[nagdu] When is the Connection Too Much?

[Buddy Brannan]

This issue of where and where not, and under what situations, is a really difficult one sometimes. 

Where I say that my home is my dog's home, and my dog should feel free to have run of it, so long as he's behaving himself of course, the same applies to other people's homes. If someone has a pet who isn't friendly to other dogs, I have to decide what to do about that. It's their home, and the pet's home, and if I want people to respect my home (and my dog's home), it's only right that I respect other people's (and dogs') homes. So, there are certainly situations where I would leave my dog home. 

I ran into a situation recently, and want to pose a "what would you have done" for it.

Recently, a gathering was planned, and I planned to go. I planned to take a cab to the place we were going. Unfortunately, on the day in question, the weather was most foul, and I felt I wouldn't be able to get a cab either there or back (one way or the other would undoubtedly pose a problem), so I called the person organizing the thing to let her know I would not be coming owing to the cab situation, and that Melanie didn't feel comfortable traveling in this weather in any case, so regardless of whether I was going, she definitely wasn't. So the organizer said she could see if someone could pick me up, and i said that it really wouldn't be fair to spring me on someone at the last minute, and so she said she'd ask her husband if he'd get me. When they called back, they asked if I could leave Leno at home, because it was a short trip, and we wouldn't be gone awfully long, and cleaning up the dog hair was a real pain. How would you react, and why?

Here's how I reacted. 

I told her I was sorry, but I couldn't do that. As it happened, they backed down and said they'd put down a blanket, or towel, or sheet, or something, for Leno. Which I would have done as well, but I was asked to just leave him at home, which I didn't want to do. 

So why not though? After all, I could have taken my cane.

As it happens, I'd just had that particular discussion with Melanie the night before, about when and why and with whom. And, in this particular situation, I made the decision I did for a couple reasons:

1) I didn't ask for the ride. Had I asked someone for a favor in the first place, the conditions would have been a bit different. Rather, someone sought to solve a problem I didn't feel I necessarily had. 

2) I wasn't given alternatives. In effect, I felt I was being told what my mobility choice in that particular situation should be. 

Thoughts?
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Jan 11, 2012, at 12:44 AM, loriandleo wrote:

> Hi Dan,
> 
> I have a grandmother who used to pick me and my previous guide dogs up to
> go grocery shopping for example. And when I rode with my grandmother she
> didn't mine my dog being in her car but she wanted me to put a sheet down in
> the  back on the seat and floor for my dog to lay on so that their would be
> less shedding and hair left behind in her car. I again brushed my dogs
> regularly but you'll always get some shedding or hair that is left behind.
> But I try to aliminate how much hair is left behind by using a sheet in
> someones car if I ride with someone. And I don't mine taking a sheet or
> blanket if a family member or friend asked me if I would mine bringing a
> sheet or blanket along for the dog to lay on. I always tell them no matter
> how much I  brush and groom my dog you will always get somehair that is left
> behind.
> 
> Also, I have had some family members like my one Aunt and Uncle that   I
> wasn't allowed to bring my dog to their house because they had a dog and
> they didn't want to put their dog up in another room in the house or outside
> in the back yard so that my dog and I could come and visit with them. And
> they felt that they shouldn't have to put their dog up in  another room or
> outside in the back yard. Also, if I remember right, their dog didn't like
> other dogs. So basically if my dog wasn't allowed in their home then I
> wasn't either and my dog and I both stayed home.  And I feel if my guide
> can't accompany me to a family members or a friends house because they don't
> want the dog their then I stay home. This is a touchy subject for me
> especially when it comes to certain family relatives and my dogs.
> 
> Lori and the Gipper my LeaderDog
> 
> 
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