Save both Veterans and Rescued Dogs today!

Besides matching and training service dog teams, we at Operation Freedom Paws consider it part of our mission to help educate employers, schools and the public about the rights and responsibilities afforded service dogs and their handlers under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). People who love dogs (and who doesn't??) don't always understand why service dog handlers may not want strangers interacting with their animals.

Despite the amount of training they have, service dogs are still dogs. They may bark at squirrels, go nuts when someone comes to "their" door, and give you (and your plate) their most soulful-eyed look. But no matter how much you are tempted, NEVER give another person’s dog something to eat without asking permission. Those few seconds of feeling like you’re doing something nice for the dog could turn into an expensive emergency veterinary visit for the owner, hours after you’ve completely forgotten the incident. Unless you ask, you may feed the dog something that triggers an allergic reaction. You might be giving it something you don’t know is toxic to dogs. If the animal is only accustomed to dog food, the little “treat” from your plate can be loaded with spices, alcohol or rich ingredients the dog’s not used to. Dogs’ digestive systems can be delicate. This is why we caution everyone in our training classes to always introduce a new food or treat slowly, always start adding a new bag of kibble to the old one before it runs out (in case the formula is slightly different), and not to give people food to their dogs.

Asking permission from the handler to give a service dog something to eat is even more critical than with a pet. That little bite of dessert you sneaked someone's dog under the table may cause him to spend the next several hours trying to throw up, keeping his handler awake and worrying all night. When a service dog is sick, its veteran doesn't feel safe. That dog is a lifeline that allows the handler to be out in the world, living a normal life. Please don’t take that away---please ask before feeding!!