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Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,503
Registered: ‎03-15-2021

My husband saw this on Twitter.

 

"If a service dog without a person approaches you, it means the person is down and in need of help." The message further stated don't get scared, don't get annoyed, follow the dog.

 

 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,913
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

@On It 

 

Thank you. I did not know this and appreciate your posting this information.

 

 

hckynut   =^..^=

hckynut(john)
Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,503
Registered: ‎03-15-2021

@hckynut I did not know that either. It is just amazing what service dogs are trained to do for their person.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,892
Registered: ‎03-20-2010

I though they were trained not to leave the persons side.

 

Perhaps it depends on what services they are trained to do.

Someday, when scientists discover the center of the Universe....some people will be disappointed it is not them.
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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,613
Registered: ‎03-19-2016

   My dog is trained to help me hear. She alerts me also if anyone is down on the ground. I guess she assumes they are hurt. Sometimes I don't see them if they are behind a Bush. 
  My neighbors who are weeding their yards sitting down are accustomed to Snickers wanting to help. I will tell her it's okay but she is still worried and wants to go and help them! 🐶
  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,019
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Thanks for this information, it coild save a life.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,583
Registered: ‎06-25-2012

Umm Twitter...really? That's a reliable news source. 

"Pure Michigan"
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,138
Registered: ‎11-10-2016

I remember hearing this awhile ago.  Thank you for the reminder because it can save a life.  

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,120
Registered: ‎03-29-2019

Re: Service Dog Alone

[ Edited ]

Snopes says this is mostly  true.

 

 

Not all service dogs are trained to go get help if their owner is down.

 

 

 

 
Snopes.com
 
 
If a Service Dog Approaches Without Owner, Does It Need Help? If you see an unaccompanied service dog in a vest, follow them.
  •  
Image via Huntstock
 
Claim
A service dog will approach a stranger to find help if their owner is having a medical emergency.
Rating
Mostly True
Mostly True
About this rating
 
What's True

Some service dogs are specially trained to seek help if their owner is suffering from a debilitating medical emergency and requires help.

What's False

Not all service dogs acquire this type of training.

Origin

Some service dogs are specially trained to seek out help if their owner is suffering from a debilitating medical emergency and are in need of assistance, according to a claim made on social media that Snopes readers asked our team to verify.

We rate this claim as mostly true. While some service dogs may go through special training that teaches them to seek help if their owner is experiencing a medical emergency, not all service dogs will have been taught such discipline.

The “Service Dog PSA” was originally shared on the social media platform Tumblr by user lumpatronics on June 12, 2018, by a user who identified as Tessa Connaughton. The woman described falling down, and her dog going off to seek help. Although the fall was “awful but ultimately harmless,” the original poster went on to say that she had epilepsy, and that her service dog was trained to find help if she was having a seizure.

“If a service dog without a person approaches you, it means the person is down and in need of help,” she wrote.

 
 

The post subsequently went viral in June 2018 and was reported by several media outlets. It later became a Twitter moment when user @lissalet reshared the Tumblr PSA. (However, the original Twitter post has since been deleted, according to Twitter.) In a segment that aired on the Today Show at the time, a dog trainer said that a service dog will typically nudge a person’s legs to get their attention and if you see a dog in a vest without a person, “follow them.”

 

Service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ defines a service dog as one that has been “trained to take a specific action when needed to assist the person with a disability.” This includes a dog that is trained to detect the onset of a seizure and then help the person remain safe during the seizure for an owner with epilepsy.

But it is important to note that not all service dogs have been trained to find help when needed.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), that skill is found in a handful of specially trained service dogs, including those known as “seizure response” dogs trained to perform various behaviors in response to both epileptic and non-epileptic seizures. assist people who suffer from epileptic and non-epileptic seizures.

Seizure response dogs are trained to bark and alert when their owner is experiencing a seizure. These animals may also lie next to their owners during a seizure to prevent injury while others may stand nearby to break a fall and prevent injury. Such dogs can also be trained to press alarm buttons or devices that call for help, and open and close doors, and find someone to help.

It is important to note that seizure response dogs are not the same as seizure alert dogs, which some people claim can predict when a seizure is coming. Paws with a Cause, a nonprofit organization that trains and provides seizure alert dogs, noted that this behavior may develop between a dog and a human as their relationship bonds, but it is not consistent or scientifically proven — though there is some evidence that dogs with particular personality traits may be more likely to alert someone when a seizure may occur.

  • Published 17 November 2020
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
oe×
 
The Sky looks different when you have someone you love up there.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

@On It wrote:

My husband saw this on Twitter.

 

"If a service dog without a person approaches you, it means the person is down and in need of help." The message further stated don't get scared, don't get annoyed, follow the dog.

 

 

 

 


@On It @This quote was on Cesar Millan's website. Whoever posted it on Twitter must have taken it from Cesar. This is good to know. I had no idea before your post.