THE PORTRAYAL OF SERVICE DOGS IN THE MEDIA

What is a “Service Animal”?

There are many ways to define a service animal. This definition shows a general understanding of what a service animal is: “A service animal is defined as an animal that provides assistance related to a person’s disability” [1].

“The number and types of helping roles fulfilled by assistance animals, most often dogs, have been proliferating [1].” There are many roles that a service dog can undertake. These vary from, emotional support animals, therapy animals and service animals.

Service animals in everyday life

Many people will have encountered a service animal in their lives. You see them everywhere, in the shops, in the towns, on the trains. It is vitally important that people know what to do and how to behave and react around them.

These animals are what gives people the freedom to go outside. People with mental disabilities such as PTSD rely on the service animal for completing everyday tasks, no matter how big, small or challenging.

Various types of service animal

The table below outlines the three primary variants of the service animal and the public’s general awareness and understanding [1]. Due to the lack of awareness around 'therapy dogs,' a high number of people tend not to label them as ‘service animals'. The general population lacks the confidence and understanding that a therapy dog is a part of the ‘service animal’ role.

[2]

Dogs for PTSD

[3]

“Psychiatric Service Dog [3]” is the branch from the “service animal” that covers PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). The image above shows the various roles that a “psychiatric service dog [4]” has to complete in an average day.

Media and the portrayal of Service Animals

The media portrays service animals in a variety of ways. There are many positive responses to service animals; for example, the general population believes that service animals are not like pets. There is a general understanding that it is carrying out tasks to keep the owner safe when the animal is out. Service dogs wear a vest that clearly states the animal is a ‘service animal’. Here is an image of a service dog wearing a PTSD vest. It has apparent markings which explicitly tell people this dog is a ‘service animal’.

However, there are a lot of negative responses. Many videos on the internet show the general public expressing their concern or distrust with service dogs inside stores or restaurants circulated on social media over the years.

An example of this would be the video below, which clearly shows a woman uncomfortable with the service dog.

Veteran Responds After Customer Screams About His Service Dog in Restaurant [5]

These responses may happen because there are not many ways the media portrays service animals. However, some forms of media do display service animals. Examples such as: ‘To be of Service’ (a 2019 film dedicated to representing how vital a ‘service animal’ is to people).

Some articles and websites describe the training and the elements that make a service dog. Yet, there are very few books, novels, or stories about ‘service animals’ to educate the general public.

Another contributing factor is that the definition of what a service animal is. In 2018, a BBC news article described how travelling with a service animal has changed. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has claimed that “unusual animals on flights have eroded “the public trust in legitimate service animals [4]”. The DOT listed various animals which have caused the general public to lose “trust in legitimate service animals”. These include “horses, pigs, peacocks, and turkeys for psychological reasons [4]”. The DOT clearly stated that “only dogs qualify as service animals [4]”.

[8]

“Service dogs in society will continue to be very important, particularly as a reflection of a growing disability rights movement [2]”.

As more and more disabilities are becoming well known and listed as a ‘mental illness’, ‘service animals’ will be a vitally important asset for people's lives. Service dogs do much more than help someone cope with a disability; they become a significant part of that person's life. A service animal does everything a pet would do and then goes above and beyond to support that person.

References

1. Schoenfeld-Tacher, R., Hellyer, P., Cheung, L., and Kogan, L. (2017). Public Perceptions of Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs, and Therapy Dogs, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, [online] 14(6), p.642. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5486328/ [Accessed 18 Feb. 2021].

2. Blaser, A. (2017). Multiple Perspectives on Service Animals in Society Recommended Citation. Multiple Perspectives on Service Animals in Society, [online] 22. Available at: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1022&context=polisci_articles [Accessed 25 Feb. 2021].

3. Anon. (n.d.). Psychiatric Service Dog. [online] Available at: https://medicalmutts.org/our-service-dogs/psychiatric-service-dogs/ [Accessed 3 Mar. 2021].

4. US ends era of emotional support animals on planes. (2020). BBC News. [online]. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55177736 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2021].

5. Inside Edition. (2017). Veteran Responds After Customer Screams About His Service Dog in Restaurant. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA93lLUHfFs [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

6. Service Dog Training Guide – The Basics. (2019). servicedogscertifications.org. [online] Available at: https://www.servicedogcertifications.org/service-dog-training-guide-the-basics/ [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021]

7. Anon. (n.d.). Available at: https://k9partnersforpatriots.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/working-dog-do-not-pet-1080x675.jpg [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

8. Lord, T. Picture of dog (2019) [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021]