Service dogs are doing very important work and usually must not be disturbed by pets or play, as this can jog them out of their work mindset.
Unfortunately, this is something that not everyone seems to understand.
Laura Joos was enjoying her day shopping at Walmart with her service pup when she noticed a mother with her three children walking in their direction.
Having had a service dog for a while, Laura could tell that those kids were likely going to try and pet her dog.
But the mother didn’t tell them not too, and by the time was of the children got to the pup, it was a little too late.
One of the kids, a daughter, reached out – seemingly to pet the working dog.
But instead of just giving it a pat on the head – which still would have distracted it – she smacked it hard over its back.
The worst part? The mother did nothing!
Laura wrote about the incident on Facebook, detailing what happened and explaining that her pup was a service dog who should not be pet while working.
She finished her post by asking that the mother in question – and others – teach their young ones not to pet service dogs.
But as it turned out, the mother in question happened to stumble across Laura’s post.
Instead of apologizing, or even just quietly taking note, she rudely commented two words: “Excuse you”.
This, understandably, greatly infuriated Laura, who decided to send her a scathing, angry, and masterfully crafted reply.
Laura berated the mother, telling her to “excuse me” for expecting her to act as a responsible adult and teacher her kids about respecting those who are disabled.
She then explained what had happened in greater detail, and how the distraction her dog received could have gotten Laura seriously medically hurt.
Five minutes before the incident, her service dog had alerted her due to a highly climbing heart rate.
Laura’s vision was beginning to swim as her chest tightened, and her hip was beginning to slip out and in as she walked, making each step highly painful for her.
Then, the mother’s daughter smacked her dog with a loud, audible sound.
This distracted the pup, causing it to miss the next alert that it should have given to Laura.
Laura barely made it back to her car as her heart rate hit 120 and nausea overcame her, but luckily, she was able to get into her vehicle before the full effects slammed into her painfully.
If Laura had been a moment too late, or if her dog had been any more distracted, she would have likely fallen and passed out in front of the 3 children and their mother.
Laura was with her own children at the time, and she spoke about how they would have had to huddle around her in the middle of a public store, waiting for her to recover from fainting.
Laura concluded by saying she was disappointed by the mother’s response, her lack of apology, and her reluctance to educate her children.
Had the day gone only slightly differently, Laura could have died – all because her dog was distracted.
As a rule, you should never touch anyone’s pets without their permission, even if they aren’t service dogs.
Children should be taught to ask first and respect negative answers. It could save their lives, or the lives of the pet owners.
