NTU students raise awareness of assistance dogs

When an assistance dog is wearing its harness, it’s working—hence, it is not available for pats, snacks, or “just one photo”.

In a survey of around 200 people, it was found about one in three would try to pet an assistance dog in public. That's usually well-meant, but distractions can throw off the dog’s focus and put the handler’s safety at risk.

As their final-year project, four students from Nanyang Technological University's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information launched a publicity campaign to raise awareness of assistance dogs and the role they play in supporting people with disabilities.

The campaign was developed with Guide Dogs Singapore and guide dog handler Thomas Nathan Chan, whose guide dog Eve was featured as the campaign’s canine ambassador.

Through posters, videos and social media content, the students highlighted simple but important etiquette—such as not petting, feeding or distracting a working assistance dog.

The campaign points to a larger issue: accessibility is not only about ramps and infrastructure, but also about public understanding. For assistance dog handlers, acceptance in everyday spaces is part of being able to move around safely and independently.

More on the campaign can be found at @hey.its.bark on Instagram.

[Source: NTU students launch campaign to raise acceptance of assistance dogs]