A Service Dog?
I was at Spanish Springs this evening for the Rocky and the Rollers entertainment. They were excellent, as usual.
A few minutes before 5, a couple walked onto the square with their dog and took seats near me. In a couple of minutes, I go over and engage them in conversation. Their dog was wearing a vest that read, "Service Dog...Do Not Pet". I definitely can respect that in a service dog. This was a ShiuTsu! We got talking and I asked what kind of service the ShiuTsu performed. The man said his wife was a little hard of hearing. When the husband is out of the house, the dog will bark when someone rings the doorbell so his wife knows someone is there.
What dog doesn't bark when someone comes to the door? For this, they bought a service vest and can take the dog into restaurants, fly it free on airplanes, and stay in pet-free hotels with no extra charge.
I totally understand appreciating a dog announcing a visitor to someone hard of hearing ...but to take it to the squares, etc ... is gaming the system. What service was the dog going to do outdoors, going to a restaurant, on a plane, etc since the service only applied at their house?
Don't get me wrong, no one loves dogs or cats more than me - but gaming the system like this just rankled my feathers - so to speak.
My lovely wife just said that I do not know if this couple would do all those things and maybe the service vest was just to kindly tell people not to pet the dog. I did not think of that. It is a possibility either way.
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