After some more thought, and Connie , Yes I should have controlled this situation, I know better but it was an almost perfect scenario….small airport, had permission to do what I wanted, half airport under construction, we were very early (4 people in the airport)….I just could not resist…slap the vest on and go to it…just wasn’t expecting that…good lesson to all, usually I have eyes in the back of my head but just couldn’t believe what I was hearing\seeing.

So, to the OP, the vests work very well in most cases but still have to keep your eyes wide open and have a backup plan (I didn’t take into account stupid)…And, I never make my puppies\dogs into “fake” service dog. I always ask before I bring a dog\puppy into a business or place you could run into a problem…don’t ruin it for the real service dogs.

As long as we're sharing stories I've got a couple of doozies...

One was in Tractor Supply. People there are generally great, they ignore the dogs expect the store workers will come over and ask to give them treats which I usually allow. The workers like dogs, but aren't the dog know it all type - really nice!

So I was in there one day a few years ago with Missy and Kipp and a child child walks right up and as go to tell he needs to ask permission to pet the dog he kicks Kipp! I was like WHAT?!?! Then his parents run over and stammer an apology saying that the boy is autistic. HELLO?!?! I understnad there are challenges with an autistic child, but it's really not smart to let them walk around and kick random dogs!! Grrrr.

The second doozie was when I was at a SAR demo. Dogs were crated in the backs of the cars with doors/tailgates open and we were all right close to the cars. A reporter walks over and sticks his fingers through Kipp's crate to pet him. Oh my. Kipp happens to be the least confrontational dog in the world so I'd never worry about him biting anyone in that sort of situation, but seriously is it any wonder that people get bit?!?!?

We borrowed some police tape after that and taped of a section around the cars...

when people ask if they can pet my dog, i usually say If you buy him, you can pet him all you want

Scott and Melissa, thanks to both of you for giving me more things to consider. I don't expect the vest to deter the most hardcore, determined idiots and I will definitely continue to keep an eye on people around us (that's always a good idea, right?). Also, I will do my very best to keep Connie's advice in mind the next time I run into someone like your TSA agent. Sometimes it is so unexpected and shocking that it's hard to remember what you meant to do in that sort of situation. That probably means I need to practice it a lot. Just walk away.