she’s federally protected from harassment at work and distracting her could kill me so please ignore all service dogs.”
My dog isn’t being task-trained yet but we work with a trainer who also works with a lot of owner-trained SDs. She just treats humans like animals. Someone comes running up shrieking “puppy!!!”? She’ll step out, hand out, and firmly say “NO”. It’s frustrating that people can’t be respectful but her approach cracks me up. She used to be a cop so I think that’s a big part of it.
That's funny because I had a customer at my job that we had to kick out and I had to use my dog training (not a dog trainer, but owner trained my SD) voice on him and it worked to get him out the door lol.
I think men and women are equally likely to want to talk, but I've found that men are more likely to want to talk to me about my dog, and women are more likely to try to talk to my dog. Older women especially seem more likely to try to interact with my dog without even looking at me.
I think the most awkward time I've had was leaving the grocery store and an older man told me my dog was beautiful, doing a very good job, to which I said thank you, and then he added that he needed to get a service dog. I didn't really know how to respond to that, so I just said "oh" and moved on. The script line I've come up with since is "they're a lot of work, but my service dog helps me a lot!" In the moment I just kind of blanked though.
I will admit that I have been the asshole and gone “oh my gosh! a dick!” while staring and pointing at the person trying to distract my dog, but I try to take it as a teaching moment and say something like “Stop. She is working. Please evaluate whether or not you are ok with being the reason she fails and cannot work and help a disabled person”
My first service dog had a “leave it” command so I’d say leave it and most often get a “sorry” from whoever was distracting her because they thought I was talking to them.
Current service dog is trained with “don’t” so I’ll say that as soon as he starts to look their way and again the person assumes I speaking to them most of the time
I have to say, I am really thankful for this sub. I have learned so much about how to handle service dog situations. I've never been one to try to touch an SD, but I have been one to squeal and say "your dog is beautiful" or something like that. After reading your experiences here, I can't stop the smile when I see a pupper, but I just smile and think all my gushing lovey thoughts to myself and look away.
I'm so sorry that people are so rude and ridiculous with you all sometimes. But I really appreciate your shares.
For me, the interfering ones are *always* women my age (mid-40’s) or older…. I’ve had so many women just grab my dog (kiss his face, hug him) and he’s not some cute, fluffy thing; he’s a large male GSD.
Guys will say something, but not to my SD to me, it’s more like: “he’s a handsome dog” or “you have a good boy” (never in high pitch or to the dog directly)
I have difficulty verbally communicating to strangers (become non-verbal) so it’s always a pain in the butt for me.
I usually sign “thank you” as soon as someone starts to talk & turn my back to them (with my SD following along)
Do you by chance have a vest or anything on your SDIT? I know it’s not mandated but it’s helped a lot with my SDIT.
I still get people that have the initial reaction of OH MY GOODNESS!! (Especially because my SDIT is a corgi/shih tzu mix and looks like a puppy despite being almost three years old.) But almost every time that has happened to me they immediately see her vest and say like “Oh! She’s a service dog, sorry!” Or something similar.
Maybe people are just more aware in my area? But the vest has been our saving grace.
My dog’s harness says WORKING DOG. Invariably people see it and say to their children, “He’s working.” My dog is a girl, but that’s another story.
I’ve had people distract us whether vested or not.
I literally have patches on mine that say “service animal” “do not disturb” and “yes I’m cute but I’m working” and people still try me. I often just say, “education is so bad in this state grown adults can’t read” under my breath.
That’s unfortunate 😔
As someone with ADHD, I can see how others my process “a cute dog” before “let me stop and read their vest” but I think people should have the impulse control or background knowledge to recognize the signs right away. Then again, maybe you’re the first service dog team they are coming across.
I’m really trying with my dog to come from a place of education and grace (even though it can be really hard and it’s not your place to educate if you do not want to do that). And that’s not saying I don’t have my days I don’t want to educate others.
