[nagdu] Lines in the sand?

[Angie Matney]

Hi Jenine,

I agree that I would tend to be more lenient if the person tried to control
the behavior. The behaviors that would really get to me, particularly if the
handler did nothing to try to curb them, are excessive scavenging, excessive
noise, and negative reactions to people with different physical
characteristics. 

As far as scavenging goes, I'm not talking about a dog who snarfs French
fries off the floor (I think this is a problem, but I don't think it's
access-denial stuff). I'm talking about a dog who continuously goes for food
on tables or in carts or whatever. My last dog was an Olympic-class
scavenger, so I know how hard this one can be to manage. (Thankfully, she
generally confined her performances to stuff on floors.)

I have sadly come across several dogs who growl and occasionally lunge at
people who look different from their handlers. I have several
"almost-denials" because of a service dog who lived in the same town that
growled at and lunged toward African-American staff in some local
businesses. I do not know that the handler tried to stop this behavior. I
have a feeling that s/he did not, but it is hard to know. In one of my work
places, there was also a guide dog who escaped from its handler and cornered
one of the secretaries in an office, growling at her. This dog also did not
like people with particular physical characteristics. This happened before I
started working there. I learned later that some of the staff had been a
little concerned that Glaze would do the same thing. Of course, she did not.
She was a hit with every person in that office.

Re: grooming: This one is one that is close to my heart.  Yani has some
pretty serious allergies. Now, they are mostly under control. But for a
while there, I had a choice: I could either be lax with grooming and let her
shed everywhere, or I could brush her, which stirred up all kinds of
dandruff, and listen to people tell me how I should brush my dog more
because of the skin flakes she would be shedding. That is a difficult
situation to be in, and I am glad she is doing much better now. This sounds
harsh, but I don't know if I could continue to work a dog with those kinds
of problems once I am working for my law firm and visiting clients in their
places of business. I do not think someone should be denied access because
of this, though.

Just my thoughts,

Angie


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jenine Stanley
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 12:29 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: [nagdu] Lines in the sand?

Dan makes some good points about us maybe being too judgmental. I'd counter
that with my own personal attitude that I'm not so much being openly
judgmental as trying to set and maintain high standards, but that only
really goes for myself and my dog. 

So, I'll pose this question to everyone, again appreciating the intelligent
discussion here. 

What behavior in a dog who is part of a working team would you deem
unacceptable? What offenses might cause you as a business owner to ask
someone to remove his or her dog? 

I think for me, it's about control. If someone is really trying to control a
dog with undesirable behaviors like barking or scavenging, I'm much more
likely to be lenient, but if the person seems oblivious or is clearly
ignoring the behaviors, it tends to get a bit old. 

One of my big buttons is dogs who are allowed to roam around places of
business. One lady I know has a very bad habit of, once comfortable in a
place, i.e., after walking in the door, of turning her dog loose to roam
around while she looks at things or talks to people. When she used to visit
my office at my last job, I had to ask that the dog stay on leash with her
as he made a beeline for my trash can. The next time I saw him, he was
wearing a basket muzzle and again allowed to roam freely because with said
muzzle he couldn't get into things. <sigh> 

The one thing I am pretty annoyed by in terms of the public's reaction to us
is the whole grooming issue. People don't generally know what a well groomed
dog is and all sorts of accusations come up about dogs not being groomed
well, smelling, being dirty and shedding. 

I'll admit to being a neat freak when it comes to my dogs and a grooming
fanatic. That doesn't mean everyone else is and it doesn't mean that every
dog who isn't ready for the West Minster show ring is filthy and unkempt. 

I've seen a number of guide dogs who could use maybe a good brush or bath or
who could have some skin  issues looked into by their vet, sure, but saying
they rose to the level of denial of access is a bit much. 

I've also heard of one denial case that really brings the grooming point
home. Someone years ago, before the ADA even, was told to leave a fast food
place because her dog was dirty and offensive. She'd just come in from a
pouring rain storm. Everyone else coming in behind her was just as wet. She
fought the denial and won under state law. 

My point? There are some things I think we as handlers can hold each other
to in terms of acceptable public behavior and there are some things
perceived as unacceptable by others that we as handlers can band together to
support and explain. My retort anymore is "Would you rather have my dog or
some of the kids I've seen in here?" 

 Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com


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