There's a video circulating right now that features a mother who is berating a group of service dog trainers after they told her that her toddler couldn't pet their service dogs. You can watch the video here.
The video begins mid-rant, but the Daily Mail reportedly has some details. On December 19th, Megan Stoff was with a small group of service dogs in a Pittsburgh mall. A woman approached them with her daughter and asked to pet the dogs. Stoff and her co-worker told her "no" because the dogs were training.
The mother reportedly returned minutes later and began yelling at Stoff and the other. That's when they began recording. The mother accused them of being rude and told them that they should have more obvious signs displayed that people cannot pet the dogs. The dog trainers pointed out that there are "don't pet me" badges on all of the dogs.
The mother then realized that she was being recorded and really flipped out and threatened to call her attorney. The dog trainers kept recording. She then stormed off.
The unidentified mother told the media that one of the trainer told her to "f*ck off" in front of her daughter, which is what really set her off. Of course, there is nothing in the video said about anyone swearing at her.
For the record, it's never okay to pet with a service dog when they are working. They are typically wearing vests or some other identifiers when they are working. So use that for your cue.
But you also shouldn't pet non-service dogs without permission. Not all dogs are safe around children or strangers. You don't have to touch every dog that you see. Enjoy them from a distance and learn to respect their boundaries.
The video begins mid-rant, but the Daily Mail reportedly has some details. On December 19th, Megan Stoff was with a small group of service dogs in a Pittsburgh mall. A woman approached them with her daughter and asked to pet the dogs. Stoff and her co-worker told her "no" because the dogs were training.
The mother reportedly returned minutes later and began yelling at Stoff and the other. That's when they began recording. The mother accused them of being rude and told them that they should have more obvious signs displayed that people cannot pet the dogs. The dog trainers pointed out that there are "don't pet me" badges on all of the dogs.
The mother then realized that she was being recorded and really flipped out and threatened to call her attorney. The dog trainers kept recording. She then stormed off.
The unidentified mother told the media that one of the trainer told her to "f*ck off" in front of her daughter, which is what really set her off. Of course, there is nothing in the video said about anyone swearing at her.
For the record, it's never okay to pet with a service dog when they are working. They are typically wearing vests or some other identifiers when they are working. So use that for your cue.
But you also shouldn't pet non-service dogs without permission. Not all dogs are safe around children or strangers. You don't have to touch every dog that you see. Enjoy them from a distance and learn to respect their boundaries.