Hi everyone. I’m not big on talking about myself but i would like to introduce my service dog.
That handsome fellow in the picture is Aslan. He is 8 years old. Aslan is a full blooded German Shepherd. He was born on US soil to parents imported directly from Germany. This means he is smaller than the American bred line of the same breed. He is trained to do multiple tasks allowing me to live a relatively normal life. Without him I wouldn’t have much of a life.
Some of the things you will see him do are
Check around corners, into hallways/rooms for the presence of people I may not be aware of. He will bump against me and look in the direction the person is located in to alert me to their presence.
Place himself between me and other people using his body to prevent them from getting to close. He is never, ever aggressive.
if I am facing one direction he will face the opposite direction. He will bump against me to alert me to anyone approaching from behind me.
he reminds me when to take my medications and will fetch a medical bag and drink if i am unable to access them myself.
He serves as a medical alert dog telling me when I need to use medications to regulate my health.
He does deep pressure therapy to mitigate anxiety and panic attacks. He also alerts to these before they can occur.
Other cool things he can do you probably wont see
He can dial 911 using a paw phone in the event I become unresponsive. 911 has a note on my address that a service dog will bark repeatedly if the handler is in distress and unable to call.
Open and close doors
Turn lights on and off
What should you expect from him? Nothing. Honestly in most cases you wouldn’t even know he was there. He is trained to tuck up out of sight and stay put unless I need him, he is alerting me of something, or we are walking around.
I know there was a post about service dog etiquette. The information provided was accurate; however, I do not mind answering questions about my service dog. I understand the curiosity people have and that they do not always understand the intricate social aspects surrounding service dogs and their handlers. Keep in mind this is a personal choice. Please be aware most handlers will treat you very, very rudely if you ask them if the dog with them is a service dog (especially if you ask why they have one). it is understandable considering the access barriers many of us have had to overcome to have the fully equal access we are allowed to have the same as if we were in a wheelchair or used a different medical device.
All I ask is you do not pet him and that you do not ask me about my medical information. I do have a disability qualifying me for the assistance of a service dog that has been medically prescribe to me by a doctor.
While individuals cannot (and will not from me) get into legal trouble for asking questions a business, organization, and/or employees of those cannot ask more than these two questions 1) is that a service dog and 2) is it trained to perform tasks (typically, although not always, I choose to educate rather than report businesses or organizations asking anything else. Again most handlers are not as understanding).
