While food shopping the other day, I ran into three handlers with service dogs-in-training. How do I know they were in training? Each dog was wearing a bright green vest that said they were learning to be service animals. My second clue was that the handlers were running the dogs through their paces -- sitting, laying down, and heeling on command. I stopped to watch at a bit of a distance, not wanting to interrupt the lesson.

You might encounter a service animal just about anywhere: the mall, the food store, an airport terminal, a restaurant, and more. Do you know the right way to interact with the animal and their handler?

First things first: you should never run up to a strange animal -- any strange animal! Always ask the owner's permission before you pet a strange animal. Sometimes, the animal is shy or frightened, and the owner would rather the pet not be approached.

Greet the owner before you interact with the pet. Ask if you may pet or otherwise interact with the animal.

If the owner says yes, they may want to have the animal sit (or perform some other task) before you interact. Wait patiently until the owner says it is okay, and then pet the animal. Follow any special instructions from the owner -- for example, they may suggest where or how to pet the service animal.

If the owner says no, please don't be insulted. There is probably a good reason why they said no! The animal may still be in training, or may be skittish around strangers, or may simply need to concentrate on the work they are doing.

Either way, be sure to say thanks!

Remember that a service animal is working. They have an important job to do! A service animal is specially trained to help a person with a disability -- whether it is guiding a visually impaired person, picking up items a person cannot reach, or pulling a wheelchair.

Today, I thought we might take a break from ourselves and take a moment to enjoy the remarkable world of pettherapy. They answer to many names such as service dogs, therapy dogs and guide dogs. In my digging around through books, periodicals and the Internet, I find that pets are indeed, more than poor dumb beasts. They’re not dumb at all. I’ve always known it, especially when I’m hauling in a load of groceries into my front door. There are my two critters greeting me, jumping, barking and generally beside themselves over the simple fact that I’m home.  I usually look at them and say in a short-of breath way, “So, why don’t you two pick up a bag and help me?” Poor dumb beasts that sleep in a warm bed, eat home-cooked pet food they didn’t have to prepare and certainly didn’t have to pay for. Dumb indeed!

Our pets teach us, constantly, about the importance of love and affection. They teach us as adults and children about the joy of giving, the merits of responsibility and the pleasure of a warm, unsolicited lick in the face. Fortunately, for many years they have used dogs for the blind, to guide the blind person safely through daily life. I’m certain we’ve all seen documentaries or movies about the training that goes into these very special, very responsible dogs.  They also offer love and companionship, I guess, that should go without saying. Dogs for the deaf are trained to respond to door bells, telephones, a knock on the door, fire alarms and even to respond to the sound of a human voice calling a name or to respond to the cry of an infant. They even respond to alarm clocks.

Some of these dogs are rescued from shelters if they display certain attributes and intelligence. Others are bred and grown to be service dogs. Other dogs are therapy dogs and offer emotional support to lonely or depressed humans. Some service dogs are trained to help individuals with mobility issues and perform very practical services. They open and close doors; pick up items on the floor, pull off a sock or a shoe, carry a bag, or pick up a telephone for their human. They are trained to pull wheelchairs and can be trained to help their person into and out of the chair, the bed or the toilet.

Who knows what the future will hold for millions of individuals with special needs as they are united with these very special animals? I’m now looking at these two somewhat lazy “individuals” lying on the bed beside me and I’m thinking, “Hey you two. How about getting a job?” How could I forget? They already have one. Just think of all the exercise I get every night putting Jakes tooth treatment in his mouth; cleaning Annie’s eyes and performing the other miscellaneous chores on their behalf like fetching Milkbones and rawhide chews for them. Wait a minute, did I say fetch?