This is a long post but its something I found to be deeply concerning and I would like to educate others on the matter.... I would also ask you share this and help spread the word regarding service dogs in our province. The other day we had one of our regulars come in and he did not seem his chipper old self. He looked as though he had been defeated... He passed over his dogs service vest and tags. Told us he was unable to have a service dog anymore. We asked why as we knew his medical condition was not one that just simply goes away. He proceeded to tell us he was unable to handle the daily arguments and comments he gets from the public regarding his dog. On November 11 this man, who is a war veteran, wore his medals with pride to his local Remembrance day celebrations with his service dog was at his side; as she always is but today she was sporting a camo vest with a poppy on it to show support. This man had people commenting on how his dog was not a service dog and that he did not NEED her..... Imagine, a day that is set aside where everyone takes time to celebrate our Canadian milisrty service men/women yet this man was defending himself against allegations that he in fact did not need his service dog!! To add insult to injury he also had an incident at a local restaurant where a sweet waitress had to defend the dog for him to a customer and explained why the dog was allowed in. On November 12 at a McDonalds restaurant a customer came over to our client and asked to see papers to prove the dog was service, that he was not allowed to have the dog in the restaurant and that because he was not blind that he did not need her! ... I have never seen this man in a grumpy mood but when he came in on Wednesday you could tell that he has been really disturbed by these run ins. And its something that he faces regularly. Please remember that just because you do not see a physical disability it does not mean the person is not struggling with a different disability that we just cannot see. We as a society do not feel the need to ask someone why they are in a wheel chair so why do we feel its acceptable to ask someone why they need a service dog? Each reason is different than the next.... Sight, hearing, autism, epilepsy, PTSD and anxiety are just to name a few. Please respect the vest when you see these working dogs out in public... It is NOT ok to approach the dog or ask if you can touch it... You may be distracting the dog from their job which may be to detect an oncoming seizure. Please pass this message along and next time you see a service dog in public just smile and walk along as you would walking by anyone else
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 22:18:14 +0000
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