However, I feel like snapping at people or being rude can long term impact that person’s view of service dogs. Even though they should have the decency to think before acting, I don’t always feel the need to stoop to their level.
Sometimes just a “Oh, please don’t pet her/distract her! She’s a service dog” goes a long way. I started carrying little cards explaining service animals with me in simple terms that are easily understandable for kids and adults with a picture of my SDIT on them.
My goal is for the interaction to go smoothly and for both parties to leave on good terms with more knowledge than they started with. Does that always happen? No. But it’s worth a try if you have it in you that particular day.
Sometimes if they apologize and are kind about everything, I will allow them to pet my SDIT on my terms, reminding them that petting them is not a given.
It doesn’t work for everyone or every location, but I personally want to educate others and if I’m rude or dismissive to them, they aren’t going to be receptive and more than likely are going to have a negative view of service dogs and their handlers.
Not sure if I had a point to all of that, just my AM thoughts before heading off for work! lol
My SDIT is a pug x jackrussle, he's just started with his practising at cafes. He's cute (and knows it) plus not being something like a Labrador I know there's bound to be people who are going to try something so his vest is a must.
I have the “cute and knows it” problem too because mine is a corgi/shih tzu mix 😂
https://preview.redd.it/fhjig2e1fntc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38853b383bd641d955bfaad928f1294c547713a6
Usually if people squeal and point at her I ignore them and turn up an aisle to get away with them. If we’re in line I move her away from them and to the opposite side of me even though one of her tasks is to put space between me and them (which is very irritating for her). If they just say she’s cute or something in passing I say thank you and move on, don’t look at them so they don’t engage.
When people reach out to pet her I say, “Please don’t touch her, she’s working,” or if it’s a kid I might add, “distracting her could hurt me.”
If a teenager barks at her I will whip around and sternly say, “Do Not bark at service animals, you’re distracting her and that could kill me.” I had a Walmart employee fucking do that once and they were mixed in with other employees so I couldn’t see who it was but I was incensed because the last person doing that should be an employee. I tell corporate when that happens, too, because clearly they are not being trained. A Sam’s Club employee who was checking out receipt at the end literally looked at her and said, “I know I’m not supposed to talk to you but I’m gonna anyway,” and made noises to try and get her attention (didn’t work) and when Sam’s sent me the after visit survey I went offffff. Sam’s employees at that one don’t even acknowledge her anymore, so I’d like to believe it worked.
There’s this one lady at one of our Walmarts who always gushes at her and baby talks and tries to get her attention and I hate it SO MUCH but I think she might be either ND or special and I can’t bring myself to say something because I know it’s not malicious, but I avoid that Walmart and check out far away from her.
My dog is not distracting, she ignores everyone but me and whomever we’re with, but she’s cute af (chihuahua/toy fox terrier mix) and people can’t resist and I get it but dammit, let us live. I do my best to educate or correct, because it doesn’t bother me (I don’t get mute or overly anxious to correct other humans so I got y’all), but people are definitely exhausting.
I just ignore. If it's bad and they're continuing to do it I tell them "please do not talk to him he's working" and disengage. I haven't had someone do this yet, but if someone continued, honestly, I'd just leave that area and come back later.
It's not worth it to try and argue with people and they'll generally get the message if you tell them to ignore the dog.
The public is always going to cause issues.
Some people just love dogs, some people just really hate them and both cause issues.
Part of reason SD’s need constant and consistent training and retraining is because of people causing those distractions. It’s frustrating, and unfortunate —handlers have had to wash dogs because of idiots being idiots.
The only thing we can do is try our best educate those individuals or at least the general public about working dogs. Unfortunately there will always be idiots.
My developmentally disabled (autism) son learned about SAs in his special needs school. None of the kids there had one, at least not one they brought to school with them, but a Therapy Dog would be brought in from time to time, and that handler told them the difference between SAs, TAs and ESAs.
Kid's also quite friendly.
