Ask To Pet Me patches???

i think i'm gonna try to come up with a design for that patch lol i can imagine a snarling human or something silly like that lol

and i dont know if its nationwide or just my region but every now and then there is a commercial that comes on, a public service announcement about kids and dogs. these kids are saying something like "I promise i wont sneak up on you.."
"..wont pull your tail, or shout" things like that. was really cute and well done. but there should be more commercials like that....
my school also had presentations about service dogs. i also remember watching a PBS sesame street thing about a girl and her family raising a lab puppy to become a seeing eye dog. ever since then i have wanted to do that..... a couple years ago i ran into a couple in wal mart that had a pup in training. they had pamphlets and everything about where the course was, when, how to qualify, all kinds of stuff....  but i was still living at home then and already had three dogs in a very small how which was rented....

i think i would still like to do that some day. Maybe i'll just train my own dogs though.... i know as much about temperment testing as the profesionals.... however i am willing to learn more.

you need the "Beware of Owner" patch

That's EXACTLY what I need, LOL! Of course, that's if people actually thought about it before they shoved their hands into dogs' faces.

My friend's Boxer boy, Spar, used to wear a backpack, while we were out. All the time, people would ask if he was a service dog, while shoving hands in his face. Then, they'd ask if he was the other Boxer's mommy. [sm=banghead002.gif]

My friend's Boxer boy, Spar, used to wear a backpack, while we were out. All the time, people would ask if he was a service dog, while shoving hands in his face.

So they assume he's a service dog AND just go ahead and pet him? [sm=smack.gif]   grrr!  How do people learn to be so annoying?

Maybe what we need is a "NOT A Service Dog!" patch.

I don't ever want my dogs to be mistaken for service dogs, but I suppose if they are I hope I can at least use the opportunity to explain why they are not a service dog and how you should (more like, should not) approach a working service dog.  When working at the shelter, a lot of people will come up and ask you about the dog or try to pet it.  I'm not a very outgoing person, but I'm trying to make learning experiences out of every encounter so at the very least, the kid learns to always ask to pet a dog, no matter how friendly it seems, and if they do ask, I try to remember to praise them for asking first.

the kid learns to always ask to pet a dog, no matter how friendly it seems, and if they do ask, I try to remember to praise them for asking first.

I always praise them for asking, even if I don't let them pet my dog. If I hear a parent scold a child for NOT asking, I thank them. One day, Emma was picking treats and a child startled her. She air snapped, never intending to make contact, and walked away from him. His mom laid INTO him. It was great[] She told him that if that dog had bitten him, it would have been HIS fault, and it's NEVER ok to touch a dog without asking.

ORIGINAL: Pwca

ORIGINAL: ColleenC

This is kind of an etiquette question.  I don't ask to pet the dog unless we are on the topic of the dog, like I said, usually, I'm trying to help find a product for the dog, so then I don't really feel like its wrong to compliment the dog and ask questions.  But, like in your picture outside of Sonic, if I were in the area as well and saw you with your dog, would it be appropriate to compliment his looks and training?  As long as I don't pet?  Or, is that not acceptable either?  If I want to work in this field one day, I might as well ask as many questions as possible from people who have experience!

Um... it really depends, so in general? A smile and "Pretty dog." is probably okay. Last night at Sonic, we had three SD teams there and then, well, we expect some questions- it's not unusual. Some days, it's fine to actually ask more- if I'm having a good day, I'm always happy to tell people a little bit about Mal (He's a smooth collie, he's in training, and he's going to be a medical alert dog- that's pretty much all the information I'll give out, and if I'm out in public, I'm either on my way to/from work, or running an errand, and an extended conversation that I've had a million times, with a complete stranger usually isn't in the cards- if you're really interested in dogs in general, I may give you my card and tell you to email me (I have a anonymous mail account for that)). If I'm not... I'll probably just say thank you, smile, and hope you take that as a hint to move on.

Some days, it feels a little bit like being the walking Educational Experience. Asking 'But medical alert for what?" is kinda tacky- do you share YOUR medical conditions with complete strangers? People get offended when you say "Um, that's private!". Having a service dog does NOT entitle random strangers to ask nosy questions about your health. The legal guidelines for gatekeepers (who DO get to ask questions) don't allow them to ask WHAT your disability is (it's discriminatory because of stigma on certain disabilities) but they may ask what tasks the dog performs, if it is an assistance dog, and if you are indeed disabled.

In the case of psychiatric service dogs, where there's a stigma against certain illnesses like bipolar and schitzophrenia, which I can never spell correctly, so the person may REALLY not want to tell- they don't know if you'll tell other people that they are bipolar or schizophrnic, and what if they're out with their boss for a business lunch?)

I meant asking questions here on the forum.  We have great people like you who can help all of us learn more!  I would never just stop someone with a service dog to ask a million questions!  That would be very rude I think!  If I see someone with one in a store or somewhere, I usually just smile and say "you have a very pretty dog!"  At work, its a bit different because we are usually talking about the dog already.  Thats what I do!  I answer questions and help people find stuff they need for their dogs.  So, we are talking about the dog already so asking questions about him is part of it and I would do the same for a pet dog.  There was one lady, who had a trained SD, but he was no longer used as an SD as her son passed away but she took him to schools to teach kids.  She volunteered all of the information after I complimented him and seemed to enjoy letting him show off a bit.  Then, I felt it was ok to ask if he was clicker trained and that kind of stuff.  But, like I said, I would never be asking stuff like that if I saw an SD just out and about.  Its different when I'm at work and I am helping them with dog related things.   I would NEVER ask, about the disability.  It is none of my business.  I know that the dog is there to support them and help with anything they might need help with.  That is all I need to know.  My friend who has the hearing dog is usually pretty laid back with him unless she is doing some active training, then she usually asks people not to pet him.  I guess its probably different for each dog and handler.  I didn't know that dogs were used for psychiatric disorders!  That is really interesting!  I really admire all of the work that goes into training a SD!