When it comes to service dogs, many of us lack knowledge about how to properly act near them. So one Tumblr user decided to share her story and educate people on what you’re supposed to do if a service dog approaches you.
Tessa C. took to social media to share a story about how her dog Raider was seeking a stranger’s attention after his owner fell, yet the stranger told Raider to go away. Dog mistook Tessa's fall for a seizure, but luckily she only accidentally tripped. Nevertheless, her message shows how important it is to know how to act near a service dog.
“I’ve had Raider for 2 ½ years, and originally he was supposed to be for my autism. About 4-5 months ago, however, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Never had a seizure before, and suddenly I had 3 in as many months. Training for epilepsy is… Trickier. He’s learning though, and it should only be a couple of months until he’s fully ready to assist me.” Tessa told Bored Panda.
In her PSA she told people how important it is to follow the service dog if he approaches you since it means that the dog’s owner is in danger. “For now, I’ve decided to purchase a patch saying “If I am alone, follow me!”, and hope that spurs a better reaction”, Tessa said. “I do most of the training on my own, with a local trainer that comes in every week or two to give me directions on how to proceed.”
Scroll down to read Tessa's story yourself, and don’t forget to tell us what you think in the comments!
More info: lumpatronics
Recently, one woman shared an important message about her service dog, and it quickly went viral
Her post was liked and retweeted more than 375,000 times on Twitter
Not along ago Tessa was diagnosed with epilepsy, "Never had a seizure before, and suddenly I had 3 in as many months"
Image credits: Tessa C.
So she started training her dog to help her in case of an emergency
Image credits: Tessa C.
"I do most of the training on my own, with a local trainer that comes in every week or two to give me directions on how to proceed"
Image credits: Tessa C.
Tessa is planning to purchase a patch for Raider that says “If I am alone, follow me!”, so this story wouldn't repeat itself
Image credits: Tessa C.
Many people reacted to Tessa's story
