Over three years ago I wrote an innocent blog post about a dog I saw in a grocery store. The dog was a pug and its owner invited everyone to pet it. The dog wore a pink shirt and the owner told us the dog was named Tina.
He explained how Tina was a service dog.
In my blog post, I explained that I doubted Tina was a service dog.
That post has continued to generate comments such as these (today) which both originated from the same computer just moments apart. First “Matthew” said:
actually , i find your remark extremly rude ! i have a pug who is indeed a service dog and has saved a childs life, there are things such as medical alert dogs that can sence if a person with a medical condition , is going to have an episode before it happens, Size dose not matter.The extent of training that these dogs go through is amazing and they encourage you to dress up the dogs during training so that people will be more intrested and interact with the dog, this is part of sence training and the dog has to get used to multiple types of people. Mabye the ” fake ” dog or one like it will save someone you knows life one day so curve your tounge.
While I was still contemplating how I might “curve my tounge”, this second message was sent from “Jessica”:
“your a rude bitch someone should hit you”
Isn’t Michael/Jessica just a delightful human being?
Seriously, curve your tounge, Michael/Jessica! You are extremely rude!
And thank you, Google, for bringing so much attention to my little post about fake pug service dogs!
Actual Unretouched Photo 
I have 2 pugs, and while they may be cute enough to take to a hospital or senior home for petting and such – I can’t imagine they would ever be considered service dogs. Maybe the guy meant that Tina was a therapy dog?? Love the mispellings! People who complain on other people’s blogs are hilarious, in my opinion!!
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Ah well, don’t feel bad. I’ve been getting visitors from Google for some of the strangest things. One had typed in “chicken slaughtering” and got sent my way…because when I posted the “Where I’m From” essays my friend Edna in Canada had mentioned chicken slaughtering on the farm she grew up on. Sheeeeesh. Luckily, I haven’t gotten any rude commenters that have used expletives. Atrocious spelling and grammar, yes. What gets me are the ones posted in Chinese or some other Asian language. As if I’m going to have a CLUE what those say, haha!
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This post cracks me up! Curve your tounge indeed! 😀
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I have to agree with you Mel! If the pug were a real service dog the owner would not be inviting people to pet it, and it would be wearing a vest of some sort that said Service dog. Service dogs are not to be petted because it distracts the dog from his/her work.
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I need a ‘spell check’ service dog.
Not even spell check knows what I’m trying to say.
A dog that would bark the correct sequence of letters would be helpful.
Although, I prefer my dogs naked.
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oh my gosh…it is amazing! I guess they are bored….or just rude ha ha
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The person who posted those “extremly” rude comments should have some “sence.” “Dose” it mean you’re not “intrested” in service dogs? After all, “someone you knows life” could one day be saved by such a dog!
“Curve your tounge” like a taco. Someone you knows may benefit.
Oy.
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The higher the number of spammers, the higher the readership. You know you’re really reaching a wide audience when you get comments like those. Congrats!
I like pugs too… but I’d be doubting the “service dog” title too. It’d be as likely as a pekingese being a junkyard dog. of course, I had an Irish Setter who was a good watchdog, so there are always exceptions I guess.
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I have to agree! Far be it from me to say which breeds can be service dogs or not (I think it’s probably very individual per animal honestly), but, yes, a service dog (especially working) would not be allowed to play or be petted or probably wear pink shirts. Aren’t service dogs required to be wearing their “vest” indicating they are such while they are working? Hmmm.
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omg I just saw this post…been MIA with post holiday blues…anyway SO FUNNY! I am sitting at my counter by myself laughing! thx!
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Ha I love it. I searched how to spell commenters and guess where I landed. A fake pug dog. well not really but you get my jist. It brought me here. I for one am a firm believer in service dogs, unless of course there trying to find the drugs I don’t have.. Okay jus kidding.But really I do believe in service dogs. But to take advantage of them so to speak is …well irresponsible. I won’t say unforgiveable because I also believe in foriveness. However to make a longer story shorter the person if they were lying then they will be blind or mislead in the next journey..
You however are a real trooper for seeing it as it was. Most commenters were’nt there so we don’t know. And for someone to call you a biatch..well she’s the real imposter..
thanks for the post. And google take me where I need to go..plz.
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I agree that the comments made to your post are just rude. People amaze me with what they say. I must, however make a comment on the assumption here that Pugs can not be service dogs and that service dogs should not be pet when they are working. I am disabled and as you most likely guessed by now, have a pug service dog. She is a medical alert dog and by law can go anyplace I can go. Also because her job is to monitor chemical changes in my body and let me know before I have an “episode” she only needs to breath near me to do what she should. This mean that people can pet her and play with her as long as she stays close to me. These actions DO NOT distract her from breathing, and therefore doing her job. She likes life much better when people don’t ignore her. By law she does not have to where her vest, but to limit the strange looks and sometimes very nasty comments I always keep her vest on in public. The world of service animals is changing all the time. Sometimes our biggest hurtle is the misconceptions the general public has. Alas all we can do is try to explain (and be nice about it).
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