[nagdu] harness signs

Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC) REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com
Tue Mar 9 14:58:29 UTC 2010 

Thank you janette for raising this issue. I also feel well, yucky when
people would pet my dog without asking. It is like what Janette said,
it's a violation of my space and also my time, very much like being
gropped by someone or during a time when you don't want that attention.
It's both a person and a timing aspect.  The time and the person both
have to be right and so does the situation, not unlike well, other
activities. 
Thank you Janete for raising this issue, until you mentioned it, I had
felt I was the only one. 
Anybody else want to weigh in?

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jeanette Beal
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 8:58 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs

I'm wondering how much of the interaction between public and dog is
gender-based to the handler? As a woman, I know that I'm interacted with
on
a slightly different level than men - called 'little lady' by
many-a-older-guy on public transit, etc. I know there was a study done
recently (um, 20/20 special so not really a study) with a blind man & a
blind woman trying to buy pastries in a shop and the woman was actually
stood up for/defended more readily by an incredulous public than the
man. Is
this because women are inherently viewed as inferior and in need of
protection? Probably.
So when a female handler walks around with her dog is it  much easier to
disregard her and interact with her dog? Perhaps. I've had men spit in
my
face because I told them to leave my dog alone. Granted he spit in my
face
after he started petting my dog and I said no and he said F-off and I
said
oh really? And stepped between dog & dude and dude then pushed at me so
I
slapped him in the face and he spit on me and then....ran away. But the
main
point was I said no and he said "so?" and continued his bad behavior.
I have a hard time with this subject. It's so rooted in my need for
safety
in public as a woman - using public transit and getting groped by a dude
behind or next to me feels as dirty and disgusting as unauthorized
petting
of my dog by a stranger. So how do I reconcile my need for safety and
autonomy with the day-to-day hassles all handlers have in public?
I do so by not allowing people to pet my dog. By demanding that I be
asked
first. By expecting my answer to be respected - if I say no it means no.
This goes for my body as much as my dog's.  And unfortunately the
waiting
public takes away that I'm a rude, withholding human. But my safety is
more
important than public image.
Unfortunately we aren't in a vacuum and all blind people speak for all
blind
people in front of AB folks. So when someone lets the public pet their
dog
in harness they send a message that I will to. And when I say no and am
assumed rude I send a message that all blind people are rude.
It's a crappy inter-connected all-disabled-folk-are-the-same world.
Jeanette

On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 8:12 AM, Albert J Rizzi
<albert at myblindspot.org>wrote:

> now there is the honest one in the group. I must confess that I too
enjoy
> it
> when people take notice of my handsome lad. I do stop to let him take
in
> the
> praise at times, though I always take his harness off. Now before you
all
> go
> mad about that, it is a conscious decision I make and am willing to
make
> for
> my dog and all the good work he does, I feel that if time allotted
when I
> take the harness off it reinforces the work thing and out of work
thing for
> the dog. It also embarrasses  the petting offender and they always
insist I
> not go to any great lengths, which always allows for a honest and open
I
> really should bet t my meeting.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one
who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf
> Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 6:39 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs
>
> Hmm...  Maybe someone should make a project out of finding a mutt-ugly
> scurvy cur, slappying a guide dog harness on it and heading out into
public
> to see what happens?  /grin/  I've thought of designing a special
poodle
> cut
> to uglify Mitzi...  I could have the groomer do her all lopsided and
patch
> and stuff, then put odd dye patches on her here and there...
>
> Whaddaya think?  Should I go for it?  /grin/
>
> Or maybe someone could invent a spray, like that stuff that is
supposed to
> keep pets away from certain areas.  In fact, isn't it called "Pet
Away?" or
> stomething?  Maybe if we sprayed are dogs with anti-human pheromones
we
> could go about our business in peace? /lol/
>
> Okay, so my dirty little secret is that I've sort of gotten to enjoy
the
> attention my poodle gets, now that we've learned to deal and move on.
> Unless she's in hussy mode, in which case, I just have to deal until I
can
> make a graceful exit or haul out the jaws of life to separate her from
the
> bestest friend ever she just made.  /smile/  I figure I can embarrass
> myself
> enough that I may as well let the dog find ways to embarrass me so
long as
> it makes everybody happy...  Sigh.  Maybe it has something to do with
> living
> in Portland?  Part of me remembers the place as the oversized redneck
town
> of my youth; it's fun talking to long-time resident cabbies who
remember it
> the same way.  But in the past (I will not admit how many) years, it's
> grown
> and changed along and now it's sort of...  Funky? Funny? Kind of
getting to
> be cosmopolitan but with a super progressive political bent and a
strong
> flavor of small-town friendliness.  It can make going out and about a
lot
> of
> fun, in a funy, weird way.
>
> So long as one remembers to take into account the growing number of
> homeless
> people with dogs of uncertain temperament downtown...  That population
has
> grown over the past few years, and while the scary dogs we've passed
have
> been kept under control by their ragged and dirty humans, it seems to
take
> a
> lot of effort from the human to keep the dog from going for my sweet
> precious.  Yikes!  Still, with the housing situation here, as in so
many
> places, it's to be expected.  Sigh.  Otherwise, though, Portland is a
> pretty
> cool place.
>
> You just don't stand a prayer of going more than five steps without
someone
> saying something about your dog.  /grin/
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf
> Of Albert J Rizzi
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 2:05 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs
>
> What if we all got the ugliest dogs imaginable? Do you think that
would cut
> down on the petting distractions?
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one
who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf
> Of Marsha Drenth
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 4:39 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs
>
> Now here is where I have seen a improvement. My husband purchased me a
sign
> for my pup for the harness for Christmas, and she has been wearing it
> since.
> Granted not all that long. But I have had only one person try to pet
my pup
> since. I don't think this person could read, and most likely had other
> disabilities. Before, I had so many people try to pet her. I was
trying and
> just dreaded going places because of the number of people who wanted
to pet
> her. So in my situation, the sign has definetly worked wonders!
>
> JMO
> Marsha
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf
> Of Julie J
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 3:43 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs was guide dogs
>
> I don't think the signs make any difference anyway.
>
> I have a sign on Monty's harness that says "Please don't pet me I'm
> working".  For folks who have difficulty with words there is also a
picture
> of a hand reaching to pet a dog with a giant red slash through it.
You'd
> think people would get the hint, but they don't. I have noticed
absolutely
> no difference in the amount of petafiles since I started with the
sign.
>
> Just today I had some guy reach out to pet Monty just as we're getting
> ready
>
> to cross the street of all things.  He explained that he had been
petting
> the dog in training on the college campus earlier.  As if that made it
okay
> or something.  Torks me.  But Monty got my revenge, he backed up and
gave
> the death ray eyeball look.  LOL  Go Monty!
>
> Julie
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Meghan" <meghan at n-republic.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 12:15 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dogs
>
>
> > No, they don't give you a sign for the harness, but you get cards
that
> you
>
> > can hand out.
> >
> > They make it clear that they discourage petting, but they advise you
on
> > how to approach it if you are going to allow it, too.
> >
> > Hope that helps,
> > Meghan
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jennifer L Finley" <jenniferfinley at embarqmail.com>
> > To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 3:28 PM
> > Subject: [nagdu] guide dogs
> >
> >
> >> Does the seeing eye have the please don't pet me signs?  Do they
use
> >> anything to let the public know to not pet the dog?
> >> _______________________________________________
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-- 
Jeanette Beal
MS.Ed Assistive Technology
Independent Consultant
Boston, MA 02115
bealjk at gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bealjk
http://bealjk.tumblr.com/

"Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire" - Marge
Piercy
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