[nagdu] Changing my Petting Policy

Raven Tolliver ravend729 at gmail.com
Tue Apr 29 14:23:52 UTC 2014


Oh yes! It annoys me to no end when people ask what my dog's name is.
I just tell them his name is K, or the most comical one I've been
using is Celestial Seasonings. Got the idea from a woman whose
golden's name is Lipton. So cute. But I tell people Celestial
Seasonings, and no one is inclined to even call him. Probably 'cause
they know I'm bs-ing them. Most of my acquaintances and classmates
here on campus don't even know the Golden Guy's name.

On 4/29/14, minh ha <minh.ha927 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I was very strict about not letting anyone pet Viva when I first came
> home with her, but I've relaxed my stance since then. Obviously I
> don't let anyone touch her when we're working, but if we're just
> sitting somewhere and someone asks to pet her, I will generally let
> them. I do tell them that if she gets too excited, then the meet and
> greet is over. it's also  a great way for me to teach her self-control
> and obedience since I'll make her lay down and stay.
>
> Minh
>
> On 4/29/14, The Pawpower Pack <pawpower4me at gmail.com> wrote:
>> With Soleil, I have used petting as a practice time for self control.
>> She
>> loves people, and right at first, I knew that I was going to just have to
>> restrict all petting, or use the petting as an exercise.  Since I'm
>> Deafblind, people tend to just pet because they are not getting my
>> attention
>> with me by asking unless I'm with a hearing person.
>> So if I have time to allow petting, I first tell her down. I tell the
>> person
>> wanting to pet that she can only be pet in a down and that if she gets
>> up,
>> they are to stop, I thank them for helping me with her training, so they
>> feel good.  They pet her and then in mid pet I ask her to come away and
>> touch my hand and click and treat.  She is a lab, so would rather eat
>> than
>> lay and get petted.  And her getting up ends the session.  If people pet
>> without asking she will turn to me.
>> My coworkers and friends also help in this exercise as well.
>> Because I'm Deafblind and a lot of my friends are deafblind, and I work
>> with
>> deafblind children, she has to learn to be touched without coming
>> unhinged
>> with joy.  Deafblind people are a pretty tactile lot and if a deafblind
>> child has never seen a guide dog, they can look at her-- with their
>> hands--
>> and learn.  So far, Soleil's doing really well!
>>
>>  Rox and the kitchen Bitches:
>> Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
>> Pawpower4me at gmail.com
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Apr 29, 2014, at 6:41 AM, "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Generally I just say, "No, but thank you for asking." I smile and make
>>> it
>>> seem like them asking was a wonderful thing.  Then I move on.  Standing
>>> there will encourage a discussion or debate or whatever, moving on
>>> indicates that you don't want to discuss your no petting rule and it
>>> also
>>> reinforces that you need to get stuff done and don't have time for
>>> petting.
>>>
>>> I do allow petting on occasion.  If I do I let the person know it's up
>>> to
>>> Monty if he wants to be petted.  I give Monty his release cue and let
>>> him
>>> approach if he wants.  Usually he will give the person a perfunctory
>>> sniff
>>> and he's done.  Every now and then he will back away from the person,
>>> which is kind of embarrassing, but they get it that he doesn't want to
>>> be
>>> petted. He's not very into meet and greet with people though, so this
>>> works.
>>>
>>> Last week I was in the grocery store and there was a Mom with about four
>>> kids.  The kids wanted to pet Monty and asked their Mom.  Usually
>>> parents
>>> just say the dog is working and leave it alone, but this Mom went on a
>>> complete tirade.  I thought the kids were perfectly well behaved in
>>> asking
>>> their Mom first if they could approach me to ask if they could pet, but
>>> Mom really lit into them.  Then she was on to another topic and how
>>> horrible the kids were and on and on  and on.  So about four isles later
>>> I
>>> asked one of the kids if he would like to pet the dog.  It made the kids
>>> day.  I can't remember the last time I've offered petting to a kid, but
>>> I
>>> really felt bad for them.
>>>
>>> When I talk to people about guide dogs or if I'm doing a presentation or
>>> something, I always stress that dogs are different and people are
>>> different, but asking is always okay.  the answer might be no but
>>> politely
>>> asking and respecting the answer is good.  It's interesting that I
>>> rarely
>>> have issues with kids.  It's adults that have issues with self control.
>>>
>>> Julie
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Darla Rogers
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 1:36 AM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Changing my Petting Policy
>>>
>>> Thank you Raven and Michael; I believe, and several others have also
>>> states
>>> this practice, just not to allow it while we are out working.
>>> I don't owe the general public anything; if they want to pet a dog,
>>> the shelters are crying for volunteers to socialize their dogs; on the
>>> other
>>> hand, if it raises money for my school. <tongue firmly in cheek>
>>> Very Gratefully,
>>> Darla & Handsome Huck
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael
>>> Hingson
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 12:40 AM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Changing my Petting Policy
>>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I do not permit anyone to pet Africa while she is in harness.  If people
>>> want to pet her and I have the time I will remove her harness and then
>>> allow
>>> petting.  If I do not have time I politely explain that while the
>>> harness
>>> is
>>> on she is working and cannot be petted and that I do not have time to
>>> remove
>>> it now.  Especially when people go along with my wishes I thank them
>>> very
>>> much.  If people still insist on petting Africa I will get more stern.
>>>
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>>
>>> Michael Hingson
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Darla Rogers
>>> Sent: Monday, April 28, 2014 10:22 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: [nagdu] Changing my Petting Policy
>>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>               The Handsome Huck is a people magnet and peo9ple are
>>> magnets
>>> for him; there is some petting--last time going through a revolving
>>> door--and I used to let him sit and be petted, but I don't believe this
>>> is
>>> in the best interest of our working relationship?
>>>
>>>               Any ideas?  Strategies?  Explanations?
>>>
>>> Darla & Mister Socialite
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Darla J. Rogers
>>>
>>> djrogers0628 at gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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>
>
> --
> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
> their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
>
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-- 
Raven




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