Woman Has Powerful Message After Kids Smack Service Dog In Store as Mom Stood Feet Away

Apr 24, 2019 by apost team

We all love dogs. One of the fastest ways to make a new friend is to introduce them to your dog first.

Which is why this story is so surprising. Yes, strangers like to play with dogs and grab their tails sometimes, but who would want to hurt a dog?

Most service dogs are able to avoid the unwanted touch of others as they wear vests and are often always with their owners. However, in this story, things got out of control.

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One service dog, Polly, follows her owner Laura everywhere and is even fitted with her own service dog harness. Polly stays by her owner's side in case she loses consciousness.

The story that Laura shared on Facebook last June shows that not everyone understands what a service animal does, let alone how to treat any animals. One day Laura went to the store with her niece and two children. As soon as she got to the store, she knew there would be a problem

In her open letter on Facebook, Laura shared how much she dreaded walking past the family, as she knew they would try to per her dog.

"I was dreading it, I knew your kids where going to try and pet my dog. I knew you had no intention on telling them “don’t pet the dog, it’s workings.” she wrote, "I tried to put space between me and the people in front of me, so when it was my turn to walk by I could do it quickly, however my attempts to do so failed and I had to slowly walk past you and your kids."

Laura tried to keep her dog focused, but she could only do so much. She was horrified when the stranger's child reached out and smacked Polly

As anyone would be shocked to have a stranger hit their dog, for the owners of service dogs, the situation may mean the difference between life and death.

"I told you 'she’s a service dog, please teach your kids not to pet them'. And maybe you where having a bad day, maybe you think your the worlds best mom, maybe you just think your kids are angels and can do no wrong and allow them to do whatever they want." she continued. "I don’t know. I have never seen you before, I may never see you again, but I hope that if I do, you have done a better job at trying to help your children, how to behave better around service dogs."

While most parents would likely be shocked if their kids treated anyone this way. Laura points out that the mother did nothing. She explains that the children were lucky to have approached a highly trained dog, as the situation could've taken a turn from the worse

Any other dog would likely have lashed out and probably bitten the child. However, Polly simply stood closer to the owner, hoping to get away from the abuse.

"I’m sorry that my “tip” to help you help your kids, and help the the service dog Community, pissed you off, and you felt the need to snap at me “EXCUSE YOU” in a snotty holier than thou tone, but yes, excuse me, excuse me for expecting YOU as an adult to teach the children you are raising to be respectful of disabled individuals. I’m sure you wouldn’t allow them to grab someone’s cane, or yank on their nasal cannula that supplies their oxygen."

While the mother couldn't see past that brief interaction, Laura explained that at that moment, Polly was caring for her owner

Five minutes before the interaction, Laura was alerted by Polly that something was not right. She explains:

"Here is what you didn’t see. 5 minutes before I saw you I got an alert from my dog, my heart rate was steadily climbing, my chest was becoming tight, my vision was going fuzzy, I felt like I was under water."

As Laura walked past the children, she missed a second alert from Polly. Laura's hip at that point was moving out of place and just trying to walk was painful.

When the daughter hit Polly, she practically endangered Laura's life. With a heart rate climbing near 120, Laura was ready to vomit. However, Laura was able to make it to her car, right before the effects of her heart rate became fully apparent

As a mother herself, Laura knew she had to tell her story to make sure the rest of the world knows how to act around service dogs. This story serves as a cautionary tale for us to be more aware of the actions we make. In the event that this scenario happens again, hopefully, another parent would fully understand the role of a service dog and what their responsibilities are. If you see a service dog, keep walking.

While you may want to pet the dog, it's at work trying to take care of its owner. The only time anyone should reach out to pet a service dog is if they are invited to do so by the dog's owner.

What do you do when you see a service dog in public? What would you tell the mother if you could speak with her? Leave your thoughts - and feel free to pass this along to your friends!