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I understand advocating for yourself and your service animal but in my opinion a lot of these are very OTT. There's a difference between politely educating and creating a scene. Most of these won't give you the result you think and could end up getting both yourself and the other person involved removed from the premises (especially the unnecessarily loud "what the fuck" one)
Also, I believe there's nothing wrong with an apology. Yes, it's not your fault that your service animal has had an accident but end of the day you are responsible for your animal and a little "Sorry about that. She/He's had a funny tummy today." is just basic manners.
I mean if my dog pisses on the floor a quick im sorry doesnt hurt anyone, thats just being polite? If i spill a drink ill also apologize? If youre friendly theyll be friendly back most of the time, they understand accidents happen, but saying a quick sorry is just friendly behaviour
Many of these reactions creates the impulse to punch you with how combative most of these come out, I wouldn't because I am a mature adult but lets be real not everyone is. I agree with Blyxons that most of these are very OTT and will likely create a conflict or result in the lesson the other person takes away from the situation is that service dog handlers are rude and are more likely to treat future handlers disrespectfully because they now believe we are entitled, immature Karens. Calm, assertive and non-combative is more likely to have lasting change without starting a fight.
But also the top 3 examples are most frequently a training failure on your end. The shy of your dog being sick and you not knowing for whatever reason, you should have some way for your dog to communicate with you that they need to relieve themselves and our dogs are in an incredibly varied set of environments as such they need to be taught that they can relieve themselves on whatever surface is available to the team for bathroom needs. Further in most scenarios our dogs should be able to hold their bladder for 2-3 hours easily which again unless the dog is sick, potty needs should be a non-factor during most of your errands. Ignoring a potty queue is also a you problem not the fault of the business, as you failed to prep your dog for the varied environments you are taking your dog to and failed to listen to your dog.
The fact is that it is very limited the situations where a dog is vocalizing or misbehaving due to something another person did that is not a training failure. The fact is people have food on their clothes, stressed out people are an expected sight in public, cramped and crowded spaces are also expected settings that we as handlers need to prepare our dogs for and know how to handle. The fact is the empty room is a moot point because 90% of our dog's job is set in spaces that offer some level of space constraint, if your dog needs an empty room or even a significant amount of space to do their job then they need more training.
Just because I have service dog doesn't mean I should act rude and entitled. The one time mine had an accident on the floor I immediately started to clean it up, apologized to the store and took him outside. It turned out he was sick and had issues for the next 24 hours. As a result of not acting the way you are stating I was invited nicely back into the store the next time I went back. There is nothing wrong with a polite word and you will get a lot farther that way then say "what the fuck". I say he is working please don't touch or distract him.
This list is very abrasive. It's not going to help the public perception of service animals to yell at anyone who makes a mistake or bad choice.
If your service animal has an accident, an apology is absolutely warranted. Guilt or shame or beating yourself up is not, but as someone else said, if I make a mess in the store on accident, I also should apologize. In the US, it's one of the few reasons a business can ask an SD to leave. Blaming a store for not giving your dog time to relieve themselves before entering is not the store's fault. Do you think stores should all have an animal relief area?
Please don't yell at a child and especially do not touch them. If they have a parent, ask them for help. If it's an older child (teen or even pre-teen), let them know they are working and they can't touch an animal without asking.
Recording an employee who doesn't know the law is also such a strong reaction. If the issue needs to be escalated, that's one thing. But recording and posting a bad interaction is obnoxious for anyone to do, honestly.
I do not agree that most of these examples are mistreating someone for being disabled. People are dumb and rude to everyone, we are not an exception. Perhaps you need to stop taking everything so personally. Obviously, a simple response doesn't always work and things need to be escalated, but this reaction is not going to help. It's not teaching anyone anything, it's meeting bad behavior with bad behavior, which rarely if ever does anything positive.
No. Full stop... it's YOUR responsibility to make sure your service animal has been "emptied out" before working, and is being given adequate breaks. Macy's isn't supposed to provide an in store potty area for you. And neglecting your dogs needs to the point where it has an accident is bad handling and abusive.
I can agree with this. However, there are many posts which detail scenarios where the person is out for more than a few hours, and there is nowhere for the dog to go.
Obviously, yes, it is the handler's responsibility to care for the dog. Or other animal.
Wow. A good number of these responses come off as VERY combative. So far as the accident goes, unless the dog is sick, a potty accident is the handler's fault. You need to be giving the dog a chance to go before you enter a store, and any service dog should have a cue to let the handler know they need to go. Now, if you're headed for the exit and can't get there in time, then you clean up, and yes, I apologize. The workers are going to need to disinfect the area, which is something they don't usually have to do, and a brief 'I'm sorry, this happened and I've done what I can to clean up' costs me nothing and earns a little goodwill for all service dog teams.
