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1. When Not To Crusade - Growing Up
Guide Pup
One day,I was browsingthroughmynewsfeedonFacebook,asperusual,whenaninterestingphoto
poppedup.It wasa peerof mine holdingherdogina locallyownedartsandcrafts store.I lookedatthe
comments,andthe mostrecentwas one of herfriendsasking:“Wow,theyletyoubringhiminthe
store?”
“I knowof some teamswhere the service doghashadto eithergothroughretrainingorbe retiredfrom
workentirely,due toanunfortunate encounterwithapetdog ina place where the petshouldnothave
been.”
For some people,thiswouldhave alarmbellsringingintheirhead.Becausesomebodyisobviouslygoing
to reply,“Theyaskedme if he was a service dog,Isaidyesand that’sall I had to do,” or “Ha ha,yeah,I
justsay he’sa service dogandtheycan’t kickhimout.” It’sa struggle manyhandlershave come across.
“Fake”service dogs,or more accurately,petsthatare portrayedas service dogs,are certainlyaproblem
for service dogteams.I knowof some teamswhere the service doghashad to eithergothrough
retrainingorbe retiredfromworkentirely,due toanunfortunate encounterwithapetdog ina place
where the petshouldnothave been.
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guide dog, puppy intraining, assistance dog, ptsd dog.
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2. Yes,it wouldbe a real kick to the face forthispeerof mine tohave respondedwithaffirmationthatshe
had,in fact,misrepresentedherpetasa SD. Consideringwe have hadclassesandoutingstogether,
before andafterVelvetandIwere a workingteam;Ishouldhave everyrighttogo intooth and nail,
bombsaway,right?How dare she do thisto me,to otherteams?
No.All I had seenwasa photoand the posterhad notrespondedwithanyindicationthatshe hadposed
hercompaniondogas a service dog.Infact,my phone hada notificationthatthere wasanadditional
commentonthe photo.Scrollingdown,she hadrespondedtothe personaskinghow she tookherdog
intothe store.Her response:“Iaskedthe ownerif itwas okayif I broughthim in.”Bingo!Some stores,
as longas they are not violatinghealthdepartmentcodes,are petfriendly.Icommentedexplaininghow
some non-petstorescanbe pet-friendly,andwasthankedforthe explanation.
Now,imagine if Ihadgone in preparedtostart a war overthis.Feelingsprobablycouldhave beenhurt
overmy assumption.Ratherthanbeingknownasa friendwhowouldgentlyeducate,Iwouldbe known
as a trouble-makerwhocan’tenjoyagoodphotoof a cute dog in a dog-friendlystore.Also,thisperson
knowsI am a service doghandler.What example wouldIbe settingforheras one of her few,possibly
only,friendswhousesaservice dogtomitigate adisability?
“It doesn’ttake anentire lecture togentlyeducate these simplemisunderstandings.”
How longdidittake to avoidpotentiallystartingafight?Aboutfive minutes.Unlessapersonisblatantly
saying,“I’mjustsayingmypet isa service dogtoget himintostores,”we cannotknow the full story
behindapicture.Many people are uneducatedaboutthe lawsbehindservice dogs.How manyhandlers
knewall of the lawsbefore utilizingaservice dogtoimprove theirdailylife?
I am not sayingtosit everypersondownandstartwiththe historyof service dogsbeingutilized.Youdo
not have to go outof yourway to educate,especiallywhenyouhave yourowndailylifeschedule to
attendto. All Iam sayingis,be kindand do notmake assumptions.Propereducationof service doglaws
inAmericaisdesperatelyneeded.Simplemisunderstandingsdue tolackof service dogeducationare
experiencedbydifferentteamseveryday,suchas a greetersaying“Dogsaren’tallowedinhere,”ora
childexclaiming,“Ididn’tknowtheyletdogsinhere!”Itdoesn’ttake anentire lecture togentlyeducate
these simple misunderstandings.
Withthe emergence of social media,manypeople have assignedthemselvesthe taskof huntingdown
fakers.Dosome people blatantlypose theirpetsasservice dogs,knowingexactlywhattheyare doing?
Of course.There are alsomany othercasesthat couldbe the storywhich people donotknow.Whatif
the personhas beenadvisedbytheirhealthprofessional togetanemotional supportanimal andisnot
educatedaboutthe differentbetween ESAsandservice animals?Whatif the individual doeshave a
disabilitythatcouldbe mitigatedbyaservice dogspecificallytrainedtoassistwiththe individual,but
doesn’tknowhowtoget started?Until the full storyisposted,assumptionsshouldnotbe made abouta
snapshot.
Many misunderstandingsservice dogusersencounterwiththe publicare notdirectinsultstothe team,
but simplyalackof education.ThisiswhyI am gladGrowingUp Guide Pupis dedicatingthemselvesto

3. educatingthe general publicinvariousways.Aside fromlaws,GrowingUpGuide Pupalsoshowcases
the adventuresof puppy-raising,introducingreaderstothe varioustypesof service dogs,andmuch
more.Evenas a service doghandler,Ilove readingthe articlesthatare postedbyguestbloggersand
watchingMatt and Amie’svlogsof theirpuppyraisingadventures. The website,videos,andsocial media
toolsutilizedbyGUGPare a vaultof valuable educational tools.
For more detailson our products and services,please feel free tovisitus at: service dogpuppy raiser,
guide dog, puppy intraining, assistance dog, ptsd dog.