Teen Tells Stranger Not To Pet Her Service Dog And Has Seizure When He Doesn’t Listen

16-year-old Hailey Ashmore suffers from epilepsy amongst other conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, reactive hypoglycemia, severe allergies, gastroparesis, and asthma.

Hailey greatly depends on her service dog, Flynn, to get her through her days.

 

 

Seizures can be both scary and debilitating. Flynn’s job is to warn Hailey approximately 10 minutes prior so she can take her medication, get help and get to a safe place.

 

theadventuresofflynn/Instagram

 

One day, Hailey was visiting her dad at work. When she arrived at his office with Flynn, a co-worker of her dad’s couldn’t resist how adorable he is. He began petting him, completely ignoring the giant “STOP” sign he wears on his harness. “I immediately told him to stop [petting Flyyn],” Hailey told The Dodo.

 

theadventuresofflynn/Instagram

 

Because Flynn was distracted, his alert came too late.

 

theadventuresofflynn/Instagram

 

“I thought I had 10 minutes to get safe, take medication and call somebody for help,” Hailey said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t and ended up getting a nasty rug burn.”

 

theadventuresofflynn/Instagram

 

“Since Flynn was only about 7 months at the time of the accident, he was, and still is, learning to ignore people petting him,” Hailey explained. “We understand our dogs are super cute, but they are really important for our safety and health.”

“The dog is part of a team,” Jessica Reiss, of Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) told The Dodo. “It becomes almost an extension of that person, just like someone’s wheelchair … besides the fact that the dog is part of who you are, that touching can distract the dog from what they need to do.”

Service dogs like Flynn have to be able to go from playing with a ball or sleeping to doing their job in a matter of seconds. Distracting them can be harmful to their human.

“They’re not a piece of equipment,” Reiss said. “They can be distracted.” And this distraction can have devastating consequences!

Hailey is urging others to be aware of this message. The giant “STOP” sign on their harness isn’t for decoration. Service dogs make everyday living tolerable and safe– do not mess with that, no matter how cute the dog is.

Hailey’s message is clear: “If you wouldn’t do it to a wheelchair, please don’t do it to our dogs.”

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