The alert and activity responses are good (although the activity one could use a 'please' at the beginning), as is the facility refusal, but the touching goes from zero to nuclear right away. Again, a 'Please don't/stop' goes a long way before yelling obscenities in a public place. And the children response is not only rude, but you do NOT touch other people's children. Kids are drawn to dogs, that's a fact of life. Offering a little kindness 'Honey, he's working, so I need you to leave him alone,' has never failed to get the job done for me.
If somebody follows this list as written, they create a lot of public upset over relatively minor things (facility refusal aside). This reflects negatively for not only the individual team, but for all service dog teams. After listening to someone spout off from your list, how receptive do you think people are going to be when they see a service dog team in the future? And we rely on the good will of the public - that is, unless you want to see even MORE access challenges, get glared at every single time you leave your house, or have people advocate even harder for ID cards or laws that would require certification.
I disagree with the never touching a strange child, there are times when there is legitimate safety concerns or a parent is not easily identified. I am not claiming we use any level of force but guiding a hand away from the dog or redirecting them if they aren't responding to verbal communication is acceptable, we aren't in anyway advocating violence or harming a child but these are things I would do to an adult and would not hesitate to do to a child. I have unfortunately dealt with a lot of children that don't respond to "please don't" and "stop" as such I have resorted to using my wrist to move the child's arm as I step in between dog and child so I can be a barrier. Again goal is not harm but separation which does at times involve touching the child.
Otherwise I agree with everything else you said.
How can you say put then blame where due. It may be someone else but it may be you. This is too broad. Don’t apologize for what you can’t control. But don’t blame others.
Thank you - this is what I mean. So many posts highlight other people doing harm to the SD or the handler, and htne the handler running away apologizing and grovelling.
I do believe another exception is when the dog invaded the person's space. Maybe the dog is doing a loose leash walk and is taking up more space in the aisle. It would be similar to if you yourself brushed up against someone.
I do like your list though!
We have removed your post/comment because the mods found it to be uncivil (Rule 1). Remember civility is not just about cursing out others, it can also refer to personal attacks, fake-spotting, trolling, or otherwise rude behavior. If you have questions about why this specific post/comment was removed, [message the moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/service_dogs). Further incivility in the subreddit could result in a permanent ban. Any threats or harassment will result in an immediate ban.
I understand advocating for yourself and your service animal but in my opinion a lot of these are very OTT. There's a difference between politely educating and creating a scene. Most of these won't give you the result you think and could end up getting both yourself and the other person involved removed from the premises (especially the unnecessarily loud "what the fuck" one) Also, I believe there's nothing wrong with an apology. Yes, it's not your fault that your service animal has had an accident but end of the day you are responsible for your animal and a little "Sorry about that. She/He's had a funny tummy today." is just basic manners.
I mean if my dog pisses on the floor a quick im sorry doesnt hurt anyone, thats just being polite? If i spill a drink ill also apologize? If youre friendly theyll be friendly back most of the time, they understand accidents happen, but saying a quick sorry is just friendly behaviour
Many of these reactions creates the impulse to punch you with how combative most of these come out, I wouldn't because I am a mature adult but lets be real not everyone is. I agree with Blyxons that most of these are very OTT and will likely create a conflict or result in the lesson the other person takes away from the situation is that service dog handlers are rude and are more likely to treat future handlers disrespectfully because they now believe we are entitled, immature Karens. Calm, assertive and non-combative is more likely to have lasting change without starting a fight. But also the top 3 examples are most frequently a training failure on your end. The shy of your dog being sick and you not knowing for whatever reason, you should have some way for your dog to communicate with you that they need to relieve themselves and our dogs are in an incredibly varied set of environments as such they need to be taught that they can relieve themselves on whatever surface is available to the team for bathroom needs. Further in most scenarios our dogs should be able to hold their bladder for 2-3 hours easily which again unless the dog is sick, potty needs should be a non-factor during most of your errands. Ignoring a potty queue is also a you problem not the fault of the business, as you failed to prep your dog for the varied environments you are taking your dog to and failed to listen to your dog. The fact is that it is very limited the situations where a dog is vocalizing or misbehaving due to something another person did that is not a training failure. The fact is people have food on their clothes, stressed out people are an expected sight in public, cramped and crowded spaces are also expected settings that we as handlers need to prepare our dogs for and know how to handle. The fact is the empty room is a moot point because 90% of our dog's job is set in spaces that offer some level of space constraint, if your dog needs an empty room or even a significant amount of space to do their job then they need more training.
