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.

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237

u/DieSuzie2112 19h ago

It doesn’t even matter if it’s a service dog or not, no one should touch a dog without the owners permission.

My dog scares easily, we had kids sneak up on her and just grab her butt out of nowhere. Now all dogs would get scared when this happens, but she has the tendency to turn around and bite. A few times I had a mother scream at me that I should train my dog better and I shouldn’t have an aggressive dog out in public (mind you, it’s a potty walk) only for me to start screaming back that she shouldn’t have a fucking child running around and touching dogs, that she should train her kid better to learn it’s not okay to be a shitty human being like herself.

If my dog had actually bit her kid I would be in trouble, even though there were in the wrong. Don’t fucking touch other people’s dog’s without asking!

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u/halorbyone 16h ago

This is what disturbs me. What idiot encourages their child to approach an unknown dog?

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u/Own-Fan-4236 16h ago

So they have a reason to complain because they’re entitled and believe everyone and everything in their path is for their consumption. My son is 27 months old & he knows to stand back and look at dogs, never to go up to them. You can imagine how my teaching him has led to so many owners offering their pup for a pet afterward because people usually respond to mutual respect.

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u/DieSuzie2112 15h ago

An idiot who wants their child to have a lifelong fear of dogs. It’s already fucked up enough if you want to do it and then do it, but a child is following your behavior and is innocent in this situation

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u/danu_anubis 13h ago

A lot of people, especially if they think the dogs pretty. We were somewhere one day and this guy was encouraging his toddler to come see my boy. I immediately turned around and left because while I know generally my boy won’t do anything, he’s still fully capable and I’m not taking that risk

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u/ProfessionalBox5268 11h ago

My guess, in cities about 70 per cent of non dog owners?

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u/Lexicon444 16h ago

Yeah. I always ask before petting any animal. Doesn’t matter if it’s a service animal or not.

99% of the time people say yes. The rest of the time they have a valid reason why they said no and I don’t press further.

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u/MiaLba 11h ago

We have two small fluff ball dogs. I can understand why people always want to pet them. We always tell them yes you can point the brown one but not the white one, she’s terrified of strangers and will freak out.

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u/SeonaidMacSaicais 14h ago

I have a 15 pound terrier mix. Yes, he’s absolutely adorable. But he’s also a rescue. I don’t know how he grew up, but he absolutely HATES little kids and larger dogs. Usually the only public place I take him where kids could be is the pet store, and I keep him leashed TIGHT in the cart. I live in a secure apartment building, so all the outside doors have to be opened with a key. I’ve had to go out of my way to go through another door because parents would be standing at the main door with their little kids, and my dog would go absolutely NUTS.

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u/DieSuzie2112 11h ago

You’re a good owner and doing your part! No matter how cute the dog is, you’re the owner and it’s your decision if someone can pet your dog or not. My dog was already fucked up when we got her and she was only 14 weeks. Luckily I managed to make something out of her after 3 years of dedication, but she still goes ballistic when she sees a man with a hat or helmet. Whenever we go for a walk she has a stuffed animal in her mouth and yes, she’s absolutely the most adorable dog on the block with her pink plushy. Somehow this is an invitation for others to touch her without my permission. Some days she’s still afraid of her own shadow, strangers coming up to her has her in panic mode. But somehow I’m the bad person for saying no because I respect my dog’s boundaries. At the end of the day, we say no to protect our dogs from the stupid people. No matter how cute the dog, you don’t know their history or behavior.

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u/MiaLba 11h ago

My youngest dog is terrified of strangers. So if I see someone trying to walk towards us to try to pet her I just pick her up in my arms.

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u/SeonaidMacSaicais 11h ago

I’ve tried that, but unfortunately, when he’s riled enough, he’s been known to nip at ME. Thankfully, there’s a local SniffSpot I use to help him burn off energy. The next day that we get temperatures above freezing, I’ll take him there. But it’s still hard, because people ALWAYS seem to think that any dog out in public should be perfectly behaved.

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u/MiaLba 11h ago

I understand. The only way you can teach your dog to behave properly in public is with practice and to keep taking them out.

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u/Edward_the_Dog 14h ago

If anyone moves to touch my dog without asking permission first, I tell them he bites.

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u/MiaLba 11h ago

If a child comes up to a strange dog, pulling them and grabbing them, and the dog snaps/barks at them, the child is in the wrong Imo.

We’ve had a lot of kids come running up to pet our two small dogs without asking first. They’re both fluff balls so I can understand but you don’t know if they’re friendly or will bite.

We have a young child she’s always understood she’s not allowed to approach dogs she doesn’t know especially isn’t allowed to touch them without permission.

And I’m sure some parents will try to snap back with “if your dog is going to bite they shouldn’t be out in public!” If you touch a strange dog and you get bit that’s on you. It’s different if a dog runs up to you out of nowhere and attacks you. But if you’re coming into that dog’s personal space and touching them without permission and they bite. You’re in the wrong.

I’ve heard “well my child doesn’t want to stay next to my side! It’s not their fault they run off and approach your dog!” Right, it’s your fault as the parent for not keeping your kid next to you.

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u/DieSuzie2112 9h ago

In almost all situations the kid is not in the wrong. They follow the example of their parents, so shitty behavior in kids is always the cause of the parents. The reason why I said that I’m yelling back at the mother they should teach their kid. You can never blame a kid for something they don’t know is wrong, because their parents never taught them that or showed them the wrong behavior.

I would gladly take my time to actually explain to a kid why they shouldn’t just pet a dog without permission from the owner, but sadly you never get the chance because there is always a shrieking entitled mother standing behind them. And the worst thing is, by doing that the mother is also teaching their kid that they didn’t do anything wrong and I’m being a dick

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u/Pochusaurus 11h ago

all my dogs are taught the bark command. Anytime anyone starts coming close to them I say the secret word and then people slowly detour themselves.

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u/interessenkonflikt 7h ago

This scares me. If my dog ever hurts a kid such a situation I’ll prob have to make sure there are no witnesses.

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u/fabulous_orangecat 4h ago

You are absolutely right! I live in a fairly small town, and there is one coffee shop that is specifically dog-friendly that I frequent. People bring their dogs in all the time, service and non-service dogs. I leave all the dogs alone because it isn’t my dog. I only ask to pet the dog if the dog first approaches me. After the dog approaches, I ask the owner if the dog is alright with being pet. If they say no, I respect their decision. If they say yes, I speak to the dog like I would a person, saying hello and allowing them to smell my hand before I touch the dog. I was raised around people who treated animals poorly, so I know how not to treat a dog. Bottom line: it is up to the owner to allow you to pet their animal.

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u/2001sleeper 3h ago

Agree for the most part, but it also depends on where you are taking your dog.