[nagdu] Certification

[Mardi Hadfield]

Hi every one,      I have on occasion been asked for certification or
identification.  I use to not carry ID, but recently, my trainer Nick, Just
made a laminated ID card for me that has my dog's picture on it and states
it is a guide dog and was trained by Pathfinders dog training services. He
also trains search and rescue dogs and the name of his business is
Pathfinders. Now that I have the ID, I have not been asked for it. Before I
had it , I would just tell the person asking ,that there is no law that says
my dog must be certified.They were not happy ,but did not pursue it. Most
people don't realize that my dog is a guide dog. First, because she is a
Husky. Second, they don't see past the wheelchair and assume that she is a
"Helper Dog". I cringe whenever some one tells me I have a nice "helper
dog".  I try to explain that she is a guide dog and that she is "my eyes",
but then they ask, well what does your helper dog do for you. They just
don't get it!I never see them ask another blind person with a guide dog,
what their dog does for them. They don't call it a helper dog either. They
just call it a seeing eye dog. I don't think people will ever get it. When
my dogs are in training they wear a vest/harness combination that says on
both sides, "GUIDE DOG IN TRAINING     DO NOT PET"  Some people can't read
either. One guy told me that I could not bring a Guard Dog into the grocery
store.  Before I needed a guide dog, I had a mobility dog that pulled my
manual wheelchair and a harness that had a 3 inch upright handle so I could
lean on the dog while transferring in or out of the chair and I held on to
this handle  when the dog pulled my chair. My doctor asked me why I needed
to use a guide dog harness. It did not even look like a guide dog harness
and the 3 inch upright handle was not movable, but stationary.  I give
up.................. I think the next time some one asks me what does my dog
does, I will offer them a blind fold and ask them would you like to test her
to see what she does? They probably still won't get it. I used to think that
I was not the smartest person around, but I now think I am more inteligent
than the average person, at least here in Tucson. Have a great day, Mardi
and Nala, semi-retired.