Some important, life-saving bits of advice aren’t always the ones you’ll find in a PSA or a school lesson.
But sometimes, people must take matters into their own hands and make their own PSAs.
Like this woman here who had vital information to share about service dogs.
This post came from Tumblr.
Thankfully, the people there knew how important it was and reblogged it for more to see.
And what exactly was in this post?
Well, an essential tip about dealing with people who have service dogs.
This was a self-published PSA from user Lumpatronics after she fell over while out with her service dog.
Lumpatronics, or Tessa Connaughton as she reveals her real name to be, was out shopping with her service dog.
Tessa was 20 at the time and lived in the Bay Area of San Francisco.
Tessa had autism but was also diagnosed with epilepsy a few months before this incident.
Her service dog, Raider, came into her life two years earlier to help her when she felt overwhelmed or uncomfortable as one of the many effects of her autism.
When Tessa needed it, Raider would apply pressure therapy to help her calm down. Just one of many things service dogs excel at.
On the day Tessa went to the store, she fell over but was fine.
Raider thought she was having a seizure and ran to get help.
It was fortunate that Tessa wasn’t actually having a seizure, because she probably wouldn’t have gotten any help.
You see, Raider ran up to another woman to get her attention.
The woman only seemed annoyed and kept trying to swat Raider away.
If this were an actual life-and-death situation, Tessa may not have been around long enough to make that Tumblr post.
The woman didn’t understand, nor try to understand, the purpose of a service dog.
If you see a service dog without a person trying to get your attention, it probably means their human needs help.
Don’t do what she did.
“Don’t get scared, don’t get annoyed, follow the dog! If it had been an emergency situation, I could have vomited and choked, I could have hit my head, I could have had so many things happen to me,” said Tessa
It shouldn’t be too hard either since most service dogs will be wearing a vest to let you know their role.
Likely, most people didn’t know this until Tessa’s viral post.
“It’s great. It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m really glad that the message is out there.” she said
Tessa sadly passed away in February 2019 due to complications from her epilepsy. Her mother made the tragic announcement on her Tumblr.
But her little message helped countless disabled people worldwide who rely on their service dogs.
She’ll be remembered for being the voice of people who don’t usually have a voice.
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Do you know what to do if a service dog approaches you without a person?
A PSA for service dogs is going viral after a story was posted on Twitter. @TODAYPuppy’s trainer, Olivia, answers common questions. #OrangeRoom pic.twitter.com/lGQg8162f2
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 19, 2018
