# Mixed Signals



## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

I was in my local grocery/pharmacy/hardware/one stop shopping store earlier and so a Papillon come through the door with an older gentleman.

As they got closer I could see an orange vest on the dog.

On both sides: Service Dog
On both sides: I'm friendly, pet me

What the heck?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

hmmmm....it wasn't hand knitted, was it?


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote:On both sides: Service Dog
> On both sides: I'm friendly, pet me


Sounds like someone purchased a vest online so they could take their pup shopping with them and then noticed the pretty little patches that were available also.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

He did have to tell the dog 3 times to sit while waiting for his Rx, and he had to do that each time he moved up in line.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I think the urge to take the dog shopping took over. The gentleman needs to find a pet friendly pharmacy


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

hmm i've only ever seen "working dog please don't pet me"


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

These were separate patches - I'm guessing that TJ is right


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

sounds like a joke. it's rather funny.



> Originally Posted By: Barb E.I was in my local grocery/pharmacy/hardware/one stop shopping store earlier and so a Papillon come through the door with an older gentleman.
> 
> As they got closer I could see an orange vest on the dog.
> 
> ...


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote:sounds like a joke. it's rather funny.










Not sure what you mean by that. 

To me it sounds like yet one more person claiming an untrained dog as a SD.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

If memory serves, mjbgsd's Service Dog also has a vest that says "Ask to pet me" on it besides "Service Dog"?


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

I know the patch. This one is the most common (with or without the rocker patches).











I've seen that a few members of my service dog club have it (only several). I asked about it. One is a trainer and uses it for all of her SDITs, because she wants the dog to get as much socialization as possible. Another was self-training and used it for the same reason (but I haven't seen her lately, so I'm not sure if she'll use it once her dog passes the public access test).

The third feels that it's good "public relations" for people to feel able to approach and talk to us about our dogs. 


In fact, when our club does social event in public (like fundraising for other charities), it IS preferred that we don't have GET THE HECK AWAY FROM MY DOG!!!! plastered all over our SDs.







The idea is that we appear as a club with the notion that we can educate people about SDs ourselves. We shouldn't be off-putting, which makes some sense. 

There's one man who has the patch on his dog. I haven't asked him why (yet).... 

I don't understand the concept of public relations. 

I don't use "Don't Touch my Dog" patches. I used to on Camper's vest, but people just ignored them anyhow, and they do kind of give off a wrong impression for a large GSD.







Some people were terrified of him, so I didn't want him to seem scarier. Most people say something like "I'm not supposed to talk to him or pet him, right?" Those who want to sneak a feel are going to anyhow, patch or no patch. 

But between us friends here







I hate the "I'm Friendly, Please ask to Pet Me" patches. (Sorry Missy, if you see this.







) I sometimes let people pet my dog. But it's at times I decide are appropriate. If you have a patch like that, then people ASSUME you'll say yes, or that they don't even need to ask. Worse, they assume the next SD is pettable too. If I let someone pet my dog, I make sure they understand that I'm making a huge exception for them -- it's not normal, and they shouldn't ever expect it. I don't want anything I do to EVER cause distress or inconvenience to the next SD handler a member of the public meets. 

But I have seen that patch on *real* SDs owned by *real* PWD, so I don't know that we can necessarily assume the dog is a fraud. If I saw someone like that in a store, I'd ask in an open friendly "just wondering..." Tell them that you know SD users (you know me







) that don't want their dogs bothered, so you're curious why they have the patch. 

I'm sure they'd be willing to chat with you about it. We get so many stupid questions. This one is actually a good one that dives into the issues of training, socialization, work, etc!


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: 3K9MomBut between us friends here
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Personally I hate them too. I understand the problem of people being afraid of a GSD, not too long ago at subway an employee needed to walk past me at the counter and asked "she's not going to bite me is she?" I replied "oh no, she's a service dog"

Its really frustrating when people try to pet or interact with the dog without asking, AND I have "Working, Do Not Pet" patches on BOTH sides of Tessa's bags. I was walking into a walmart the other day when I was stopped and the greeter started talking to Tessa, pausing to ask if she could pet her. And she looked at me funny as I explained that she's working and cannot be pet right now. I always explain that Tessa LOVES people and so the only way for her to remain focused on her job is to not expect to be able to greet everyone we meet.


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