A Service Dog Without Its Owner Could Mean The Owner is in Danger

Dogs are faithful companions. My family and I have 5 of them and they are as much a part of the family as one can be.

Faithful to the core, they are playful, protective, communicative and keep us humans on our toes. They are not without maintenance. I think nothing of the money spent on specialized dog food, vet bills and dog toys. They are living intelligent beings and deserve the best in love and support we can provide.

With the joys of dog ownership, I have had my share of sad times. I've wept when our German Shepherd could no longer move and we had to transition him to the other side. Our Siberian Husky fought hard against the perils of age and reached a point where she could no longer function.

I've had close friends slide into deep depression when they've lost their dogs to death.

Besides being family pets, dogs can be specially trained to support their owners or handlers in ways human beings can't. Hunting dogs, police dogs, dogs trained for military action and competition along with many other services come to mind.

They are faithful and fearless companions. However there is one aspect many people do not understand; that is the role of Service Dogs.

I had a recent conversation about Service Dogs with an old colleague of mine. She mentioned that most people, including me, do not understand how to work with Service Dogs or understand the support they provide their owners.

I've since fixed my ignorance and decided to share what I've learned.

My friend has a family member who has a Service Dog. He needs it due to a neurological disease that sometimes creates severe reactions and communication problems. The illness is not critical enough to keep him bedridden. He is mobile, active, and is out and about the community on any given day. But certain risk factors trigger his condition, thus one of the needs for a Service Dog.

He and his dog have been companions for many years. The dog is trained to intervene, seek help and alert other people if his owner becomes incapacitated.

In most cases, when his condition triggers, he recognizes the symptoms, finds a place to sit down, takes some medication, and rests for 15 minutes. The dog's presence provides a calming effect helping him recover.

If people are around him, help is readily available, for which he instructs someone to administer his medication and potentially summon an ambulance.

However, there are times when his condition triggers a major medical event, making it impossible for him to communicate. These times are rare but critical.

He recently had a situation where his condition triggered severely. Unable to speak or get the attention of bystanders, his dog sensed the problem and sought help, as he was trained to do. Unfortunately, the group of people the dog found didn't understand the protocol of service dogs and thought he was just cute, having slipped away from his owner, which was not the case.

His owner needed help.

Luckily, the owner was found, and help was provided. But not without some anxiety due to the time it took.

My friend asked her family member how the situation could have been avoided. The response pointed out that many people have never been trained on how to respond effectively if a Service Dog approaches without someone managing his or her leash.

Service Dogs in public places without their owner is a sign that the owner is in emergency jeopardy and needs help.

Here is an excerpt from my friend's email with her family member:

When a service dog comes up to you without the owner, even if they are attached to their owner on a leash, THEY ARE COMING TO YOU FOR HELP. If you are approached by a service dog, FOLLOW THEM. I needed help that day and I didn't get it because people don't know what to do or what to look for.

It's a critical situation, and a protocol needs to be followed.

I am now in the process of learning as much about this as I can. Hopefully, I will never have to use the knowledge gained, but I am comfortable knowing more about it than before.