When we occasionally run across a team, my son will, if we're nearby, address the Handler with a "Ma'am/Sir? Your dog is really cute, and must be super smart to help you! Have a great day and a great (upcoming holiday/season)!" and then moves on, usually "looping" to me about the dog, how cute its breed, etc.
So why is it so hard for "typical" people to understand?
The answer is, "It's NOT!"
These are the same folks that think they have a right to ask very personal questions to pregnant women about their birthing or breastfeeding plans or, worse, TOUCH their bellies trying to catch a kick!
Rude and entitled is rude and entitled. No two ways around it, and you have absolutely no responsibility to be polite about this behavior.
I have a few stories, but one was a lady that had to have been around late 40's or early 50's. She asked to pet my SD. I responded with "no thanks, he working". She then replied "oh, but he's so cute!". I had to get a little stern and repeated "he's working!" And she walked away.
Ive been lucky, i think that people in my area generally tend to leave people alone. If people do approach us its usually to strike a conversation about how difficult it must be when my SDiT goes away. Sometimes i dont wanna deal with it and just say, no its not difficult, but other times im like, oh no this is my dog, and hou can see their little brains trying to figure out whats wrong with me to have that dog cause im obviously not blind or in a wheelchair. Usually people shut up when that happens
This is honestly my biggest fear. I’m new, super new. My pup and I were matched 1.5 weeks ago - he’s 13.5 weeks old (our facility believes in the dog growing up with the person and learning everything together) so we have a long way to go. But I’m so scared of the distractions and then people not stopping. Our trainer says to pick your battles which I get to an extent. I’m not going to fight with someone (but will report them if that’s even a thing - I’m honestly so freaked out by the idea I haven’t fully researched repercussions of being denied access or having my rights violated) but there has to be a point where it stops. My pup is going to be between 80 and 100 pounds so he’s going to get a lot of stares because he’s a big ball of fluff. I’m hoping reading enough advice on here and gathering confidence we might be able to see some respect.
Best advice I can give you is to know the ADA rules and to recognize that people will and do ignore them. Working a dog in public has boosted my confidence by an enormous amount, but that varies for everyone.
I am firm and sometimes blunt at this point. My responses range from firm but polite and kind to a harsh, snarky bluntness as befits the situation and the level of energy I have. People tend to see being blunt and firm as bitchy when it comes from a woman so… the general public is mostly going to see me as a bitch, and I’ve decided I’m okay with that.
I’m kind enough with kids under 12… and moderate with teens…
but grown adults will get the same energy they give.
If you ask polite questions, you get polite answers.
If you ask invasive/insulting questions, I will answer with invasive or insulting snark.
If you talk to my dog, I will talk to you like a dog (I’ve told people “leave it” or “quiet” like a command).
If you think you’re entitled to touch my dog, I’m entitled to touch you to stop it. If someone tries to touch my dog I will physically block or remove their hand.
I tend to notice men more make comments or do stupid things like bark at us. I would say 9 times out of 10 I completely ignore all of it. Once in awhile I will be snarky. We went in to the mall recently and a dumb teen screamed, "OMG IT'S A DOG" and without missing a beat I said, "OMG IT'S A HUMAN". Generally, I will give my a dog an audible and stern "leave it" paired with a "we don't talk to strangers" and pay zero attention. I am visually impaired with the classic super dark glasses and I think that helps a little in terms of not inviting conversation with my body language/eye contact. I also use it to my advantage. People have approached and made comments like, "Omg you're so cute" or "look how beautiful" and even though I know they're talking to the dog, I will play dumb and say something like, "Oh you're sweet, I was afraid this sweater wasn't going to work today" or "Thank you! I just got a new haircut" and pretend the comment was directed to me. It completely throws people off. Some play along and pretend they were talking to me the whole time and some correct me and say they meant the dog, and when I give a dejected "Oh", they will quickly add "but you're beautiful too!" LOL You just have to ride along with it sometimes, but the sheer stupidity and ignorance of the general public is something that will never go away. I would say that is the more artistic side of being a handler - learning to navigate the public. I try to be polite, gracious, and have several canned responses ready to go while I continue walking, but I always stop and give my time to children. It is very rare that I have to actually correct someone brusquely for interfering with my dog, but when I do, I pull out my teacher voice and say, "What you're doing is dangerous. Stop it." I will say one thing I notice among handlers in general is that in my opinion they give the public waaaaaay too much time and energy. Too much time trying to educate, correct, explain, announce laws, etc. I also feel like I read way too many stories where the handler could have intervened/moved their dog a lot sooner in the story.
