If you saw an unattended dog approaching you, your response may be one of avoidance, annoyance, or even fear. Most unsupervised dogs should be cautiously approached, but when it comes to service dogs, there could be something else entirely going on than you think.
Service dogs, with their recognizable vests, collars, and markings, should be easy enough to spot. Twenty-year-old Tessa Connaughton, a Tumblr blogger whose dog, Raider, helps with her epilepsy, recently schooled the internet on the proper way to respond to a service dog.
Service Dogs Have an Important Job—All the Time
Tessa’s Tumblr post attracted widespread internet attention when she recounted a situation that happened to her while shopping. In the past, Tessa has suffered from seizures due to her epilepsy—hence her trusty service dog, Raider. While in the grocery store, Tessa tripped and fell on the floor. She was unharmed, but Raider immediately did what he had been trained to do and left her to find someone to help. Raider assumed Tessa was experiencing a seizure and searched for an adult to help, but was rebuffed quickly by surrounding shoppers. One woman even swatted at Raider and told him to go away.
Tessa called Raider back to her and assured him she was alright, but quickly realized the gravity of what had just happened. If Tessa had truly been in distress, fellow shoppers may never have realized the important message Raider was trying to convey and instead ignored him—or worse, potentially tried to restrain him or “return him” to his owner. That’s when Tessa took to Tumblr to raise awareness.
Follow an Unattended Service Dog Immediately
Tessa’s blog post reminded the internet to pay attention to unaccompanied service dogs and follow them. Service dogs generally are trained not to bark, but may nudge people with their noses to get attention. They’ll try their best to get an adult to follow them back to their owner to bring help. If an unattended service dog approaches you, quickly follow them and check their tags if possible for any pertinent information.
A service dog is highly trained and only needs your assistance in cases like these. As Tessa wrote, “If what’s-his-face could understand that Lassie wanted him to go to the well, you can figure out that a dog in a vest proclaiming it’s a service dog wants you to follow him.” Someone’s life could depend on it.
