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A paraplegic Vietnam veteran in Texas is assisted |
A few days ago, I went to Walmart to get a few things for the house. Because I have a medical condition that can be life-threatening, I have a service dog who accompanies me wherever I go.
I know when we go out that there will always be some people who don't understand the function of service dogs, and I will have to explain why it is important to leave them alone and not distract them from their work of protecting the person they help.
I usually don't mind taking the time to do this. It's important to share information and educate as many people as we can. It's usually a pleasure; we have made some wonderful new friends in this way.
But recently, I've been faced with people who don't seem to care and are very rude and downright mean when I try to share the information with them.
I remember how difficult life was before I had my wonderful companion.
These dogs, in many cases, are a person's lifeline to the outside world. In some cases, disabled people or people with a severe illness would be housebound without the dogs.
At the checkout line, I was treated terribly by a man in line who tried to pet my service dog (who wears a red vest marked "Service dog: Do not touch").
When I tried to explain the function of the dog, I was met with sarcastic rudeness. It was hurtful. I gave up in the face of such ignorance.
I will never understand how unkind some people can be.
Stacey Leigh
Spotsylvania
