In the land where no one is supposed to judge, where everything is accepted and possible, the land of freedom and possibilities, I met my very first Karen in seven months of living in the U.S.
I was walking with my pup, Eliott, wandering among the golden autumn leaves, when a middle-aged woman approached from behind. She looked at us in disgust and said,
“Pffff…Service dog in a muzzle…”- she rolled her eyes.
For a moment, I was too stunned to react. Then I said,
“Do you want me to remove it and give it to you? Because clearly, you need it more than he does.”
Her eyes widened, and she hissed — actually hissed — “You are an animal.”
“Thank you,” I replied calmly. “Because if your behavior counts as human, I’d rather stay an animal.”
We kept walking while she muttered behind us, completely unaware of the reality she couldn’t imagine.
Some people have very short imaginations. They can’t even picture scenarios where a service dog might wear a muzzle.
Just a few examples:
– Even though Eliott is a trained service dog who helps me manage my chronic condition, he can still bark. He was once attacked and severely injured, so now he sometimes reacts to dogs that resemble his attacker or appear suddenly from nowhere. The muzzle is actually a sign of respect toward other owners — so they don’t get scared if that happens.
– Sometimes, even the best-trained dog can’t resist delicious snacks like rat poop. Each time he eats some, we end up at the vet, because every “don’t worry, he just had vomited once, he is perfectly fine” vet visit costs 300–400 dollars. I like to save money — so the muzzle stays.
– And for anyone who’s ever been told by a lunatic that they’ll kill their dogs, every single thing the dog picks up from the ground becomes a moment of terror. Was it poisoned? We’re working on food refusal, yes — but we’re not yet at the point where I can risk testing it. We can’t afford a mistake.
So we walk in a muzzle, especially in our own neighborhood.
– Eliott also recently lost his little sister, Ellise. Now he has to take on all the tasks they used to share — and that’s a huge thing for him. He’s doing his best. When we go out and he “dresses up” — service vest and muzzle — it helps him understand that this is not playtime, this is work time. It helps him focus, helps him do his job.
I guess there are more reasons why service dogs can wear muzzles — but these are ours.
And one more thing, Karen:
I come from a country where even service dogs are required by law to wear a muzzle in certain public spaces — unless it would physically prevent them from doing their job. I looked it up here too, and guess what? The U.S. doesn’t forbid it either. In fact, in some cases, it can still be required — again, unless it interferes with the dog’s work.
So yes, Karen, a service dog can wear a muzzle, and mine will continue to do so, even against your dislike, so I can only dream of him biting you in the @ss.
