[nagdu] walk by petting was ranting

[Cindy Ray]

Well, this isn't quite the same, but you know when people call your dog in 
order to tell you where to go, "This way, Juno." I say, "Don't call my dog. 
I give his commands. Your giving commands is like me grabbing the steering 
wheel of your car. They get that.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Johnson" <stevencjohnson at centurytel.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:13 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] walk by petting was ranting


Marty and all,

I use a sign on my harness and this is the first time after 2 previous
guides where I did not...a huge difference in the petting aspect.  However,
with a bright yellow sign that says do not pet me I am at work, one would
think that with this on a black labrador, it would be creating a level of
significant contrast that jumps out to one?  Wrong, the number of people
that say, oh, I didn't see the sign truly amazes me, and at that point, I
just simply ask them politely not to pet as the dog is at work and give the
whole spiel that we all do to try to better educate the public.  However,
the incidence of petting is much less with the sign.  It works for me, and I
am really glad I chose this.  It can also be a nice tool for you too Marty
just to point to and ask people to please obey my request as this is a
working dog that should not be interrupted.  Or, perhaps refer to the
comment that one of our peers just recently posted...how would you like me
to pet your eyes?  Sounds like we all have been through similar
circumstances and situations and all I can say is that this is a great place
for support from peers that truly understand and are not just saying it to
be empathetic!

Steve & Misha


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mardi Hadfield" <wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 7:40 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] walk by petting was ranting


> 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.
>
> -- 
> http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
> http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com
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