It’s a timely reminder that we should all hear:
“Service dogs should not be petted.” Do not ring the bell for assistance dogs. Service dogs should not be taunted. Do not converse with service dogs. Do not harm assistance dogs in any way.”
Those are the words of Hayley Ashmore, who was 16 at the time she suffered a serious seizure and injuries as a result of one of her father’s coworkers failing to realize he couldn’t distract her service dog.
He didn’t seem to believe her dog, Flynn, had a job since he thought he was just too cute.
Despite the fact that Flynn was wearing a sign that said, “Do not pet.”
Service dogs are frequently seen on the street, in stores, and at airports. They’re dogs, so they’re always adorable! Petting one, on the other hand, prevents it from completing its job and puts human lives at risk.
Throughout her life, Ashmore has battled epilepsy, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and reactive hypoglycemia, to name a few. She experiences seizures as well, and Flynn has been trained to assist her in detecting their onset.
Flynn was just 7 months old when the event occurred in her father’s office in 2015, and the two have been together since 2014. The dog was preoccupied, and he missed an important opportunity to warn Ashmore about her impending seizure:
Hailey told The Dodo, “I assumed I had 10 minutes to get secure, take medication, and phone for rescue.” “Unfortunately, I didn’t, and I got a horrible rug burn as a result.”
When she collapsed to the floor, the body motions generated by her seizure forced her head to rub up against the carpet, resulting in second-degree burns on her forehead and cheek.
“I recall the world going blackout of nowhere.” Flynn was on top of my legs, and my father was cradling my head when I awoke. A severe sting ran down the entire left side of my face, causing me to cry.”
The dog was still learning to ignore people who tried to distract him at the moment, but we all know that’s our job. We are aware of the situation.
Ardmore explained, “My service dog is my lifeblood.” “I’m not saying it to be sweet.” He keeps me alive in the same way that life support does… I’m going to die if he gets sidetracked.”
Ardmore stated on her Instagram page (which she last updated a few years ago) that service dogs aren’t just extra-cute well-trained friends. Yes, her Australian Shepherd is cute, and she understands that others want to pet him, but they must also respect her boundaries.
A service dog is not given to just anyone; only those who absolutely require one:
“To receive a service dog,” she stated in an Instagram post, “you must be disabled to the degree where you can no longer function at a regular quality of life without the support of service canines.” “To truly be able to call your dog a service dog, it takes roughly two years of hard training and thousands of dollars…”
Please tell your friends and family about this.