Kids Smack Service Dog In Store As Mom Stood Feet Away - And This Woman Has A Powerful Message In Response

Jan 02, 2019 by apost team

We all love dogs. One of the fastest ways to make a new friend is to introduce them to your dog first.

Since it seems all the world loves dogs, it always shocks us when someone is mean to our four-legged friends.

Which is why this story is so surprising. Yes, strangers like to play with dogs and grab their tails sometimes, but who would want to hurt a dog?

Most service dogs are able to avoid the unwanted touch of others as they wear vests and are often always with their owners.

However, in this story, things got out of control

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One service dog, Polly, follows her owner Laura everywhere and is even fitted with her own service dog harness. Polly stays by her owner's side in case she loses consciousness.

The story that Laura shared to Facebook shows that not everyone understands what a service animal does, let alone how to treat any animals.

One day Laura went to Walmart with her niece and two children. As soon as she got to the store, she knew there would be a problem

There was a family ahead of her, with kids that screamed to their mom, "A DOG! A DOG!"

In her open letter on Facebook, Laura shared how much she dreaded walking past the family, as she knew they would try to per her dog. She goes on to note how the other mother had no intention of telling her kids to keep their hands to themselves.

Laura tried to keep her dog focused, but she could only do so much. She was horrified when the stranger's child reached out and smacked Polly

As anyone would be shocked to have a stranger hit their dog, for the owners of service dogs, the situation may mean the difference between life and death.

Laura explained on Facebook that she told the mom that Polly was a service dog and her kids hit her in the store that day, "Please teach your kids not to pet them".

While most parents would likely be shocked if their kids treated anyone this way. Laura points out that the mother did nothing. She explains that the children were lucky to have approached a highly trained dog, as the situation could've taken a turn from the worse

Any other dog would likely have lashed out and probably bitten the child. However, Polly simply stood closer to the owner, hoping to get away from the abuse.

In Laura's opens letter, she explains that her dog, in fact, was doing her job. While the mom retorted, "EXCUSE YOU" after Laura's explanation, Laura was seconds away from a medical crisis.

While the mother couldn't see past that brief interaction, Laura explained that at that moment, Polly was caring for her owner

Five minutes before the interaction, Laura was alerted by Polly that her heart rate was rising. Laura's chest was tightening, her vision was getting blurry, and she was at risk of losing consciousness.

As Laura walked past the children, she missed an alert from Polly. Laura's hip at that point was moving out of place and just trying to walk was painful.

When the daughter hit Polly, she practically endangered Laura's life. With a heart rate climbing near 120, Laura was ready to vomit. However, Laura was able to make it to her car, right before the effects of her heart rate became fully apparent

While Laura was able to get to safety before losing consciousness, she pointed out on Facebook that Polly keeps her alive and she was disappointed that the situation even occurred.

As a mother herself, Laura knew she had to share her story to make sure the rest of the world knows how to act around service dogs. This story serves as a cautionary tale for us to be more aware of the actions we make.

In the event that this scenario happens again, hopefully, another parent would fully understand the role of a service dog and what their responsibilities are. If you see a service dog, keep walking.

While you may want to pet the dog, it's at work trying to take care of its owner. The only time anyone should reach out to pet a service dog is if they are invited to do so by the dog's owner.

What do you do when you see a service dog in public? What would you tell the mother if you could speak with her? Leave your thoughts - and feel free to pass this along to your friends!