[nagdu] They know the dog is working?

[Nicole Torcolini]

First and foremost, as always, the solution to this is going to be different
for everyone, and there is no right answer. Furthermore, the same person may
handle it differently depending on the situation and people.
A few things to consider:
1. Although we do not want people interacting with our dogs, our dogs often
want to interact with people, and they will often indicate this in various
ways, such as wagging or making eye contact.
2. Some people may not understand that a dog is still working when wearing
the harness, even if the handler is not holding onto the harness handle.
This may be worse for people who see a person with a dog primarily when the
person is leading the dog and going sighted guide.
3. Some people think that dogs understand complicated sentences, such as "I
am sorry", and they do not realize that all that they are doing is
continuing to distract the dog.
4. Regardless of who it is, the dog is a guide dog, not a pet. The dog is
not there for the amusement/entertainment of others.

Abigail, I have a few questions about your specific situation.
Why do you go to work with your mother?
How often do you go to work with your mother?
How long have you been going to work with your mother?
You say "mother's employees". Is she the boss/manager/other higher position?
What does your mother think of the problem?
Do the employees see you as an adult, or do they see you more as the
daughter of your mother? Furthermore, if your mother and you tell an
employee the same thing, is that person more likely to listen to your mother
than you?
Exactly what did the lady this morning do?
What were you and Jada doing at the time?
How did Jada respond?
Have you talked to the employees before about this problem?

There are several different ways to solve this problem.
You could stop going to work with your mother, or, if possible, you could
not take Jada.
You could not take Jada once, and, when people ask you where she is, you
could explain that people kept getting her in trouble, which might get the
message across.
You could try explaining that you have to keep correcting Jada, but it is
really them who needs to be corrected. You could also try a more joking
version of this, if they like jokes, and say "Bad human!" or "Bad (person's
name)!".
You could try something else slightly silly; maybe something about Jada
being in her uniform.
You could make a harness handle sign, either serious or silly. However, I
had one of these once, and some people will be reading them while already
petting the dog.
You could try talking to all of the employees. If you think that they will
not listen to you, but they will listen to your mother, then you could have
your mother there or have her talk instead.

Marion, I like your approach. However, JMHO, I would use something like
started touching my belongings or touching my child as I do not quite equate
touching my guide dog with touching me, but I agree that it does get the
point across.

A slightly funny true story...
A person was working a guide dog down the aisle of a store when a mother
pushing a baby stroller approached from a intersecting aisle with a crying
baby. Looking for a way to make the baby happy, the lady started touching
the guide dog and saying, "It's a doggy." The person repeatedly asked the
lady to stop, but to no avail. The person finally decided to try a different
tactic and started touching the baby, saying, "It's a baby.". The lady said,
"What are you doing?", to which the person responded, "What are you doing?
Don't touch my baby, and I won't touch yours.".

This is a true story. However, as I never asked if I could share it, all
identifying information about the person and the dog have been omitted.

Nicole

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Abigail Bolling
via nagdu
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2014 7:06 AM
To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
Subject: [nagdu] They know the dog is working?

Hi all,
I'd like to start this out with saying I hope you all had a great holiday.
And hope the new year is good for you and your furry friends.
Now I have a serious question for you all?
My mothers employees are almost like family. Mother has been at her place of
employment for over 30 years, and her staff all love dogs.

This one woman walked up to Jada this morning and started trying to get jada
to play with her.  Jada was in harness, and since we were in public, I
corrected her for reacting. The woman then continued talking to jada saying
"sorry puppy. I didn't mean to get you in trouble, I know I shouldn't be
talking to you because you're working."

What do/would you guys do in this situation? Since this happens every time I
go to work with my mother. 


Abigail Bolling
"Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and just let the music
play." (Julie Anderson Diamond)
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