[nagdu] questions about having a guide dog

[GARY STEEVES]

Hello Tatyana:

I'll take a shot at sharing my answers to your questions.

> Can a dog stand 11 hours in an airplane before to relief?

I haven't had Bogart for an11 hour flight yet however, he has gone for 12 hours without  having to relieve himself. Not ideal (which I'm sure he agrees  with ) but possible. There are also certain protocols you do with your dog regarding feeding, giving water and relieving before flying to maximize their comfort and ability to go longer times without relieving.   

> If you are not taking a dog with you while you're on leave, can 
> a dog stay without  you for 2 weeks and not lose its shape 
> as a service dog? Wouldn't it be also  a bad psychological 
> impact?

Life is life and you can't always take your dog with you. Since getting Bogart in May 2010, I've had to go away twice for about ten days both times. My situation wasn't ideal either since this was in the period of about 2 months. However, I leave him with my boss who has two lovely dogs and her husband is home all day and takes the dogs for at least one walk a day. Bogart is no worse for wear. He seems very happy to see me, usually works amazing the first day with a drop of for the next day or two and then back up to his normal self. He doesn't lose any of his guiding training that I can see though.


> How often do you need to fight for the  right  to 
> bring  a   dog with you in restaurants, 
> pools,  medical offices and other public places? Is it 
> something that you do all the time or you get  mostly 
> normal attitude from employees?

Have had very little issues with Bogart. Sometimes people say you can't have a dog here but as soon as they lern he is a service dog it is all good. Had to educate a gal at a hotel once since she was thinking to charge me the pet fee when service dogs are exempt from such charges. but none of these things were that major or happened very much. When I travel with Bogart I make particualrly sure he is brushed to perfection so he can sell himself as a wonderful fellow and no trouble whatsoever. You'll encounter a few incidents of needing to advocate for you and your dog but generally, with a little calm education, people are pretty good. Remember we have on the list members from all over the place so we hear about everything that goes wrong with dogs and the public.


Keep asking your questions. I know I had so many while I was trying to decide only 2 years ago, if a dog    was right for me and my lifestyle.

Gary