For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at: service dog law, service dog etiquette, service dog puppy raiser, guide dog, puppy in training.

1. My Traumatic Canine Encounter While
with my SDIT
Anydog can have a life changingexperience afteratraumaticencounterwithanotherdog.But
whenthe dogwho hasthat experienceisaservice dog,thatencountercan endwitha careerending
result.Evenencountersthatdon’thave anyphysical traumacan still cause emotionaltraumathat
may be too muchfor some dogsto continue helpingtheirpartner.The numberone reasonaservice
dog isretiredearlyisbecause of a traumaticexperience withanotherdog.
There has beenamajor issue withuneducatedpetownerstakingtheirdogstomore placesinrecent
years.We have beenable tospreadsome awarenessabout how dogownerscanhelpkeepservice
dogssafe but waymore needstobe done to combatirresponsible actionsbypetowners.
For more detailson our products and services,please feel free tovisitus at: service doglaw,
service dog etiquette, service dogpuppyraiser, guide dog, puppy intraining.
For more details,please visitus at: http://www.growingupguidepup.org/
I wantto share an encounterthatI,and my service dogintraining;Pixie,recentlyhadona quicktrip
to the mall while grabbingabite toeat. I grabbedmyfoodfromthe checkoutcounter,turned
around…andout of nowhere wasanoff leashChihuahuarunningstraightforPixie.Itwasangry,
barking,snarlingandcomingrightat us. I hada splitsecondtoreact.As the little dogreachedPixie,
it startedbitingather legs.Ididmy bestto kickthe dog awayas the ownermade hiswayto us. He
quicklygrabbedhisdogandmuttered“sorry”and turnedto leave.I am normallynotthe type of
personto yell,butIcouldn’tholdbackand screamedathim “What the hell!Putyourdog ona
leash!”He scurriedoff withoutanyotherword.People andemployeesinthe foodcourtwatchedin
disbelief;notreallyfullyunderstandingwhatjusthappened.One person,anemployee atone of the
foodstands,askedme “are youguys ok?”He was the onlyperson. AsI caught mybreathand looked

2. Pixie’sbodyover,Itriedtocalm herdownbut she was still prettyamped.Ididmybestto gathermy
composure andwe leftthe mall.Pixie pickeduponmyadrenaline while we made ourexitwhich
made her a little antsy.
I have beenworkingveryhardwithPixie andherconfidence level withstrange dogs.She usedto
bark everytime she sawanotherdog,butwe have beenmakinga lotof progresswiththisissue.A
fewdaysbefore she waschargedby the Chihuahua,we hada verygoodtrainingsessionatthe same
mall.Pixie wasable topassa goldenretrieverinclose quarterswithoutasingle bark, andjusta slight
distractionbefore correctingherself.Unfortunately,afterthe incidentwiththe Chihuahua,Pixiehas
beenmore uneasyarounddogsshe seesoutinpublic.We have backtrackeda few monthswithher
training.
I was veryluckywithPixie thistimearound.She hasnophysical woundsfromherencounter.So
manyother service dogusersare not as lucky.Ipersonallyknow multiple service doghandlersthat
have had theirdogsphysicallyinjuredbyotherdogs.Eitherthisisdogoff leash,orit can be because
petownersare not givingproperspace inthe publicsetting.
Some dogshave to retire because theyare neveremotionallythe same aftertheirencounters.A dog
that isstressedandworriedabouta randomdog chargingthemin a store,or mall..won’tbe able to
focuson theirhandler.A service dogmaymissan importantalertor task.I know people whohave
service dogsthathesitate toentercertainstoresorplacesbecause ittriggersthe memoryof a
formerattack. Somuch time,energy,money,andcare getsput intothe creationof a service dog.To
lose a service dogbecause of somethingthatcouldhave beenavoidedisveryhardtoswallow.This
shouldn’tbe happeningasoftenasit does…orat all.
Some dogownersare unaware of basicdog behavior.Theyputtheirdogsinsituationsthatcause
themto misbehave,andgetthemintotrouble.People letdogsoff leashthatdon’thave areliable
recall.Some thinkthattheirdoglovestosay hi to everyotherdogshe sees.Othersare unaware of
the fact that theyare bringingtheirpetplacesthatare uncomfortable forthem.Thenthere are pets
not trainedgoodenoughtobe in public.While workinginanemergencyveterinaryclinicfor 22
yearsI have seenmore thanmy share of whathappenswhen peoplecan’tcontrol theirdogs,or
make verypoor decisionsaboutwhattheirdogscanhandle.
I’mprettyconfidentthatwitha little time,andsome more work,Pixie cangetbackto where she
was,and evenbetter.She isjusthittingherstride withher maturityandconfidence.Butwe will
have to see if the Chihuahuaincidenthasanylongtermeffects.The incidentremindedme that
there isso much more awarenessneededforeducationwithpetculture forbothservice dogsand
petetiquette.Ihave beenconstantlyaskingmyself,whywouldsomeonethinkitisokto bringan
aggressive dogtothe mall,andnot have a leashfor it?!It isbecause people are uneducatedandput
theirdogsin positionthatgetthemintrouble.Iwill continue tobringlightto thisissue aslongas it
isa commoncause for service dogstobe retired.
For more detailson our products and services,please feel free tovisitus at: service doglaw,
service dog etiquette, service dogpuppyraiser, guide dog, puppy intraining.