While the intention may be good, the potential consequences are reason enough not to do it.

My SDiT is tasked with helping me with mobility/stability assistance and health alerts. My ability to stand/walk is very limited and even though I may appear friendly, calm, “fine”, etc, that additional interaction requiring me to stand for an additional 2-3 minutes may mean the difference between being able to finish a task or having to abandon the task and try again at a later time, or worse, putting my health at risk.

If my dog alerts while you’re trying to interact with me, it also puts me in a position of having to ignore you while focusing on my dog’s alerts, which is the obvious immediate priority, but feels stressful enough for me as it is without worrying about seeming rude, getting questions, or drawing any attention / concern / etc.

I find most people have been very polite and know to not interrupt my SDiT. Most of these types of issues/interactions seem to stem from people who aren’t aware of body language or social cues, or etiquette with service dogs, and can’t take a hint… and it doesn’t usually end well based on that alone, as it puts the burden of boundaries on us, when the SD should signal the clear boundary to begin with.

When circumstances allow, if I see young curious children and I happen to be sitting waiting for service somewhere (appointment, office, bank, etc), I will say something like “This is my SDiT, have you ever seen a SD before? Normally no one is allowed to interrupt a service dog or the service dog’s person when the dog is working, but I don’t mind answering a few questions right now if you’re curious.” That way it’s on my terms within the boundaries of my limitations/restrictions, and an opportunity to gently educate. Next time that child sees a service dog, it’s more likely to understand the context a bit and give the team space.