Service Dogs Are Still Dogs.

Frequently Heard Statements:

“We thought about service dog training, but we wanted to cuddle him on the couch.”

“People told me I couldn’t take her to the park anymore if I got her certified.”

“My neighbour says their dog is a service dog, but I see it jumping up on them when they come home.” 

“She has to be in heel all the time if she’s a service dog.”

“I thought service dogs couldn’t greet people.”

“I can’t take my dog for a hike everyday – I’m disabled!”

Service dogs are STILL DOGS!

Imagine if someone went around saying “well, our child wanted to be a veterinarian, but we wanted them to play hockey, so we talked them out of it.”

Like… you can do both?

Maybe not, like, professionally at the same time, but a sports scholarship could only help them in their educational pursuits, and veterinarians hang up their white coats before they leave work every day.

Or imagine if someone said “My neighbour says he’s a criminal defense attorney, but I’ve seen him playing ball with his kids in the back yard, and last year he took a three week vacation.”

Guess what? Even people who work 70 hours a week still take breaks. If anything, they need that vacation because they work 70 hours a week.

Service dogs are only service dogs when they are in their vest and doing their job. They have “at work” mode, and “off work” mode.

And “off work” mode is often “dog mode” in overdrive.

It’s true that when a service dog is in their working harness or wearing their service dog cape – the dog equivalent of a doctor’s white coat – we expect them to walk in heel position next to their handlers, ignore people who try to distract them, and walk right past that crying child’s fallen ice cream that is now melting on the sidewalk.

All the MORE reason to take your dog for some off leash time at the end of the day, or the beginning of the day, or both.

We ask so much of dogs when we put on that “don’t pat me, I’m working” sign.

We ask them to fight all of their natural instincts. We ask them to – essentially – not be themselves right now.

Think of times when you’ve had to do that – perhaps you were acting in a theatre production, or at a very important interview, or in a workplace where you were public-facing for hours a day.

Did you then come home and keep up the pretense for longer, just for funsies?

HECK NO.

Service dogs need to let their hair down just like we do: Take off the metaphorical bra, get into metaphorical sweat pants, and snack on (they’d prefer literal) potato chips.

The average pet dog is under-exercised and doesn’t get enough off-leash time outdoors. But service dogs need free play time even more.

No one thinks it’s a great idea for kids to play in the street.

There are CARS in the street.

No one wants a hard rubber ball to come crashing through their window, or to dent their Audi, either.

But if there’s nowhere else for kids to go outside and be kids together… the local cul de sac is better than nothing. Yes there is risk – but the risk to your child’s health and development if you never let them run around with other kids in unstructured playtime… well, according to experts, that is worse.

Psychologically and physiologically, dogs need to run around outdoors in unstructured free play. That means they go where they want, sniff what they want, run and stop when they want. Dogs who don’t get that tend to get… a little nutty.

Off leash trails tend to be best for this. Large off leash parks that are big enough where dogs who don’t like each other can get space from each other are great too.

Small fenced parks that force dogs to constantly interact with strangers are… not ideal.

Service dog schools put a lot of time and money into raising, training, and placing their dogs. Many have rules against taking their very expensive dogs into high risk situations.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t want the dog to play or get exercise. Dogs need play and exercise. Dogs need to cuddle with their family, and yes, it can be on the couch as long as your dog knows the difference between YOUR couch and a couch at IKEA.

Disability is a reason that something may be harder for us than for the average person. But if a dog owner has a disability, that doesn’t magically change what their dog needs to be mentally and physically well.

It’s not like, if we can’t afford food, we just magically subsist on air.

If we cannot afford food, we starve.

If we don’t provide for our dog’s mental and physical needs, they fall apart.

When dogs are stressed, overworked, frustrated, or under-stimulated, they show the same symptoms that humans do: 

• Lowered immune system leading to more infections
• Hyper-reactive immune system leading to larger allergic responses
• Gastrointestinal problems including chronic diarrhea or vomiting
• Self-harm and stereotypical behaviors like licking their fur off
• Problem behaviours like barking and chewing
• Fur loss
• Weight gain or loss
• Inability to focus
• Less responsive to the needs of others

It is important, when considering a service dog, to remember that first and foremost, you are responsible for caring for your dog and providing them with a good life.

If you are good to your dog, they are good back to you.

So that means that if you have some days when you can’t get out of bed, either specifically look for a kind of dog who can happily spend entire days lazing in bed with you… or get someone in your life to take your dog to the park when you can’t.

It means that if you can’t meet the needs of a pet dog either in veterinary care costs, living costs, and the hours of attention and outdoor time dogs need, you can’t have a service dog either.

And that sucks, yeah.

But service dogs are dogs. There’s no convenient way around that fact.

The good news is that you don’t have to give up playing with your dog, cuddling with your dog, or letting your friends play with and cuddle your dog!

It is okay to let your service dog have a “sniffy walk” on a long line when they can wander in front of you, sniff to their heart’s content, and decide which way they want to turn when they get to the corner.

It is okay to invite them onto the couch when you’re watching Stranger Things.

It is okay to feed them people food!

It is okay to let them jump up and hug you if you want them to.

There are rules for how a dog in wearing a “service dog” sign can behave.

Once that sign is off – the rules are whatever you and your dog want them to be.