[nagdu] another what would you do question

Mon Apr 9 16:01:08 UTC 2012

Julie:

You acknowledge that trying to get that extra space and avoiding the handler are good ideas; you also said that accomplishing that in actuality would be difficult. Unfortunately, there may not be an easy solution to the problem, short of avoiding going to the event altogether. If you decide to go to the event, you might just have to take the risk of being in close proximity to an allegedly aggressive dog. The best you can do, as stated by others, is to control your dog and your environment as much as you can. Also, maybe the "unknown" is playing a large role in your anxiety? Have you directly contacted this individual yet? Maybe he can give more specifics about his dog's behavior that might make it easier for you to formulate a plan. You can still hope that he is a vigilant handler who is working on a solution (or has already engaged his dog in behavior modification training). Maybe this individual won't bring his dog, as a result of its aggressive tendencies. I think that if you knew more of the parameters, you would be in a better place for planning the operation. It seems as if your best bet for doing so is to contact the handler to find out the specifics of his dog's supposed aggression--does it attack and kill everything within a one mile radius--or does it growl when a dog gets in its face. It might only be aggressive in certain situations--a crowded area, when startled, or at night. Knowing these things would help you plan your activities and schedule and should fill in the gaps of "unknowns", which tend to cause the most anxiety. I hope this helps a bit.
Sincerely,
Robert Hooper
Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
The Ohio State University
0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
653 Cuyahoga Court
Columbus, Ohio 43210
(740) 856-8195

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie J.
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 11:36 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] another what would you do question

No, I wouldn't do anything if the growling occured without any other 
behavior.   Well, I would probably give the dog some extra space, but I 
wouldn't say anything to the person or report them to anyone.

Julie

On 4/9/2012 10:27 AM, Cindy Ray wrote:
> I understand this, but would you call a training school or, for that matter, animal control because  dog was growling? I can see that something could happen quickly, but for me, if a dog is growling, I'm just going to steer as clear of it as I can until I know what the drill really is. I mean, I can see why the woman might have called animal control or, in my, case, the school, because of what Fisher did. He barked and growled and broke away, but experience has shown me that he wanted to get to know the dog a little bit and then he's cool. If you didn't know that dog, you might have thought he was mean. Unfortunately, in the situation I faced, the woman did know me. We could have discussed it, but instead she called the school and told them she thought I was having trouble handling my dog. It still upsets me when I think about it, but I could have understood her calling someone if she did not know me. I was holding the dog's leash, but he's strong and I wasn't expecting someone's pet to be at the convention in the hospitality room.
>
> Cindy
>
> On Apr 9, 2012, at 10:18 AM, Julie J. wrote:
>
>> Cindy,
>>
>> I agree.  Monty has an entire repertoire of sounds.  I know him and can interpret what the various sound effects mean, but if you don't know him you might think he's growling, when in actuality he is moaning piteously because his toy has rolled under the couch.  Even when he does what I'd call growling it doesn't mean he's vicious.  He growls at me just about daily.  He'll have a toy in his mouth and is wagging furiously.  It's obviously an invitation to play, but if you don't know dogs it could be scary.
>>
>> Julie
>>
>>
>> On 4/9/2012 10:02 AM, Cindy Ray wrote:
>>> Oh, I wo9uldn't report a dog if it growls. It depends on the other signs of aggression. Growls don't always mean aggression so much. My dog growls, he's not mean.
>>> CL
>>>
>>>
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