The dog is working. It's not a pet. It's not an equal. I love animals, so I don't know how to say that without sounding harsh, the dog is doing a job to help them do their work. Please don't do anything to distract the dog from their tasks.

As for introductions introduce the person and let them handle introducing the dog if they wish to. You could also just ask your co-worker how they'd like that to be handled.

Don't buy treats for the dog, don't give the dog toys, treats or pets, or anything without the owner's permission. The dog is doing a job, so let the dog do its job with as little interference from others as possible.

This is based on my experience at a job training program for people with disabilities. Some of these people had service animals.

IGNORE THE DOG! The lockdown kept me home last year, as we’ve started going out more I’m noticing so many more people ignore the harness and try to interact with my dog. It puts her & me in danger! My dog is inherently social but when she’s working she’ll focus, until someone breaks her concentration, then we have to go through the ritual of “getting back to work”. If I want her to interact with you I’ll let you know.


if she wants to include the dog she’ll let you know.

Unfortunately every dog handler is different. Summer strict, others super laxed and some right in the middle. It would be best to ask your coworker directly. I am pretty chill with my dog interacting with people. The one thing that bothers me is when I am going from point A to Point B some people may call my dogs name which can distract him.. just thinking about getting the dog a treat while getting other coworkers coffee is extremely sweet and kind. the dogs are usually on a strict diet, so depending on the handler may or may not be OK. So really best to ask if it was OK to get the dog a treat and if it’s OK find out what kind of treats the dog usually gets at home. Same thing with the secret Santa, I think you’re extremely sweet to include the dog. It truly just depends on the dog handler. In time you will probably be able to feel the person out and their personality. If you Have any more questions feel free to ask

How does she introduce herself? If she introduces herself and the dog together, that's the answer.

Majority of the time anyone with a service dog where "teamed together".

This is an incredibly personal question and will depend on the person. For example if Saria is going to get an introduction I rather do it so that I can communicate any relevant information without it getting lost in the telephone chain. She is also a multi-purpose service dog trained in guide work and medical response tasks that is semi-complex for people to understand and the key points tend to lean more to if I am on the floor due to a medical episode. So in the situations that I am going to spend a lot of time with an individual or a group teaching them the ways they can help is important. Like where in my backpack I keep my supplies to make my gatorade so that my dog can continue helping me and I can start working on getting the needed electrolytes and fluids into my system so I recover faster.

In terms of secret santa I would prefer to keep her out of it because of how sensitive her stomach is and I need her feeling well to do her job. Same goes with treats for the same food sensitivity issue.

Some people might want the dog heavily included others will want the people around them to ignore the dog when they are working. Really it is just a case of ask your co-worker what she wants and is okay with.

I feel like a general rule of thumb is to not see the dog as a dog, but a tool. The dog is a mobility device, like a cane. Ask all your questions, but replace dog with cane.

Super sweet for you to do research and ask on here!

Ask her. It's awesome you're thinking about this by the way, a lot of people do what they want without regard for the person and what's best for their dog. As a general rule: ignore the dog.

Personally for me as a guide dog handler and definitely on the relaxed side of the spectrum...

Introduce the person. If they want to introduce their dog they will.

I'd say yes to secret santa (would provide a list of what's appropriate), but would want to be asked first.

I'd say yes to a treat (within reason) to be given by me at an appropriate time, but would want to be asked first.

I would not be offended in the slightest if my dog were 100% ignored. The only way you're going to get appropriate answers specific to the situation is to ask your coworker.

Couple of examples between me and friends with guides:

\-I'll allow people to pet him if the situation allows, in harness. I have specific commands so he knows when it's social time vs work time.

\-Friend 1 will take the harness off if they allow pets.

\-Friend 2 under no circumstance will allow interactions.

\-I allow people to buy him toys/treats if they are appropriate and discussed prior.

\-Friend 1 allows it in specific circumstances.

\-Friend 2 does not allow it with the exception of a treat from the vet.

Just ignore the dog same way you’d ignore a cane.

The dog is a service animal, it is not the office pet. It's quite annoying when handlers use their dogs as attention geters. Don't talk to the dog and don't give the dog anything.
Dogs are cool!

I agree, the dog is working, ignore the dog. But ask how the coworker wants things done. Maybe give the coworker some treats so they can use them as needed/desired as part of the dogs service.

Ask her what she would like you to do. If you aren't sure, just ignore the dog. Do not under any circumstances feed the dog anything without her permission.

I don't have a service dog and people are different. That being said, from what I've read and heard from other people, your safest bet is to essentially ignore the dog. It's working and shouldn't be distracted.

Since different people can have different perspectives, you can ask your coworker and give them options:

"When we meet with the client, would you like me to introduce <dog> with you, so they feel more comfortable? Or would you like to do it? We don't have to, of course."

"I'm going out for coffee, everybody! Hey <coworker>, should I get something for <dog>? My treat. Unless they're busy?"

Maybe consider contacting a service dog charity or organisation. Most people that are registered as blind don't qualify to get a guide dog because they're (for want of a better term) not blind enough.

At least, that's how it is here in the UK.

Ignore the dog, ignore the dog, ignore the dog. At least as much as you'd ignore her car.

That's the general rule, you guys might be good work buddies, and she might invite you to pet the dog or give it a treat, but that's something you should wait to be prompted to do.

Guide dogs are super useful for blind people, but they look like dogs and draw all that dog-lover attention. Which can be really annoying to the owner, trust and believe.

There is a little bit of bend to the ignore the dog rule based on your personal relationships. My best friends get to ignore the dog less than other people, but you'll never go wrong ignoring the dog.

If the dog is bleeding or taking a crap inside, in a hallway, then you can talk about the dog. Other than that, don't feed it, don't pet it, and don't try to get its attention when it's leading a blind person around.

Everywhere else she goes, she's gunna hear "dogs so cute, beautiful dog," and so maybe at work, she doesn't have to deal with that.

Ask the handler. They will tell you how to interact with the dog (or how to not interact with the dog) and always ask about treats first and how to handle that, some dogs have sensitive stomachs and need special diets for certain reasons and you don’t want the dog to be distracted with food while working. Just talk to the handler about it.