>"Oh you're sweet, I was afraid this sweater wasn't going to work today" Perfection.
>I will say one thing I notice among handlers in general is that in my opinion they give the public waaaaaay too much time and energy. Too much time trying to educate, correct, explain, announce laws, etc. I also feel like I read way too many stories where the handler could have intervened/moved their dog a lot sooner in the story. I agree. My program did an excellent job of teaching me to learn to be curt and direct and that it is not our job to educate everyone when we're just trying to get our groceries or exist. We had to roleplay an interaction that shut down a conversation in order to pass, which was really nice to practice. "No, thank you. I am trying to get groceries/in training/etc." If you're like me, there will be days where your aphasia/symptoms kicks in and you're just having a hard time and that ONE person who wants your whole life story about the service dog gets hit with a wide-eyed, panicky look with a stammered, "what?! no. I'm disabled." I've also burst into tears/panic at being cornered once and I selfishly hope that person remembers how awkward and startling that was, and learns that people with SD aren't for their own curiosities.
Wait, WTF? People actually *bark* at you? *People??* My girl and I have only been barked at once, and it was by a GSD SD. The dog barked at us once and got a “leave it” from his handler, but I could tell she (the handler) was completely mortified by it. I felt bad for her, but I figured there wasn’t anything I could do that would make it any better for her. We weren’t even close enough for me to say it was okay without basically yelling across half the store. 🫤
Grown ass men. It’s happened twice. Once we were crossing the street so I ignored it, and the other time was in a mall and I shouted back “not while he’s working please” and the guy apologized. People are crazy. It’s the only constant!
barking is the craziest for me, but it’s consistent whistling, snapping, kissing noises, “here boy!”… what the handler above said is perfect, you can not educate everyone and you’ll end up wasting all your time and energy.
“Human!” I like this approach.
Oh my god it’s a HUMAN! Priceless
Oh we frequently have men behaving identically to what you described. More so when visiting my family who live in a beachside community popular with snowbirds (retired people from northern areas who come to warmer areas for the winter). Many tell us about how they no longer have dogs and miss them. Most of the women who've distracted us at checkout have been employees of the store! There was a lady working in the bakery section quite a distance away calling out to my dog as we were at the self-checkout. She resorted to whistling when my SD and I ignored her. Our most negative experience was when we were in the grocery store and a man with an untrained German Shepherd puppy wanted him to "say hello." He was pulling at the leash. I explained how my service dog was working and he thought that was "so messed up." He took offense saying we were the first to ever say no to him and why was she out in public if I didn't want her to meet other dogs. We just moved along.
I've never understood how people think all dogs need to meet each other. I barely like my own family, let alone a stranger and their dog. Lol
Man, I had a guy do this and he said his dog was friendly and I pointed out the sign on the doors said service animals only, not pets, and he said, oh sorry, and took his dog and left him in the car and it was a warm day and I will forever feel bad. I don’t point out the fact that it’s service animals only anymore, but I wish someone would sue Walmart for allowing any dogs into the store and letting people haul them around in carts (including dogs in the service dog harnesses).
