The "No Petting" Rule
Most people know that you should not
pet a service dog without asking permission first. Guide dogs,
hearing dogs, and certain service dogs may be distracted from
critical tasks by people petting or feeding them. However, not
everyone is against having people pet their service dogs, and may
even have an "Ask to Pet Me" patch on their vests.
Personally, I don't like other people petting my dog regardless of
whether she's working or not at the time. I've found most people
tend to pat my dog on the head (which she hates), no matter how
many times I tell them not to. People, try and remember that most
dogs prefer chest or chin scratches, and are often *afraid* of
hands looming over their heads! Even though they may learn to
tolerate it from loved ones, please "Just Say No!" to
head-patting.
Also, I have OCD, and have enough trouble with my dog lying on the
floor in public places. I don't need the additional worry of having
people's cooties all over my dog on top of that. :)
And lastly, when my dog is working, I want her to ignore other
people. This isn't the right thing for every service dog team, but
I want *my* dog to stay within 2-3' of me, and not sniff at other
people when we're out in public; I have found that Glindy just does
better with this when she's told that other people are off-limits
while working.
So, I find that I'd rather people just don't pet my dog at all. I'm
just happier that way.