You may be doing more harm than good when approaching a service dog

For those with disabilities, a service dog means a more independent life. But oftentimes, the attention the dog attracts in public can make life more difficult.

SEATTLE — Service dogs are cute, but they have important jobs to do. If you interact with them in a certain way, it could make their job more difficult.

A service animal can help make life easier and safer for their owners, especially when out in public.

Kaylynn Parker’s service dog Hank helps sense when she’s about to have a panic attack. He also knows how to move to help create more personal space for Parker in public.

As an English setter/Munsterlander mix, Hank is definitely adorable, but stopping Parker to talk about the dog could do more harm than good.

Parker said the best thing to do is to not make eye contact with the dog, or touch or talk to the dog.

This could distract them from their task at hand, which for some people could cause serious problems.

Parker said it helps to think of service dogs as medical equipment when you’re thinking about petting the dog or stopping it.