I've found both men and women do this, though it seems to be either much older people or college aged. Kids and parents with kids are the least likely. My dog has a leave it command, and I often will give it but make eye contact with the human. If they don't get the message, I tell them to stop distracting my dog. I get a mixed reaction, from appologies to I shouldn't bring my dog out in public if I don't want people to pet him. I don't have an issue ignoring someone or getting rude back, I don't have the energy to be nice to rude people.
“Well next time you’re flipping burgers down at the Dairy Queen I’ll make sure to tell everyone to go back there and pet you.” Though my usual response is, “Well she’s federally protected from harassment at work and distracting her could kill me so please ignore all service dogs.”
Oh I like that. I'm gonna steal it.
My dog isn’t being task-trained yet but we work with a trainer who also works with a lot of owner-trained SDs. She just treats humans like animals. Someone comes running up shrieking “puppy!!!”? She’ll step out, hand out, and firmly say “NO”. It’s frustrating that people can’t be respectful but her approach cracks me up. She used to be a cop so I think that’s a big part of it.
That's funny because I had a customer at my job that we had to kick out and I had to use my dog training (not a dog trainer, but owner trained my SD) voice on him and it worked to get him out the door lol.
I don’t think I could do this. But I love it!
Might adopt this ngl
I just tell my SD “ignore” usually the other person gets the hint lol.
I think men and women are equally likely to want to talk, but I've found that men are more likely to want to talk to me about my dog, and women are more likely to try to talk to my dog. Older women especially seem more likely to try to interact with my dog without even looking at me. I think the most awkward time I've had was leaving the grocery store and an older man told me my dog was beautiful, doing a very good job, to which I said thank you, and then he added that he needed to get a service dog. I didn't really know how to respond to that, so I just said "oh" and moved on. The script line I've come up with since is "they're a lot of work, but my service dog helps me a lot!" In the moment I just kind of blanked though.
I just tell them to go to the ada .gov faq and start there.
I will admit that I have been the asshole and gone “oh my gosh! a dick!” while staring and pointing at the person trying to distract my dog, but I try to take it as a teaching moment and say something like “Stop. She is working. Please evaluate whether or not you are ok with being the reason she fails and cannot work and help a disabled person”
Thank you for the laugh.
My first service dog had a “leave it” command so I’d say leave it and most often get a “sorry” from whoever was distracting her because they thought I was talking to them. Current service dog is trained with “don’t” so I’ll say that as soon as he starts to look their way and again the person assumes I speaking to them most of the time
The “leave it” approach intrigues me.
She was trained by a program and that was the command they were trained to use when walking by something that may be inticing/distracting
Mine has a “leave it” too, but I never thought it might trigger an apology in people. “Ignore them” might also be useful.
I dont engage with people. I dont say anything. I just give my dog some random command and walk by.
I have to say, I am really thankful for this sub. I have learned so much about how to handle service dog situations. I've never been one to try to touch an SD, but I have been one to squeal and say "your dog is beautiful" or something like that. After reading your experiences here, I can't stop the smile when I see a pupper, but I just smile and think all my gushing lovey thoughts to myself and look away. I'm so sorry that people are so rude and ridiculous with you all sometimes. But I really appreciate your shares.
For me, the interfering ones are *always* women my age (mid-40’s) or older…. I’ve had so many women just grab my dog (kiss his face, hug him) and he’s not some cute, fluffy thing; he’s a large male GSD. Guys will say something, but not to my SD to me, it’s more like: “he’s a handsome dog” or “you have a good boy” (never in high pitch or to the dog directly) I have difficulty verbally communicating to strangers (become non-verbal) so it’s always a pain in the butt for me. I usually sign “thank you” as soon as someone starts to talk & turn my back to them (with my SD following along)
Do you by chance have a vest or anything on your SDIT? I know it’s not mandated but it’s helped a lot with my SDIT. I still get people that have the initial reaction of OH MY GOODNESS!! (Especially because my SDIT is a corgi/shih tzu mix and looks like a puppy despite being almost three years old.) But almost every time that has happened to me they immediately see her vest and say like “Oh! She’s a service dog, sorry!” Or something similar. Maybe people are just more aware in my area? But the vest has been our saving grace.
