This scene out of a mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania shows a wild reaction to what has become a fairly typical ordeal for those with service dogs.
These particular dogs happen to be in training, making the mother's reaction even more troubling. There are signs on each dog, patches, and many people all there telling her that her child cannot pet the service dogs.
She would not listen.
As you can see in the video, the mom in question was not happy with ANYTHING coming from the handlers on the service dog side. We don't get to see how the situation was handled before the cameras started to roll, but we do get a feel that this mother thinks very highly of herself.
Not only does she ignore the clear signs and the handlers, she wants to pick a fight and tell them how it should've gone down.
One of the more ridiculous comments is that she didn't like how the woman just told her "No" in response to her question about the petting.
Since this is a world where this happens pretty much daily, being told "no" is the kindest way to handle this. It's also the more straight-forward way possible.
And by the end, she's saying it is illegal to film her without permission -- wrong -- and that she will call her lawyers.
The handlers do get one thing wrong here -- though Pennsylvania could be different. It is not illegal to pet the dogs. It is frowned upon and it ruins the training process, but it isn't illegal on its own.
But the potential harassment, interference, and hurt IS illegal. And the way that is defined can vary. So the child petting the dog in the middle of training? Could be trouble. These are not pets. These are medical equipment/workers when that vest is on.
Most of the folks responding to the initial video were quick to call the woman entitled and asked how she managed to come to the conclusions she reached at the end of the clip.
Others pointed out that even though they didn't have service dogs, they did notice something special. Kids always asked permission before touching the animals, meanwhile, adults did not.
It's strange that we lose that basic component about touching an animal or anything having to do with someone else.
One thing for sure is that people weren't going to stop at her attitude when it came to critiques. They were prepared to critique he talents as a mother too, especially how she held her child.
The correct take is likely that this woman was after attention. It all funnels to this in the end, thinking the universe revolves around her despite the clear rules surrounding these animals.
Once glance around YouTube or Twitter will show you that a service dog cannot get distracted. There are situations where it is just a caution, but there are plenty where someone petting a service dog and distracting them can put their owner at risk.
The only time it is alright to pet a service dog is if someone says you can pet the service dog. If the dog isn't working and isn't involved in a serious case -- like you'll see below -- it should be fine to do if you get permission.
But the felonies and trouble begin when you distract a service dog from their job.
A prime example is the tale of Hailey Ashmore, a girl who had a seizure service dog that warned her at least 10 minutes before if she was about to have an episode. Typically this goes without issue, but the dog was distracted by someone petting it while at the store one day and disaster struck.
Next thing you know, Hailey woke up with burns on her face, her dog on top of her, and her father's hand under her head.
These are still dogs, despite their great training. And because of that -- like some people too -- they cannot multitask and do two things at once.
If you're trying to pet the dog, you're keeping it from its trained duties.
If you have a service dog, ways you can get people to stop are either by placing your hand gently on their arm to tell them to stop. Take their attention from the dog.
Or you can give your dog the ignore command and essentially ignore whoever is attempting to pet.
You can also give verbal commands like in the video, but it doesn't always work out.
The worst case happens here. Not only does the woman refuse to accept the man's explanation for why the dog can't be petted, but she also proceeds to place him as the wrong party and then follows him through the store.
Even if this is a fake, you can see how real it seems given the video at the top of the article.
The best case happens here, where the kids are given the permission to pet, but the dog is trained so well that it doesn't react and ignores the children.
It's how it should work outside of the training period.
Ciara Miller was upset about a service dog being brought into a restaurant, calling it disgusting. After being taken to task by those at the scene and people online, Miller tells Inside Edition that she was yelled at and that racial slurs were used against her.
But in the end, she has no regrets for saying "it was gross" that the dog was in the restaurant.
But getting mad or trying to pet a working service dog isn't even the worst. Stealing a dog might top that list -- right next to killing the animal -- and it happens more frequently than you think. In Florida, Vietnam Vet Joseph Hanson's PTSD service dog was stolen:
During the altercation, another woman sneaked up behind the man and unleashed Kira. The victim said he never saw the second woman and had no idea what happened to the dog.
The incident was captured on surveillance video. Deputies said the second woman is seen stealing Kira.
Hanson said Kira has a number of health issues, is hard of hearing and is going blind. He said he and his other service dog, Star, are distraught.
This one, on the other hand, is the result of someone apparently trying to fake having a service dog in order to keep a dog they took off the street.
While it isn't so much a theft of another dog, it turns into a heated confrontation in this parking lot after a news report about the dog in question.
The penalty for stealing a dog is nothing to laugh about -- especially if you steal it to try to sell it on Craigslist. This woman received 2 months in jail for stealing a service dog from the backyard of a woman's home and then trying to sell it.
Bottom line, leave a service dog alone. There is no shortage of dogs in the world to go and pet. If you see a dog that is in training to be a service dog or that is out there working with someone who needs them, then leave the dog alone.
They have a job to do and they're trained to do it well when they're paying attention.
