Trailblazing Unleashed

Some of you may have noticed that Trace has a new vest! I’m sure some of you are also thinking that this is not worthy of a post, but I assure you it is.

We traded out Traces old simpler vest as a I started school this semester. This is my first time having a service dog in college, and Trace’s first time on a college campus while class is in session. We’ve been navigating all sorts of new stuff, like classes, busses, and walking more than either of us really wants to. But the most chaotic thing we’ve been navigating is other people.

There are four types of reactions when people see Trace out in public. Exploring these will help you understand why our change in gear was not only necessary, but essential to my sanity.

The ‘definitely not a dog person’ approach.

This person either hates dogs or is terrified of them. When they see us round the corner, they scatter as far as humanly possible to avoid coming into contact with either of us.

Sometimes, the talk to us and try to find a way for us to go in other directions. I really don’t mind this. Some people have had traumatic experiences with dogs and aren’t willing to be near us. As long as this behavior doesn’t affect our access to public spaces, I’ll do what I can to accommodate other people’s feelings and fears.

What I do not like about this approach, is the people who decide to scream, or jump, or run, as soon as they see us. This freaks everyone involved out. It scares me, Trace, and quite literally everyone around us. No one likes being screamed at or being called “un perro de diablo” on the bus. Not cool.

His new vest has clearer “Service Dog” lettering that helps some feel safer.

The casual but friendly approach.

This person will usually see us, smile, and then do what they can to give us space. This can look like holding the door for us, giving us that extra bus seat, or complimenting Trace from a far.

This is by far my favorite approach! Usually, these people are sweet but realize that Trace is working and leave us both alone. If you are one of these kinds of folks, know that I never expect your help but always appreciate it! You are welcome to ask about Trace (name, age, breed, etc) or me, and as long as the question isn’t too intrusive, I’m happy to talk to you about it!

Again, these folks are nice, but not intrusive. They give us space so we can work and get around without having to stop and ask them to move.

Trace’s new gear helps these people keep being awesome.

The Karen.

We all know a Karen in our lives. This person is the first to cuss out minimum wage fast food workers and one of my least favorite people to come across in the wild.

Usually, they try to tell us what we can and cannot do in a disrespectful manner. I get a lot of “You can’t bring a dog in here!” or “Pitbull’s can’t be service dogs so you must be faking” or my absolute least favorite “You don’t look disabled!”. I hate to break it to you folks; there is no such thing as being too young to have a disability. I wish there was, but no.

Usually, I respond to these people with a polite but stern “He is a service dog, and under the ADA you cannot restrict access to the space because of his presence.” If they continue to be belligerent, I usually ask someone working there to help. I have actually never had this issue with a staff member; it is almost always an obnoxious customer or bystander.

Trace’s new vest helps these Karen’s think twice before yelling at me, which is a win.

The ‘I’m a dog person, so the rules don’t apply to me’ approach.

This is my absolute least favorite person out of all four approaches. They see Trace and think “Oh my god there’s a dog, it must be here for my enjoyment.”

They will usually run up to us (at full speed) and try to get in his face without talking to me at all. They will aggressively pet him, stop us from passing them, or invade his personal space for hugs and kisses. He has never once liked this. Usually, he tries to crawl underneath me away from the person. And almost every time, the person will try to tell me “Oh I’m a dog person! He loves this!”.

No, he doesn’t. You are making him uncomfortable and making me very angry. You obviously don’t know anything about dog body language and will likely be bit in the face by a less forgiving dog in the future.

This type of person rarely listens to me when I ask them not to pet him, and I often have to get fairly assertive/aggressive before they leave us alone. These people are why Trace got a new harness.

His new harness says DO NOT PET in the biggest letters I could find. People still ask me to pet him all the time, but then there is an opportunity for them to use common sense or have a more rational friend point out their bad behavior.

I understand that not everyone understands how to interact with service dogs, so I have no hard feelings about those who make mistakes or assumptions. My problem is with those who ignore both of our boundaries and put themselves in a dangerous situation.

I hope that articles like this one will reach the right people and help educate those who need it the most.

If you have any questions for me, or an experience of your own that you want to share, please comment down below!

Trailblaze on!

— Kaya, and the Trailblazing Unleashed Pack