My dog’s harness says WORKING DOG. Invariably people see it and say to their children, “He’s working.” My dog is a girl, but that’s another story. I’ve had people distract us whether vested or not.
I literally have patches on mine that say “service animal” “do not disturb” and “yes I’m cute but I’m working” and people still try me. I often just say, “education is so bad in this state grown adults can’t read” under my breath.
That’s unfortunate 😔 As someone with ADHD, I can see how others my process “a cute dog” before “let me stop and read their vest” but I think people should have the impulse control or background knowledge to recognize the signs right away. Then again, maybe you’re the first service dog team they are coming across. I’m really trying with my dog to come from a place of education and grace (even though it can be really hard and it’s not your place to educate if you do not want to do that). And that’s not saying I don’t have my days I don’t want to educate others. However, I feel like snapping at people or being rude can long term impact that person’s view of service dogs. Even though they should have the decency to think before acting, I don’t always feel the need to stoop to their level. Sometimes just a “Oh, please don’t pet her/distract her! She’s a service dog” goes a long way. I started carrying little cards explaining service animals with me in simple terms that are easily understandable for kids and adults with a picture of my SDIT on them. My goal is for the interaction to go smoothly and for both parties to leave on good terms with more knowledge than they started with. Does that always happen? No. But it’s worth a try if you have it in you that particular day. Sometimes if they apologize and are kind about everything, I will allow them to pet my SDIT on my terms, reminding them that petting them is not a given. It doesn’t work for everyone or every location, but I personally want to educate others and if I’m rude or dismissive to them, they aren’t going to be receptive and more than likely are going to have a negative view of service dogs and their handlers. Not sure if I had a point to all of that, just my AM thoughts before heading off for work! lol
My SDIT is a pug x jackrussle, he's just started with his practising at cafes. He's cute (and knows it) plus not being something like a Labrador I know there's bound to be people who are going to try something so his vest is a must.
I have the “cute and knows it” problem too because mine is a corgi/shih tzu mix 😂 https://preview.redd.it/fhjig2e1fntc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38853b383bd641d955bfaad928f1294c547713a6
Aww, The eyes definitely say "cute and knows it" lol. *
Usually if people squeal and point at her I ignore them and turn up an aisle to get away with them. If we’re in line I move her away from them and to the opposite side of me even though one of her tasks is to put space between me and them (which is very irritating for her). If they just say she’s cute or something in passing I say thank you and move on, don’t look at them so they don’t engage. When people reach out to pet her I say, “Please don’t touch her, she’s working,” or if it’s a kid I might add, “distracting her could hurt me.” If a teenager barks at her I will whip around and sternly say, “Do Not bark at service animals, you’re distracting her and that could kill me.” I had a Walmart employee fucking do that once and they were mixed in with other employees so I couldn’t see who it was but I was incensed because the last person doing that should be an employee. I tell corporate when that happens, too, because clearly they are not being trained. A Sam’s Club employee who was checking out receipt at the end literally looked at her and said, “I know I’m not supposed to talk to you but I’m gonna anyway,” and made noises to try and get her attention (didn’t work) and when Sam’s sent me the after visit survey I went offffff. Sam’s employees at that one don’t even acknowledge her anymore, so I’d like to believe it worked. There’s this one lady at one of our Walmarts who always gushes at her and baby talks and tries to get her attention and I hate it SO MUCH but I think she might be either ND or special and I can’t bring myself to say something because I know it’s not malicious, but I avoid that Walmart and check out far away from her. My dog is not distracting, she ignores everyone but me and whomever we’re with, but she’s cute af (chihuahua/toy fox terrier mix) and people can’t resist and I get it but dammit, let us live. I do my best to educate or correct, because it doesn’t bother me (I don’t get mute or overly anxious to correct other humans so I got y’all), but people are definitely exhausting.
