How Fun It Must Be To Take Your Dog

There is a great deal of time I hear constantly from the general public how great it must be to take your service dog with you. In my mind I know how difficult it is. I know I can go to a store regularly but one day a a different employee is there and that can be enough for a public access issue to happen. Some days I have to worry about the heat, cold or in general the weather. I always have dog boots, rain coat, water and dog bowls. I usually carry a bag of dog food in case I get stuck  some where longer than I was planning. I have to balance her working hours with her downtime. I have to worry about her safety constantly such as shopping carts. People are really careless in grocery stores and like to run over Duchess feet at times. I do my best to block the carts with my body. I also have to worry about who is trying to pet Duchess she turns off like a light switch with too much attention so I need to be careful.

I also worry about if it is raining that I have dried Duchess feet as much as possible when going into a store. I continually worry about what little kids are going to do. I have had way too many kids be incredibly mean to Duchess from pulling harshly on her tail or hitting her. Mind you Duchess is doing nothing when all this is happening. It is really sad how well behaved she is compared to most children these days. I also worry a great deal about how here experiences are when we are at the grocery store. These days Duchess hates going to big grocery store we got to because she has been hit by carts or people are constantly causing issues. I know people do not give me much room when in the grocery store which makes things difficult.

I know I really wish people understood is a great deal of work to keep Duchess safe and happy. I spend a great deal of time with training, and trying to keep her experiences as positive as possible. I know a great deal of experiences in one type of store could create issues for me being able to take Duchess with me. I know everyone tells me Duchess looks upset when at the grocery store. I know I do not like it myself. So I am sure she feels the same way too. I know our grocery store have smaller aisles so getting around is difficult for both of us. I really wish people understood it is not fun but just necessary for Duchess to be with me.I also get asked very personal questions which the general public thinks I need to answer.

I do not answer the questions and leave it at my dog is a medical alert dog. So I don't have to disclose my medical condition to all the people around me. I think as a very shy person it is not easy and I know Duchess tends to pick up on my irritation from being asked those questions. So I leave things very simple and very vague so I feel like I still have my privacy.