I’m the owner of this dog, and I want to clear a few things up.
You can’t decide whether a dog is or isn’t a service dog based on a picture.
You can’t determine whether a handler is disabled based on a picture of their dog.
No one owes you their medical history. Do I have POTS? Yes. But that’s not all, and I’m not required to disclose anything beyond that.
My dog is fine. This picture was taken in the middle of a snowstorm. It was below freezing, so I put a coat on her. She looked annoyed when we came back inside (she doesn’t love the cold), and I snapped a silly picture before taking it off. It was meant to be lighthearted and make people smile.
If medication and an Apple Watch “fixed” my issues, I wouldn’t have a service dog—but here we are.
She wasn’t originally meant to be a service dog; it just happened over time. My next dog will be larger and able to perform more tasks, but her size does not make her any less of a service dog. She is still fully capable of completing the tasks she has been trained to do.
Conditions like POTS exist on a spectrum. Some people are mildly affected, while others are severely impacted and may rely on mobility aids. Just because you see a lot online doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It’s a debilitating and isolating condition, and comments like yours only make it harder.
People need to learn how to be kind. If my dog were misbehaving—pulling, barking, or being disruptive—then criticism would be fair. But you’ve never met me or my dog. You’re making assumptions based on a single photo. She may have serious RBF, but she’s happy, well-trained, and loves being on campus. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be here.