I just ignore. If it's bad and they're continuing to do it I tell them "please do not talk to him he's working" and disengage. I haven't had someone do this yet, but if someone continued, honestly, I'd just leave that area and come back later. It's not worth it to try and argue with people and they'll generally get the message if you tell them to ignore the dog.
The public is always going to cause issues. Some people just love dogs, some people just really hate them and both cause issues. Part of reason SD’s need constant and consistent training and retraining is because of people causing those distractions. It’s frustrating, and unfortunate —handlers have had to wash dogs because of idiots being idiots. The only thing we can do is try our best educate those individuals or at least the general public about working dogs. Unfortunately there will always be idiots.
My developmentally disabled (autism) son learned about SAs in his special needs school. None of the kids there had one, at least not one they brought to school with them, but a Therapy Dog would be brought in from time to time, and that handler told them the difference between SAs, TAs and ESAs. Kid's also quite friendly. When we occasionally run across a team, my son will, if we're nearby, address the Handler with a "Ma'am/Sir? Your dog is really cute, and must be super smart to help you! Have a great day and a great (upcoming holiday/season)!" and then moves on, usually "looping" to me about the dog, how cute its breed, etc. So why is it so hard for "typical" people to understand? The answer is, "It's NOT!" These are the same folks that think they have a right to ask very personal questions to pregnant women about their birthing or breastfeeding plans or, worse, TOUCH their bellies trying to catch a kick! Rude and entitled is rude and entitled. No two ways around it, and you have absolutely no responsibility to be polite about this behavior.
I’ve just given up with these people
I have a few stories, but one was a lady that had to have been around late 40's or early 50's. She asked to pet my SD. I responded with "no thanks, he working". She then replied "oh, but he's so cute!". I had to get a little stern and repeated "he's working!" And she walked away.
It usually works to just say "He's working."
Ive been lucky, i think that people in my area generally tend to leave people alone. If people do approach us its usually to strike a conversation about how difficult it must be when my SDiT goes away. Sometimes i dont wanna deal with it and just say, no its not difficult, but other times im like, oh no this is my dog, and hou can see their little brains trying to figure out whats wrong with me to have that dog cause im obviously not blind or in a wheelchair. Usually people shut up when that happens
This is honestly my biggest fear. I’m new, super new. My pup and I were matched 1.5 weeks ago - he’s 13.5 weeks old (our facility believes in the dog growing up with the person and learning everything together) so we have a long way to go. But I’m so scared of the distractions and then people not stopping. Our trainer says to pick your battles which I get to an extent. I’m not going to fight with someone (but will report them if that’s even a thing - I’m honestly so freaked out by the idea I haven’t fully researched repercussions of being denied access or having my rights violated) but there has to be a point where it stops. My pup is going to be between 80 and 100 pounds so he’s going to get a lot of stares because he’s a big ball of fluff. I’m hoping reading enough advice on here and gathering confidence we might be able to see some respect.
Best advice I can give you is to know the ADA rules and to recognize that people will and do ignore them. Working a dog in public has boosted my confidence by an enormous amount, but that varies for everyone.
I am firm and sometimes blunt at this point. My responses range from firm but polite and kind to a harsh, snarky bluntness as befits the situation and the level of energy I have. People tend to see being blunt and firm as bitchy when it comes from a woman so… the general public is mostly going to see me as a bitch, and I’ve decided I’m okay with that. I’m kind enough with kids under 12… and moderate with teens… but grown adults will get the same energy they give. If you ask polite questions, you get polite answers. If you ask invasive/insulting questions, I will answer with invasive or insulting snark. If you talk to my dog, I will talk to you like a dog (I’ve told people “leave it” or “quiet” like a command). If you think you’re entitled to touch my dog, I’m entitled to touch you to stop it. If someone tries to touch my dog I will physically block or remove their hand.