Sunday, May 30, 2010

Respecting service dogs


Very good friends from out-of-state visited me this week-end, and they were accompanied by one child's service dog, Teddy Bear. The two-year-old dog is trained for medical alerts for persons with diabetes and can recognize when its "master", a ten-year-old girl, is heading into dangerous zones with high or low blood sugar levels.

The dog is permitted in public places that are off-limits to dogs that are not service dogs, such as restaurants, public buildings (libraries, museums, etc.), public restrooms, etc., as long as it is wearing its vest, which identifies it as a service animal. (To enlarge the picture, click on it; then click on the Back button on your browser to come back here.)

So, when the family visited the Art Institute, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Museum, and Lou Malnati's Pizzeria in Lakewood yesterday, no question was raised by admittance.

Since service animals are not pets, they should not be approached. Children seeing them should not be permitted to approach them to pet them. The family tells anyone approaching that the dog is a service dog and asks them not to pet him. Service animals are protected under A.D.A. laws, and a person might get in some really hot water, if he ignores the owner's request or directive to back off.

The dog is trained so that its allegiance is to its owner, and no food, snacks or treats should be offered to a service animal. To learn more about rules when around service animals, you can search with any of the popular search engines.

No comments: