People love dogs. When they meet a dog in public, most people want to talk to the owner and ask to pet it. Many owners encourage others to socialize with their dogs and some genuinely enjoy discussing their dog’s personality and quirks. No one means any harm when trying to pet someone’s dog, yet they might not realize that the dog is a working service animal and not an ordinary pet. Service dogs are not required by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) to wear vests, and this could confuse people who are unfamiliar with the subtle differences between pets and working animals. The general public might not immediately recognize that a dog is a service animal, creating a potentially difficult, or even dangerous, situation for their disabled handler. For those with disabilities who need their dog for the service it provides, it is important for others not to pet or distract working dogs.
People with disabilities do not always want attention for their service dog. Disabled individuals rely on their dogs for essential health services, so petting or distracting a service dog could be a serious health risk for the owner. Service dogs do more than just help guide people with sight impediments; they could be watching out for certain visual cues or scent changes for various physical or emotional conditions. It is not always immediately obvious what the service dog is trained to do for its owner, but a service dog could be trained to watch for warnings signs of a change in blood sugar, sudden seizures, or PTSD panic attack attacks. If a service dog is distracted, it might miss vital clues it needs to help its owner.
It is a common misconception that service dogs are required to wear vests while they are in public. Service dogs are not required to wear vests, and their disabled owners are not required to identify themselves. According to the ADA, the only questions an establishment are permitted to ask a disabled individual are “Is that a service dog?” and “What task is it trained to do?”. Other than those two questions, an establishment is not allowed to ask for further proof that the dog is indeed a service dog. Most people understand that a service vest signals others to leave the working dog alone, and it would be impolite to interfere with the dog’s focus on its owner. In addition, many people like to register their service dogs with Service Animal Registration for further proof to help others understand their working dog’s role. While vests are not required for service dogs, many owners like for their dogs to wear identifying vests because it communicates to others to leave their dog alone and let the dog do its job.