© Tammie Rogers 2021
Page Title
Standing Out In a Crowd
A
serious
consideration
for
those
living
with
“invisible
disabilities”
such
as
deafness,
psychiatric
disabilities
or
seizures/intermittent medical events is the potential loss of your anonymity.
Without
a
Service
Dog,
you
blend
into
society
quite
well.
Once
you
have
a
Service
dog
with
you
that
cloak
is
gone.
The
general
public
has
been
educated
and
they
know
that
if
you
have
a
Service
dog
you
must
also
have
a
disability.
You
will
be
stopped,
questioned and watched. You may be treated as if you are blind, even if your dog's function is to serve as a Medical Alert animal.
Although
it
may
seem
like
an
admirable
function
to
"educate"
people
about
the
use
of
Service
Dogs,
there
will
be
times
when
you
have
no
interest
in
interacting
with
anyone
for
any
reason,
yet,
you
will
still
be
stopped
and
addressed
as
to
why
you
have
that
dog and what he does for you.
Many
Americans
have
and
love
dogs
of
their
own.
Be
forewarned
your
Service
dog
will
draw
the
attention
of
every
dog
owner
in
the mall, on the street and in the workplace. They will stop to visit, to ask questions and to share stories about their dogs.
If
you
are
introverted
or
self
conscious
this
may
prove
to
be
quite
annoying
and
in
some
cases
even
stressful
beyond
belief.
Having
a
Service
Dog
that
is
designed
to
mitigate
your
PTSD
may
actually
trigger
an
episode
when
a
stranger
runs
up
to
your
dog
and drops down to hug it (all without asking your permission or even acknowledging you - Yes that happens!)
Think
this
through…
your
Service
dog
may
accompany
you
everywhere
you
go
for
the
next
eight
years
or
more.
You
will
be
required
to
instruct
strangers
that
they
may
not
pet
your
dog
while
it
is
working,
even
if
he
is
wearing
a
cape
that
clearly
states,
"I'm Working Do Not Pet Me."
It
will
also
be
your
responsibility
to
reinforce
with
your
dog
that
the
visitors
who
approach
you
with
the
intent
of
interacting
or
petting
him
are
off-limits
and
that
your
dog
is
to
remain
on
task
and
not
be
distracted.
This
could
mean
that
you
need
to
correct
your dog in front of others, people who may believe you are cruel to give feedback to your dog about his performance.
If you have been unnerved reading this information, please consider “The Bottom Line” on the
PrepWork
page.