Pros and Cons of Service Dogs

       I found an article that answers a question that I had after the last blog that I posted. The article from www.doggoestocollege.com, is called "Pros and cons of getting a service dog" the author is a college student named Amelia.
      The author has a pretty lengthy list of pros and cons of owning a service dog and then goes on to explain each of them. The first "pro" she has listed is the obvious, assistance with disability. This is probably the biggest pro, and most important part of owning a service dog, from helping with simple tasks, to possibly saving a life, that's what service dogs are there for. They also allow greater independence and ensure that the owner's disability is visible. Owner's can learn a lot from their dog, and studies have shown that owning a dog is better for your health and makes it easier to be happy. The dogs also bring their owners peace of mind. Knowing that their dog can care for them in case of an emergency surly puts their mind at ease. Now, the question that was brought up in my last blog was, what other downsides to owning a service dog, and this author does a great job of listing and explaining some of the "cons" that come with owning a service dog. The first three cons that she lists, all have to do with access. She explains how many times of constantly being denied access to places or being questioned about her disability because she has a service dog with her, starts to wear on her. She said she feels like she's being discriminated against at first glance and that many people, no matter her explanation, will still deny her access, which leaves her feeling unwanted. The author also listed "ensuring the owner's disability is visible" as a con. Sometimes the owners don't want everyone to know that they have a disability, this often leads to judgement and many remarks and questions from people who don't understand why she has a service dog. However, at the end of the article she states that the pros of owning a service greatly outweigh the cons but, anyone looking into getting a service dog should know that it doesn't come without any downsides.
     I loved this article and thought it would be great to include in our documentary to show both the good and bad sides to having a service dog. It's a good source to include to sort of inform viewers that might be looking into a service dog, the cons that will come along with it, but also make them aware of all the good the service dogs do.