Dogs are one of the many animals that enjoy being pet, loved and cared for. But, certain dogs are trained to be protective and help out with the community, unfortunately, no one is allowed to pet those dogs.

The point of a service dog is to protect his/her owner. When the dog is distracted by someone other than their owner, the dog will not be paying attention to his job which could potentially allow a bigger risk of harm in that area. There are different types of service dogs and many should not be messed with, such as guide dogs, mobility assistance dogs, medical alert dogs and search dogs.     

Guide dogs are responsible for being the eyes of their blind handler. They navigate the way of their owner so that they are safe. If the dog turns to look at a person who just reached out to pet him on the street, he could fail to notice a harmful activity going on. Mobility assistance dogs are also helpful to a person because they help maintain the balance of their owner. If the dog were to be distracted, they may pull their owner in a direction that they were not expecting because the dog is more than likely to be stronger. Medical alert dogs are in charge of warning if someone is about to have an impending seizure, loss of consciousness or serious change in blood sugar. Last but not least, a search dog’s duty is to make sure that no one is carrying any illegal substances or that there are no harmful substances in the area for everyone’s safety.

If any of these dogs were to be distracted, the fault would be put on the person who would distract them. Although they might look cute or look like they want a hug, it is best if you leave them alone to do their job and pet a non-service dog instead.