Service Dog Shows Up Alone, Woman Asks 'Where's Your Mommy?' Dog Rushes to Owner Having Seizure
When dogs are separated from their owners, it usually means they simply lost them and need to be relocated to their home.
But service dogs are trained to stay by the sides of those they are meant to help.
Service dogs, from the time they are puppies, are trained to help others in need. Their instincts are instilled for detecting danger and helping their owners.
When 20-year-old Tessa Connaughton from California fell face-first in a grocery store, her service dog knew exactly what to do.
Connaughton got her service dog named Raider, an English mastiff and bull mastiff mix, almost three years ago to help with her autism and seizures. When she needs pressure, he lays on top of her to calm her down.
“Layman’s terms: He lays on me if I get antsy,” Connaughton said.
Since being diagnosed with epilepsy just a few months ago, Connaughton has added an extra level of training to her service dog.
Raider is trained to actively go seek out help from others with the use of his nose — nudging people’s legs or arms.
Because Connaughton is not accustomed to loud noises, her dog instead silently seeks help from outsiders so they can seek emergency personnel.
“Loud noises are painful for me,” Connaughton wrote. “Especially when I’m already in distress.”
So when Connaughton actually fell in the grocery store when she was trying to pick up coffee creamer and sweetener, Raider believed it to be a seizure and sought out a woman. When Connaughton got up and looked for Raider, she saw that the woman he sought out simply nudged the dog away and didn’t understand what the dog needed.
“She was swatting at his nose and telling him to leave her alone while she was shopping,” Connaughton said.
That’s when Connaughton wrote a Service Dog Public Service Announcement on Tumblr, sharing her story and what people should do if they encounter a service dog without its owner.
“It stood out to me that if she didn’t realize what he was trying to get at, there were probably a lot more people who didn’t know,” Connaughton said.
On Saturday, June 16, her Tumblr story was shared on Twitter and received over 187,000 likes and 159,000 retweets.
“If a service dog without a person approaches you, it means the person is down and in need of help,” the announcement said. “Don’t get scared, don’t get annoyed, follow the dog!”
While there were critics of her PSA, many people are sharing their enlightenment on the subject and posting their positive outlook on the subject.
my classmate’s service dog came up to me alone outside and i said “where’s your mom?” he ran off and i ran with him. his mom was having a seizure on the sidewalk and i was there to put my sweater under her head to protect her.
always follow a service dog https://t.co/oruNJDW2YK
— gretchen (@solelymoving) June 18, 2018
But Connaughton has responded to this criticism in the most practical way:
“There’s a thousand ways to train a service dog,” she said. “I live in a small town with a lot of people, so my method works for me.”
Next time you see a service dog traveling to you without its owner, take a second and follow the dog. It may save someone’s life.
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