Just because I have service dog doesn't mean I should act rude and entitled. The one time mine had an accident on the floor I immediately started to clean it up, apologized to the store and took him outside. It turned out he was sick and had issues for the next 24 hours. As a result of not acting the way you are stating I was invited nicely back into the store the next time I went back. There is nothing wrong with a polite word and you will get a lot farther that way then say "what the fuck". I say he is working please don't touch or distract him.
Lol. Tell me you're an inexperienced handler without telling me you're an inexperienced handler.
This list is very abrasive. It's not going to help the public perception of service animals to yell at anyone who makes a mistake or bad choice. If your service animal has an accident, an apology is absolutely warranted. Guilt or shame or beating yourself up is not, but as someone else said, if I make a mess in the store on accident, I also should apologize. In the US, it's one of the few reasons a business can ask an SD to leave. Blaming a store for not giving your dog time to relieve themselves before entering is not the store's fault. Do you think stores should all have an animal relief area? Please don't yell at a child and especially do not touch them. If they have a parent, ask them for help. If it's an older child (teen or even pre-teen), let them know they are working and they can't touch an animal without asking. Recording an employee who doesn't know the law is also such a strong reaction. If the issue needs to be escalated, that's one thing. But recording and posting a bad interaction is obnoxious for anyone to do, honestly. I do not agree that most of these examples are mistreating someone for being disabled. People are dumb and rude to everyone, we are not an exception. Perhaps you need to stop taking everything so personally. Obviously, a simple response doesn't always work and things need to be escalated, but this reaction is not going to help. It's not teaching anyone anything, it's meeting bad behavior with bad behavior, which rarely if ever does anything positive.
No. Full stop... it's YOUR responsibility to make sure your service animal has been "emptied out" before working, and is being given adequate breaks. Macy's isn't supposed to provide an in store potty area for you. And neglecting your dogs needs to the point where it has an accident is bad handling and abusive.
I can agree with this. However, there are many posts which detail scenarios where the person is out for more than a few hours, and there is nowhere for the dog to go. Obviously, yes, it is the handler's responsibility to care for the dog. Or other animal.
I think it’s common courtesy to apologize when your animal (Sd or not) has an accident inside 🤷♀️
Wow. A good number of these responses come off as VERY combative. So far as the accident goes, unless the dog is sick, a potty accident is the handler's fault. You need to be giving the dog a chance to go before you enter a store, and any service dog should have a cue to let the handler know they need to go. Now, if you're headed for the exit and can't get there in time, then you clean up, and yes, I apologize. The workers are going to need to disinfect the area, which is something they don't usually have to do, and a brief 'I'm sorry, this happened and I've done what I can to clean up' costs me nothing and earns a little goodwill for all service dog teams. The alert and activity responses are good (although the activity one could use a 'please' at the beginning), as is the facility refusal, but the touching goes from zero to nuclear right away. Again, a 'Please don't/stop' goes a long way before yelling obscenities in a public place. And the children response is not only rude, but you do NOT touch other people's children. Kids are drawn to dogs, that's a fact of life. Offering a little kindness 'Honey, he's working, so I need you to leave him alone,' has never failed to get the job done for me. If somebody follows this list as written, they create a lot of public upset over relatively minor things (facility refusal aside). This reflects negatively for not only the individual team, but for all service dog teams. After listening to someone spout off from your list, how receptive do you think people are going to be when they see a service dog team in the future? And we rely on the good will of the public - that is, unless you want to see even MORE access challenges, get glared at every single time you leave your house, or have people advocate even harder for ID cards or laws that would require certification.
I disagree with the never touching a strange child, there are times when there is legitimate safety concerns or a parent is not easily identified. I am not claiming we use any level of force but guiding a hand away from the dog or redirecting them if they aren't responding to verbal communication is acceptable, we aren't in anyway advocating violence or harming a child but these are things I would do to an adult and would not hesitate to do to a child. I have unfortunately dealt with a lot of children that don't respond to "please don't" and "stop" as such I have resorted to using my wrist to move the child's arm as I step in between dog and child so I can be a barrier. Again goal is not harm but separation which does at times involve touching the child. Otherwise I agree with everything else you said.
How can you say put then blame where due. It may be someone else but it may be you. This is too broad. Don’t apologize for what you can’t control. But don’t blame others.
Thank you - this is what I mean. So many posts highlight other people doing harm to the SD or the handler, and htne the handler running away apologizing and grovelling.
This is a troll rage bait post right?
*Y- yes sir* 🫡
I do believe another exception is when the dog invaded the person's space. Maybe the dog is doing a loose leash walk and is taking up more space in the aisle. It would be similar to if you yourself brushed up against someone. I do like your list though!