Online Community Discourages Canine Lover From Petting Guide Dogs

Community members are 100% against petting service dogs.

May

• Published in Interesting
• February 15, 2024

Petting a service dog or guide dog may seem tempting, but it's typically not advisable. These dogs are usually on duty when they wear harnesses, vests, or capes, providing invaluable assistance to their handlers.

Remember, whether they're actively assisting or undergoing training, it's best not to touch or distract them. Doing so could jeopardize the safety of their owner and impede the dog's ability to focus and follow commands effectively.

Respecting their role and allowing them to focus ensures they can fulfill their vital duties without interruption. The service dog and their handler form a close-knit team, with the dog's primary focus being on their human partner's needs.

If you wish to engage with them, always address the person first, acknowledging the dog's working status and the importance of maintaining her concentration. Touching or petting a working dog without consent could disrupt her workflow and compromise her ability to assist her handler effectively.

These dogs undergo rigorous training to remain focused on their tasks, even in the face of external distractions. Furthermore, if you have your own dog with you in the presence of a service dog team, keep your pet at a distance until you've communicated with the handler.

Uncontrolled interactions between dogs, particularly while one is working, can lead to undesirable outcomes and potential safety concerns for both animals involved.

Over at Quora, a user asks the community if it's okay to pet guide dogs while they're working. Let's take a look at the community members' responses.

The Quora question:

"Guide dogs are working professionals"

As a pet lover, it’s important to remember that guide dogs are working professionals who provide essential support to people with sight loss. It’s not a good idea to pet or distract them while they’re on duty because they need to stay focused on their job of guiding their owner safely.

It’s like interrupting someone while they’re working - it can be disruptive and even dangerous in certain situations.

So, when you see a guide dog out with their owner, it’s best to give them space and respect their role. If you want to interact with the dog, always ask the owner for permission first.

Remember, guide dogs are trained to stay in work mode until they receive a release command, so it’s important to let them do their job without any distractions. By showing understanding and consideration towards guide dogs and their owners, we can help create a supportive environment for those who rely on these amazing animals for independence.

Petting guide dogs = Using a wheelchair that's still in use

Can you take someone's wheelchair for a spin while they're using it?

Legally a service animal is medical equipment, like mobility aids or oxygen tanks. Like any other medical equipment they're not as useful when someone else is keeping them from doing what they're meant to do.

Petting a service dog that's on duty can distract it which can cause it to miss alerts or cues. This can lead to their disabled partner getting injured potentially.

Alternately you can think about them as being like on duty dedicated nurses doing important jobs for the person they're paired with.

Would you go up to an on duty nurse caring for a patient and start chatting them up so they can't focus on their job? No?

Then you shouldn't go and do anything to distract a service dog that's on duty either.

Short answer that gets the message across.

Absolutely not. Please don't ever do that

Always ask for permission first.

In most cases you should not. You can ask the owner, though, and if they give permission, you can. If you’re told that you can’t, accept this gracefully and don’t try to push for a different answer.

Petting guide dogs could get you into trouble.

No.

And in many states, interfering with a Service Dog can bring criminal charges.

Talk about the dog, but don't pet it.

Don’t even ask if the dog is in it’s harness it’s on duty. You can talk to the blind person about their dog like what’s it’s name, how long they have had him/her.

Same kinds of questions you would ask a mom/dad about one of their children.

Just no.

NO!!!!!! Don’t pet ANY service animal you’ll distract them from doing their job which can have consequences for the person who’s service animal it is

Petting guide dogs is completely inappropriate.

No, it is not appropriate to pet guide dogs while they are on duty. These highly trained dogs have an important job to do and any distractions, including being petted, can interfere with their ability to assist their handler.

It is important to respect their role as working animals and allow them to focus on their tasks.

If you would like to learn more about the proper etiquette when interacting with guide dogs, be sure to check out the link in our bio. It provides valuable information on how to interact with these amazing animals and ensure they can do their job effectively.

Don't be a source of distraction for the working dog.

You should never distract a guide dog You can always ask the owner

When you feel tempted to pet guide dogs, it's important to keep in mind that they are working. Just as you wouldn't interrupt someone who's busy with their job, it's best to refrain from disturbing the dog at work.

If you wish to interact with them, it's courteous to ask for permission, especially if the owner and the dog are taking a break. If they decline, it's important to respect their decision and allow the dog to focus on its work without any distractions.

May