[nagdu] How do any of you deal with small children wanting totouch your guide dog

Sat Apr 9 15:58:12 UTC 2011

Julie,

Dogs and other animals do seem to have a sense about people.  I definitely
listen to my dog on that score to fill in the gap for the body language and
more subtle cues to intent and character I can not longer discern with my
eyes.  I joke about Mitzi's turn from shy child to social butterfly, because
it's such a contrast.  She is pretty choosy, though.  She still will
sometimes want to initiate a greeting, and I'm always appalled until I hear
her new best friend chuckling and making over her and telling me about how
they love dogs and have this or that dog or cat or whatever...  I'm still
embarrassed by these little breaches of etiquette, but I have to admit that
if everybody's that happy...  She's also pretty delicate in her approach,
and I think she's trading googly eyes with the person before she approaches.
At least the phase where she came out of her shell and started poking her
nose at people -- often where it did *not* belong -- was short lived.  We
actually got through last summer with not a single bare knee or toe lick!
/lol/

Anyway, I still work with her to moderate her wish to greet new best
friends, even though she's pretty moderate about it and seems to pick people
I enjoy chatting with, too.  Sometimes these people have turned into
business or resource contacts after a relaxing chat and bonding, and we made
buddies with a couple at Costco once while DD talked to the man and I talked
to the woman and it turned out we all shared a lot of common stuff that it
was fun to talk about, so the guys settled into the recliners that were on
display and just jawed, and then exchanged business cards and what not.
/lol/  Perhaps Mitzi has learned to use her microchip to hit the internet
and Google people's bios before she introduces us to them?

She will also indicate the presence of elderly or disable folks who are
having a bad day, while she's grinning and wagging at them to cheer them up.
Which is funny, because I've always made it a special practice to give
people who appear to be having a bad day and extra smile and greeting just
to add some cheer...  It works, too, and makes them smile.  So now Mitzi
takes care of the noticing and smiling.  She won't make the approach, but
when I hear the person's sigh or even soft murmurs to her, I can do my smile
and greet thing and hear how much the person needed cheering that day and
hear the pep and smile come back into their voices...  How cool is my dog?
/grin/

So when she is hesitant or giving me signals that someone is approaching us
who is not okay in her opinion, I do pay attention and take a more guarded
attitude if the person initiates conversation.  Since Mitzi is signalling
already that she does *not* want that person touching her, I decline
requests or block unwelcome petting from them.  I don't do the friendly
smile and cheery small talk, either!

At home, it's Daisy who had final approval of the new roommate, BB.  For
that matter, she was the one approved me and Mitzi when we had our first
interview with her and her dad.  /smile/  She also determines whom we will
have come visit again.  After much work, she's more subtle about letting us
know what she thinks than she used to be.  Whew!  Good don't eat the
company, Daisy.  /lol/

I do wonder how they figure it out, though.  It's pretty clear that they do.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Julie McGinnity
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 9:10 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] How do any of you deal with small children wanting
totouch your guide dog

This topic has brought up something I wonder about.  My dog Brie is a
labrador, and, like a typical lab, she loves attention.  I don't let
people pet her for that reason.  She would get too distracted.
Anyway, she loves most people and will start wagging if they begin
petting her, but I've also seen her back away when some people try and
pet her.  I don't know why she does this.  This has only happened a
couple of times, and it kind of freaks me out because she is not like
that.  I always wonder what she can sense about those people she is
avoiding.  Has anyone else experience this?  I've always been told
that dogs can sense things about people that we can't, but I never
really believed it much until this dog.  Her attitude is so strange
sometimes.

On 4/8/11, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net> wrote:
> We know a bus driver that is afraid of dogs,
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lisa Irving <lirving1234 at cox.net>
> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 12:17 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] How do any of you deal with small children
> wanting	totouch your guide dog
>
> I spent more than a decade, in one capacity or another, working with
> children of all ages and all kinds of ethnic backgrounds. From my
> perspective, I view kids and dogs somewhat globally. That is, especially
the
> very young children, and children previously traumatized by dogs, I want,
> when I have time, to let them see that they don't have to be fearful of
> dogs. I hear, typically, African American moms tell their children, leave
> the dog alone or it will bite you! It's a delicate walk to discern when to
> gently interject and when to zip my lips and keep moving.
>
> Lisa and Bernie
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "solsticesinger" <solsticesinger at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 9:43 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] How do any of you deal with small children wanting
> totouch your guide dog
>
>
>>I don't think you were wrong. Petting while in harness is definitely a
>>personal preference, but I have always had a hands-off-my-dog sort of
>>policy. Plus, I'm not a huge child person. So, I explain to people that
>>she's working, and that I don't want her to be distracted. Sometimes, it
>>upsets kids that they can't pet my dog, but I figure it's not the end of
>>the world. There will be plenty of things to upset them in life, and my
dog
>>
>>isn't there to keep them from getting hurt feelings.
>>
>> Shannon and the unpettable Caroline
>> Are you a fan of women's music? If so, join me, each Wednesday evening
>> from 7-10 eastern, for The Eclectic Collection: a Celebration of Women In
>> Music. Point your media player to
>> http://mojoradio.us/listen
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Brittney N. Mejico" <brittneymejico at verizon.net>
>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 9:29 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] How do any of you deal with small children wanting to
>> touch your guide dog
>>
>>
>> Hi everyone,
>> The other day this lady got mad at me for not letting her 4 year old
touch
>>
>> my guide dog.  I kind of felt bad afterwards, do you think It was rong
for
>>
>> me to tell her no?  I tried to be as polite as Possible.  Do any of you
>> have any tips on what I should next time that happens again.
>>
>>
>>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>>
>>
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-- 
Julie McG
 Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member in Opera
Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of Guiding
Eyes for the Blind

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16

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