Woman Shares Service Dog PSA After Someone Ignored Her Dog
A woman fell and hit her face, but when her service dog found someone to help, that person just swatted the dog away.
By nowproducerdave on June 21, 2018
It’s not something I’ve ever thought about, but it makes total sense. When you see a service dog without its owner, there’s a good chance the dog is trying to get help. I’ve never encountered a person-less service dog, but I’d like to think I would just know what to do if one were trying to get my attention. That’s what sparked this PSA, after a service dog was ignored as it was trying to find someone. The purpose was to educate, not to get mad at people.
Melissa Hope has a service dog since she suffers from seizures. Her dog is well-trained, and knows to get help if something happens. Melissa fell one day, landing on the ground on her face. The dog, without hesitation, ran off to get help. Her service dog found someone, and tried to get that person’s attention to follow. But here’s where it all went wrong. The person the dog found, for whatever reason, ignored the dog, and reportedly “shoo’d” it away. This is where Melissa shared a quick PSA about service dogs.
The biggest takeaway from the message is “If a service dog without a person approaches you, it means the person is down and in need of help.” Melissa shared a note that someone else (anonymous) had written. It’s since been removed from Twitter for some reason, but the basic message remains in this story. If a service dog in a vest is by itself wandering around or comes up to you, it’s because it’s looking for help. You should follow him/her, and find out what the problem is. Someone could be having a seizure, or injured in some way.
This is important. When I see a service dog, I try to stay as far out of their way as possible. They're doing a job, after all. I'd shoo one away because I'd be fearful they weren't doing their job.
— 🌹Robert K🏳️🌈 (@cinichecuk19) June 19, 2018
my classmate's service dog came up to me alone outside and i said "where's your mom?" he ran off and i ran with him. his mom was having a seizure on the sidewalk and i was there to put my sweater under her head to protect her.
always follow a service dog https://t.co/oruNJDW2YK
— gretchen (@solelymoving) June 18, 2018
See some more details here.
