A Mandurah woman has taken several measures to help educate people about restrictions surrounding assistance dogs, but said her message wasn’t getting through.
Nicole May said she couldn’t go shopping without being interrupted by people distracting her medical assistance dog.
Ms May’s service dog helps her with various medical conditions, which she didn’t wish to disclose, including frequently fainting.
The black border collie cross kelpie, named Tara, had a previous life as a sheep dog before she became Ms May’s helper in December 2017.
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Ms May said the nine-year-old dog was vital in helping her perform day-to-day tasks.
“My son’s autistic, so he’s already trained to help him too,” she said.
“It was mainly the alerting I needed to train her with, which she picked up so fast.”
Ms May took to social media on Friday to help teach people to respect assistance dogs and avoid distracting.
A post on a popular Mandurah community page discussed Ms May’s grievances and outlined important points people need to remember when they see a service dog in public.
The post received mass engagement with more than 100 comments in a matter of days, most of which were asking questions to better understand the issue.
She said the most important things to remember were not to touch, talk or staring at the dog.
Ms May said it was fine for people to ask questions as long as it was a suitable time and place.
“Speak to the human not the dog, ignore the dog,” she said.
“Don't get personal. [Asking] people why they have a dog, it's rude to ask people about their disability.
“Don't get upset if we’re busy and you can't pat the dog.
“Remember we are out to get something done and being stopped by lots of folks can be draining.
“Talk to your kids about them if they ask or ask us to if you are uncertain about what to say.”
After the reaction she has received in recent months, Ms May said felt anxious about walking in public spaces.
“We can’t go anywhere without people staring at Tara and driving us insane. I know she’s beautiful but she’s just a dog,” she said.
“There’s a lot of assistance dogs in Mandurah.”
Ms May said while her informative post online would assist other people with disabilities facing the same issues, she didn’t intentionally mean to be an advocate for the cause.
“The post was me having a tantrum because I had been at the forum,” she said.
She said while there, people had made her really uncomfortable.
“Please remember that she’s the same as a wheelchair,” she said.
“If you’re teaching kids to stare and point at her, you might as well teach them to stare and point at wheel chairs too.
“Either way you’re making someone that’s disabled really uncomfortable.”
Ms May also carries educational cards around with her, so that she doesn’t have to explain what people can and can’t do around Tara.
“People usually give me dirty looks when I give them flyers but maybe they should just stop staring,” she said.
“It’s better than having the same conversation with 50 people. Especially when I just want to go to the shops for 15 minutes, not two hours.”
When on duty, Tara wears a bright harness with “assistance dog” written on it.
For more information on the topic visit Anything Pawsable’s website via www.anythingpawsable.com.