Service dogsare the true heroes of some people’s lives. They selflessly spend almost every waking moment with the person they’re supposed to help out, and they do it as flawlessly as possible.
But while they might look like any other pup, these four-pawed creatures are not just buddies but also working dogs that cannot be disturbed while on duty. Learning this information can be vital, and thus, just like the mother in this one viralwholesome video, it falls to parents to teach their children how to behave when they want to pet a dog like this. Scroll down to read the full story!
More info:TikTok
RELATED:
Service dogs may look just like any other cute dog, but the role they play is crucial, and understanding this is important
Image credits:hayleeand.herdogs
A woman and her cardiac alert service dog were walking in a supermarket when a little girl came running toward them
This story took place a little over a year ago. The woman in the video,hayleeand.herdogs, or simply Haylee, was walking in the supermarket with her cardiac alert service dog, Jake.
All of a sudden, a happylittle girlcame running toward them, asking about the dog’s name. She was obviously coming in with a single mission: pet the cute dog. However, before she could do it, her mother stepped in.
Before the girl could do anything, her mother stepped in and wholesomely explained to her this was a working dog who shouldn’t be disturbed while working
She calmly and wholesomely explained to her girl that on Jake’s vest, there were patches asking not to disturb him as he was working and focusing on a highly important task. The girl stopped and listened.
The mother explained to the woman that her husband and the girl’s dad is a K9 officer, so she was familiar with the situation and made sure to educate her daughter about it
This video had commenters’ hearts melt away. However, aside from adoring the wholesomeness of this whole situation, many people also pointed out the mother’s excellent jobeducatingher girl on such a significant matter, which is much more important than many realize.
Check out the full video:
Talking about the importance of educating both young and old about service dogs and their jobs,Bored Pandareached out to animal behavioristJulie Bond, who has worked with several clients requiring service animals’ help, and she was more than happy to share her expertise.
Image credits:RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
Animal behaviorist Julie Bond explained that service dogs are specifically bred and trained from the time they’re born
Image credits:My Photo Journeys (not the actual photo)
Training and taking care of a service dog takes a lot of work, costing around $30,000 before they even begin their job, which is why it’s such a big deal when people ignore that
Image credits:Donald Teel (not the actual photo)
The animal behaviorist also shared one of herblog postswith us, in which she discussed some of her experiences working with service dogs and the rather unwelcome encounters that she had to deal with due to people who were ignorant of the importance of the service dog job.
In her blog post, Julie expressed her frustration with people’s continued disregard for the easy-to-see vest and harness with tags that service dogs wear or misrepresenting their own companion dog as a working animal just so they can take them on flights, despite there being people who actually can’t fly without their dog’s help.
Image credits:Pixabay (not the actual photo)
So, to sum up, it’s truly wonderful that there are people out there, like the mother in the video, who understand how this works and are dutiful in educating their children or other people who are unaware of it. The help that service dogs provide to those in need is vital to their well-being and ability to function in our society fully, and thus, their importance cannot be overstated. Therefore, we should treat them accordingly.
Thanks! Check out the results:
Animals
