[nagdu] how much is too much?

[L Gwizdak]

At our Humane Society, our therapy dogs MUST complete the CGC Test 
sucessfully and pass another test that the pet therapy program uses.  Any 
barking, growling, or aggression towards any other animals is an automatic 
dismiss for the dog.  Landon passed these tests wioth flying colors!  He 
LOVES the rats the most since he knew some when he was being puppy raised. 
All the animals are fione with him around them.  the rats will actually walk 
up to him and touoch noses!  Wish I could get a picture but can't because 
the interaction takes place on a patient's lap and pictures will violate 
HIPPHA laws.

Hey Julie, hope you got your meal before you fell asleep at that place! LOL!

Lyn and Landon
"Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is like 
asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 11:59 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] how much is too much?


> Thanks to those who offered thoughts.
>
> Just like you, I also felt the therapy dog in training had no business in 
> a restaurant and absolutely didn't belong there once the barking and 
> growling started up.   If I'm to be totally, completely honest, I am not 
> comfortable confronting people about their ill behaved dog, at least not 
> in a setting of this nature.  Perhaps if I knew the lady or I could have 
> spoken to her in a quiet, private place, I would have felt comfortable 
> providing education or whatever was appropriate.  Everyone at our table 
> was uncomfortable with the situation.
>
> The restaurant was very busy.  I do believe this was the next available 
> table and that it was a coincidence.  I will see one of the group members 
> who is sighted later this week.  I'll ask him if there were other 
> available tables.  And no, this table was not near the kitchen or the back 
> door. There were other people eating in the same area.
>
> It had been a long day and I was very tired.  Our food took forever to be 
> served.  I just wanted to get to the hotel and sleep, so it honestly never 
> occurred to me to speak with the restaurant management about the 
> situation. Also other members of my group had already complained to 
> management about the slowness and the late hour.  I'm not sure how many 
> complaints you can make before they stop listening.
>
> I could certainly call and speak to them about it.  I do eat at this 
> restaurant whenever I visit that particular town. I expect I will eat 
> there again in the future.
>
> For me as a owner trainer, I have several problems with the training 
> approach and philosophy of the lady.  I absolutely do not believe in going 
> to a restaurant for the purpose of having a nice dinner with your dog in 
> training.  If you are training the dog, then you are training the dog, not 
> having a leisurely dinner out.  Sure there will come a time that you'll 
> need to train the dog to lie quietly while you eat, but the eating is 
> secondary to the training.  If the dog isn't able to handle the situation, 
> you leave. If you want to have an uninterrupted dinner out, then don't 
> take your dog who isn't trained.
>
> I also agree with Marion that three times is a reasonable limit for the 
> nonsense.  Although I'm not sure if I could actually make it to three.  I 
> have an extremely low threshold for public embarrassment.  I tend to air 
> on the side of extreme caution.  I can remember times going places with my 
> son and Monty when he was in training.  I'd have every intent of taking 
> Monty into the store, but on the way there it would become apparent that 
> he was way too excited to handle it.  I'd end up sitting on the curb in 
> the parking lot while Kiddo ran into the store to pick out our sodas or 
> whatever quick item we had intended on picking up.
>
> The lady with the therapy dog in training did understand what is meant by 
> a therapy dog.  She clearly stated that the dog would be going into 
> hospitals and nursing homes to visit with the patients.  I do not know if 
> she was associated with a therapy dog program.  Clearly she is misinformed 
> on the laws regarding therapy dogs.
>
> Julie
>
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