[nagdu] walk by petting was ranting

[Mardi Hadfield]

Hi every one,  I use a halti on my dog all the time, but for a different
reason. I am deaf in my right ear and can not tell where the sound of
traffic is coming from. I can feel when my dog turns his head towards the
traffic better when he has the halti on rather than when I just use the
collar. My dog is used to having the halti on all the time as that is the
way he was trained. The halti is not tight on his nose like a gentle leader
is and that is the reason I use it rather than the gentle leader. It does
not tighten unless I pull on it. I am careful when I use a leash correction
and most of the time, use a voice correction first. I have people petting my
dog all the time. It is a real problem as Shaman is still very young and he
gets distracted very easily.When I ask people  not to pet my dog, they tell
me if I can see them petting him, I don't need the dog. I have tried to
educate them about guide dog etiquette and different kinds of blindness, but
they just don't get it. Once a little child rushed up to Nala and put her
arms around her neck and Nala ran me into a stone pillar. I told the kid's
parents to keep their kid away from the dog and that she had distracted my
dog. They yelled at me, saying that she did not know any better. I told them
that it was their job to teach their kid manners. I have had kids come up to
Nala and hit her and then run off. Once a man in a store hit Nala, and when
I asked him why he did it, he just said "no speek english" and walked away.I
know my dog did nothing to this man.She has been stepped on and man handled
and kicked and pushed off a bus and has never acted out. I have had people
yell at me on many occasions when I asked them to not pet my dog. They seam
to think that my dog was put on this earth for them to pet any time they
please. People make stupid sounds, whistle, bark, meow and have even offered
food to my dogs. Nothing I say seems to make any difference.Shaman has been
petted so much that now he will just go up to people to get petted. It makes
it very hard when I am trying to get on a bus and he won't do what I need
him to,so I can get my wheelchair into place. I have tried signs and even
this does not work. People here in Tucson AZ have no common sense. People
also pull on the harness handle.When they touch my dogs harness handle, I
can feel the rage welling up in me and I feel like biting that person. Of
course I don't, but I wonder what the person would do if I did bite?I have
not had a Rabies shot. They also lean on my wheelchair and think nothing of
leaning on me! I told one man that I was not his personal leaning post and
he just continued to lean on my bad shoulder, making it hurt. Why are people
so rude? I just do not know what else to do. I am at my wits end, and I am
finding my self being not so nice to people in general because of these
problems.I am on my 3rd dog and it just seems to get worse.I also have been
criticized for correcting my dog.I am to the point that I dread when I have
to go out into public now.    Mardi and Shaman and Nala, retired.

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