This article is too important for me to just post a link that you probably won’t click through to read. THIS is why you DO NOT EVER pet service dogs. They are working and it can mean serious injury or even death if you are distracting them from doing their job.
If you allow your dog to run loose, in a designated on-leash area, you’re making a choice that could profoundly impact the lives of those around you.
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Leash laws are not optional.
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If you think it’s oppressive, being required to use a leash: it’s not. If you think you’re the exception to the leash law, because your dog is friendly: you’re not. This is bigger than you and your dog.
I’ve blogged in the past about some myths surrounding owner-training. Now, I would like to talk about some misconceptions that many people have about service dog programs.
This is such a terrific post, and I wanted to add just a few things from the perspective of somebody who used to work for a service dog training program. My program was not one of the really high quality ones, IMO – which is part of the reason I no longer work there – and in looking at how my org ran things and how other service dog training organizations operated, here are a few things you might specifically want to look at and ask questions about:
Last night, my university gave an honorary master’s degree to the service dog who sat through every one of his owner’s classes. He dressed appropriately for the ceremony.
Steel Phoenix Studios 