My 4-year old daughter and I dropped off the boys at the YMCA for P.E. this morning and then drove to the grocery store. I had a page of coupons from the Sunday paper and an intention to shop quickly so my little girl couldn’t ask for too much junk food. I added to my grocery cart only the following extraneous items: yogurt fruit snacks, Sponge Bob crackers, a handful of yogurt pretzels from the bulk food bins, a candy bar. Ridiculous, I know.
We’re standing in line, then. By some miracle, she’s sitting in the cart rather than wandering like a free-range chicken. And then a man walks by with a dog on a leash. Seeing a service dog is not unusual at this store–I’ve seen a service dog tethered to a wheelchair on a semi-regular basis. But today? Today, the dog walking by on the leash is a pug. A pug in a pink shirt, as a matter of fact.
My daughter leaned over and said to me, “Can I pet the dog?” and I hemmed and hawed and the man heard her and so I said, “Can she pet your dog?” and he said, “SURE!” and picked up that bug-eyed pug so she could reach it. Then he said, “Her name’s Tina.”
That man stood too close to me with his pug. My daughter petted Tina’s back and asked about the harness. The man answered eagerly and I thought, okay, enough, put down the pug!
While I unloaded my cart onto the conveyor belt, I could hear the man talking to a woman in the adjacent line. I couldn’t hear her, but I could hear him explaining about Tina and how she doesn’t usually wear her vest that indicates she’s a service dog. He went on to explain that Tina loves to go places, and that her favorite destination is Ikea.
Okay, first of all, a PUG? As a service dog? Seriously?
Secondly, everyone and their five-year old knows that service dogs are not pets (they don’t wear pink shirts, I’m guessing) and no one is allowed to pet them. Unlike Tina.
Yet, if Tina hadn’t strolled through the store in her pink shirt, I’d have nothing to blog about today. So, thanks, Tina! You fake service dog!
May 17th, 2007 at 4:21 am
A Pug. I’ve never in my life seen a tiny dog like a pug as a service dog. Hmmmmm, sounds suspicious to me too! lol.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:58 am
Of course I’m with you… seriously doubting she was a service dog as I’ve never ever in my life seen a Pug service dog - never seen one allowed to wear a pink shirt and ummm, did he even have a medical bracelet on or anything to make you think he needed one?
No.
So the fact that he lied about it… I would have called him on it. LOL. But that’s just me.
May 17th, 2007 at 5:31 am
Hah! I wonder what services Tina provides? I have a little dog I am gonna babysit, maybe he can do services! Did the pink shirt say anything like “Service Pug”? I could make a dog shirt…
May 17th, 2007 at 5:42 am
Not that you asked, of course, but my husband does all our shopping (with our 4-year old and 8-month old in tow). His rule is that the 4-year old can pick any one item to add to the cart. It keeps her busy through the trip, deciding, and she knows the rule, so there’s no extra begging.
Always there with unsolicited advice, lol.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Real service dogs are rolling their eyes and cringing right now.
Recently we saw a woman at one of Denver’s most upscale malls pushing a small white dog in a stroller. Her baby, I guess.
May 17th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Hmmm…very curious, indeed.
May 17th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Bubbles! Bring unspillable bubbles for the child! Oh, wait. That was a trick for my three-year-old. Yours will see right through the ruse. Thank heaven for Tina.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Well, if you make a trip on over here to Venice Beach, CA, you’ll see dogs in strollers, in purses and in BABY BJORN’S and other ‘baby wrap’ contraptions. It’s quite wacky. There are lots of Pug’s here too, but no ’service’ Pugs.
And, on the 4-yr-old putting extra items in the cart: whenever my son (also 4) declares that we need something and then I ok it and it goes into the cart, he has such a look of accomplishment on his little face. Thanks for sharing.
May 18th, 2007 at 8:51 am
It drives me crazy to see dogs in stores unless they are legitimately helping someone.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
i agree…
i just went to the mall the other day…dogs everywere..what is going on in the foodcourt..dont you think its a health issue foodstore with dogs come on
May 19th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Actually, I have a friend who lives in NYC and she has a dachshund named Lucy, who is her service dog. Melissa uses a wheelchair/scooter but Lucy is her service dog in that she alerts Melissa when her blood sugar is too low or she’s going to have a seizure. So, really, small dogs can be service dogs. PS - Everyone pets Lucy “The Dachshund Diva”, she expects (demands) it, but she still takes her service dog job quite seriously.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I am sorry to say but I am very upset by this blog that I came across. My sister is 10 years old with Asperger’s Syndrome (high functioning autism) and she has a pug as a service dog. She has a red vest with matching color and leash that all say service dog. She is registered with SARA (the national registry which is not a requirement) and we have records from my sister’s specialist stating the dog is medically necessary. But it’s people like you that make our outings difficult because people think we are just trying to take our pet out as a service dog when our pug is actually a service dog. Thank you for allowing me to vent.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Our much loved pug of 15 1/2 years was a therapy dog and brought smiles and laughter to the elderly in retirement homes for many years. She received invitations for special holidays and events at numerous homes in the County. Yes, there are therapy/service dogs and pugs are a natural… Unfortunately, she died several years ago and we miss her. A new pug puppy has taken her place; hopefully, she will also have the temperament to go through the program when she’s older.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I just stumbled across this - I realize it’s an old post, but I had to respond.
I have a service dog. A Pug service dog.
I’m a brittle diabetic, and he alerts me when my glucose levels are in the extreme levels. He has prevented many hospital trips.
As for the petting part - sure, sometimes you can pet a service dog. Your daughter did the right thing by asking first. My dog (same with most service dogs) is not to be petted when he is in harness, but it’s fine otherwise.
The world of service and therapy animals has evolved - it’s no longer strictly for labrador seeing eye dogs. There are mini horses, monkeys and all sorts of dogs in service.