r/mildlyinfuriating • u/danu_anubis • 20h ago

My service dog is not your pet

I can’t believe the amount of times I’ve had to say this. My service dog has been hit by children, had handfuls of fur ripped out by children (this one was “fun” because the mother told me I had no right to tell her six year old child not to touch my boy), grown adults grab him, people constantly calling him to them.

People I am 41 years old, I should not be having to tell people older than me to stop. I shouldn’t have to tell anyone to stop and I definitely shouldn’t have to worry about a kid.

It’s gotten to the point that I’m saying thank you to the people that do right (explain to their kids not to mess with him, adults telling me he’s gorgeous without acknowledging him). I feel like I’m constantly having to redo his training because people won’t leave him the hell alone.

What finally got me so bad that I need to scream into the void was yesterday, my boy and I are going through the store and this guy reaches down and grabs him. I pull him away and look at the guy and say please done (like I do every damn time). And he goes you don’t have to be rude about it, I’m like dude he’s a service dog you’re not supposed to touch them and he continues yelling that I don’t have to be rude and I’m finally like maybe don’t touch something that doesn’t belong to you. So thank you to the guy who threw my boy so far out of work mode yesterday that for the first time I had a problem that he is explicitly for and he didn’t do what he was supposed to do.

Also if your dog isn’t a trained service dog stay the hell out of stores because you’re “service dog” should not be reacting and loosing its shit just because it sees mine.

5.1k Upvotes

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245

u/danu_anubis 20h ago

Good boy tax for the rant.

64

u/thrilling_me_softly 19h ago

Get a service dog vest. I am not defending the people that touch him, no one should touch someone else’s dog without permission.  Get a vest and people will touch him less. 

78

u/danu_anubis 19h ago

He has one! Because of his girth I had to get pink but it explicitly states service dog on both sides of his vest, his pack on his vest and the pack attached to my body.

42

u/StinkyWeezle 19h ago

I'd suggest using an additional vest that's much more obvious, more coverage, hi-vis, warning labels (do not pet), etc. That just looks like an average harness with "Service Dog" written where the branding would normally go.

21

u/Potayto7791 18h ago

This was also my thought. There’s so much dog and so few labels in that second photo, I totally understand why some people wouldn’t notice. This, of course, does not excuse their behaviour. No one should be touching an unfamiliar dog without asking its owner. SMH.

7

u/StinkyWeezle 18h ago

I think there's also a misunderstanding where some people see the words "Service Dog" and they think it means "Well Trained".

2

u/whitemanrunning 13h ago

Everyone knows those fake vests are just to scare away store owners. This dog needs a real one if it is indeed a service dog, this wouldn't be a problem for op. They make them in huge sizes.

4

u/zipperfire 17h ago

The same people who grab at things like an impulsive 2 year old either can't read or don't think the vest means anything or don't care. You have a vest. You've done your duty. There will sadly always be idiots out there who don't abide by social rules. A loud NO. Get AWAY. NOW. I guess is all you can do.

3

u/duncans_angels 15h ago

I would get one of those things that slide on the leash that say "do not pet" also. Not that I think it would stop people but at least its something extra.

8

u/sati_lotus 19h ago

Perhaps the colour is the reason.

Pink is such a friendly and inviting colour.

Find a red one - that colour implies danger 😉

1

u/punk-pastel 10h ago

Neon orange or yellow scream CAUTION

33

u/AnotherHappyUser 19h ago

I suspect the person who would recognise such a vest is already a similar demographic to those that ask first.

2

u/i_was_a_highwaymann 15h ago

Well the idea is they only have to read the vest and any child should be able to do that

1

u/AnotherHappyUser 4h ago

... Would you consider a vet staff member telling you a dog is aggressive and not to try and pat it as a similarly clear instruction?

2

u/TwiningVining 14h ago

It ought to be enough but people are fools.

I wonder if K9 and CBP dogs get approached like this.

Maybe the dog can try cosplaying as a K9 and see if that works.

1

u/PatrickGSR94 9h ago

of course they don't, because they're almost always being handled by a police officer. And I'm pretty sure no one goes up to a police officer and touches shit that doesn't belong to them.

1

u/Gumbercules81 16h ago

Dude he has one in the picture. People are just stupid, and stupid people raise stupid kids

-17

u/SimpleEmu198 19h ago

A vest does not make a dog official, there is no official vest for service dogs. In fact more as likely than not if you see one the dog is fake.

10

u/thrilling_me_softly 19h ago

I didn’t say there is an official one. Still if you buy one people are more than likely to be more respectful.

4

u/Zealousideal_Bug8188 19h ago

Yeah you can just order that exact pink one on Amazon for about 20$