Educating Others About Service Dogs - Cal Poly Pool Edition!

Bud and I are both fish!  After a good swim at the harbor, Bud takes a break while I get my turn in the water.  He knows the routine and patiently waits as I get my exercise in too.  When I first started taking him to the Cal Poly pool when he was a puppy, he was unable to restrain himself and jumped into the pool.  Silly Bud!  Now, he's a good boy and stays on his blanket out of the way of the other swimmers. 

The pool at Cal Poly has a lot of students utilizing it.  Many of the young college students are drawn to Bud.  How could you deny that precious face?  Unfortunately, many of the swimmers do not understand that when he's wearing his "Service Dog" scarf that he is working.  I take the times where people unknowingly approach him to pet him as an educational experience.  I'm very nice about explaining that service dogs should never be approached or pet without permission.  I let them know that when he is wearing his scarf he is working and should not be interrupted, even if he's just laying down.  They are always understanding.  Sometimes I will take his scarf off so he's "off duty" and they can get some love from Bud.  They love that!  A lot of the kids have dogs back at home with their families, so Bud gives them their dog fix.  They share their stories about their dogs at home while having a Bud lovefest!

Below are some pictures of Bud in his usual corner of the pool.

Here's a picture of him yawning at what a bore waiting is.  Doesn't it look like he's laughing?!

 

And one last shot of "Zen Bud" meditating poolside: