MSU Extension 4-H Companion Animals

The information in this article was sourced from the Assistance Animals in Action curriculum published by Ohio State University Extension.

As discussed in the Michigan State University Extension article, “Service, therapy and emotional support animals: what’s the difference?", service animals are considered necessary medical equipment and federal laws protect their right to accompany their handler wherever they go. Have you seen a service dog in a public space? Many people have, but most do not know or understand how to interact with these dogs appropriately. Let’s review what to do and what not to do when you see a working dog in public.

Do:

• Ask before petting a service dog. Some handlers might say yes if their dog is able to take a break from their work.
• When a service dog handler says “no,” respect their answer. They have a good reason, as service dogs are always working and it is important to let them focus.
• Talk to the handler, not the dog. Talking to the handler is the respectful approach and talking to the dog could distract it.
• If approached by a lone service dog in a public place, follow the dog to where it leads you. The dog’s handler might need help or might be having a medical emergency, and the dog is probably trying to get your attention so you can assist the person.
• Give service dog teams the right-of-way. Navigating the world with a service dog is more challenging than you might expect, so allow the team to go first when you cross paths with them.

Do not:

• Ask the service dog handler about their disability. This question typically comes from a place of genuine curiosity, but it is not respectful. Instead, ask what the service dog is trained to do.
• Wave to the service dog and tell him he’s a good boy. Avoid doing anything to distract the dog in any way unless you’ve been given permission to interact.
• Take your pet dog to public places that are not pet-friendly. Bringing untrained animals to places that are not pet-friendly can be dangerous for genuine service dog teams.
• Buy a vest on the internet for your pet dog so you can take your dog everywhere in public. Service dogs are the only animals who need access to public spaces and wearing a vest does not make your dog a legitimate service dog or give it public access, despite what some internet sites may say.

Why is this important?

Service dog misrepresentation is more common than people realize, and misrepresented service dogs are dangerous to legitimate service dog teams.  In a survey of service dog users, Canine Companions for Independence found:

• 93% of respondents have encountered a fraudulent, questionable or out-of-control dog in their time as a service dog user.
• 78% of respondents have had an out-of-control dog vocalize at, lunge at, distract or bite their service dog in places where pets are not allowed.
• 67% of respondents indicated that their quality of life and independence has been negatively impacted by fraudulent service dogs.

Sometimes people misrepresent a pet as a service animal without realizing it is wrong. The laws about assistance animals can often be confusing, and there is a lot of incorrect information to sift through online. People often confuse the differences between service, therapy and emotional support animals. If you want to do some more research on this topic, the American Kennel Club website has a lot of valuable information, as well as various government websites and those of reputable assistance animal organizations (in general, websites ending in .org and .gov will have good information on this topic). Education about this topic is extremely important to lessen the impact on service dog users, so share what you’ve learned with your family, friends and community!

Are you interested in working with assistance animals and giving back to your community? MSU Extension partners with Leader Dogs for the Blind to give 4-H members the opportunity to train future service dogs.