Mind Your Manners: Tips for Behaving Around Service Dogs

If you don't work closely with or know someone who has a service dog, you might easily assume that you can behave around the dog the same way you behave around your house pet. A service dog should never be distracted from performing its task or its owner could be put in danger. Here are three tips to keep in mind:

1. Always assume that the dog is working even it doesn't appear to be.

Just because a service dog looks relaxed, doesn't mean it isn't watching over its owner. Leave the dog alone unless the owner has invited you and allowed you to approach the dog. 

2. Avoid asking personal questions about the disability.

A disability may not be obvious. Even if you've heard stories of fake service animals, do not immediately assume that someone's service dog is fake. That said, do not question its legitimacy. Treat the owner or handler with respect.

3. Speak to the owner rather than the dog.

Rather than automatically approaching the service dog, approach and speak to its handler first. By talking to the dog, you are distracting it from the job. If you have a child who wants to approach the dog, be sure to explain to him or her that the dog needs to stay focused because it's doing an important job.

Do you own an assistance animal? Register your pet. 

The Service Animal Registry of California invites you to have your assistance animal registered in order to designate its status. We also encourage you to take our online classes so you can be fully aware of your rights and gain more knowledge about your support animal.

Finally, we present to you our book entitled, “ASSISTANCE ANIMAL LAWS: LEARN YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING SERVICE ANIMALS, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS, THERAPY PETS, AND OTHER DOGS, CATS, AND ASSISTANCE ANIMALS” to provide you with a complete education on assistance animals.

Purchase your copy of the book by clicking the image below.