[nagdu] Changing my petting policy

[Aleeha Dudley]

I live in a college town and am currently a student, so I get a lot of
pettin requests, and a lot of petting without request. Dallas is very
solicitous and I'm told he has extremely expressive eyes. I've had
everything from a drive-by, or walk-by, petting, where this girl
literally touched me dog while we were walking past each other in
opposite directions. I've had people make kissy noises at my dog in
buildings and in the street, which has almost cost me. I've had people
blatantly contradict me when I say my dog is working. And evidently
there is a rumor going around campus that I abuse my dog because I
correct him firmly when he's being a jerk. I had one girl say: "I feel
so bad for him. He never gets a break and has to work all the time."
Really? He's got the best life a dog could ask for: exercise, food, a
healthy weight, and a ton of love.
[Aleeha and the snoozing, non-working Dallas

On 5/2/14, Karyn & Thane <bcpaws4me at gmail.com> wrote:
> Like Mardi I am cursed with a dog who once he gets petted, he will seek out
>
> attention. He is far from the typical Border Collie that way.
> In the past, if someone petted my dog, that meant I could get sick from
> whatever was on their hands transferred in the process. I will say it was a
>
> lot easier to get people to use common decency/ sense with that aspect than
>
> it is to explain why they should completely ignore my dog.
> The other day we were waiting for a bus in the sun. A bus driver on break
> just had to make me seem like I was not taking proper care of my dog because
>
> we were in the sun. She then starts talking to him! I was floored. What does
>
> that say if a bus driver doesn't get that talking to a dog is as bad as
> petting it. She even went on to say I know we can not pet SDs but talking is
>
> OK. I set her straight on that one. I was so relieved when she finally
> left-- good grief!
> I have never encouraged anyone to pet my dog whether he is actively doing a
>
> job or not or for that matter a job that others can see (MCS alerts were not
>
> obvious to others, but were to me).
> I want my dogs focused on me. Met was a cross between BC and GSD and
> standoffish when it came to be petted by anyone but family and a couple
> friends I had since I got him. Thane is a people magnet. Sometimes I have
> thought he would have made a better therapy dog LOL
> Even though I no longer have MCS, I still do not say yes if someone asks to
>
> pet him.
> Like Mardi, noone gets that I am blind unless I say so for the most part. I
>
> got one of those nifty signs that says *Ignore me I am a working guide dog*
>
> and his harness says guide dog, but in this day and age more times than not
>
> I feel like the public is more blind than I am LOL Every once in a while I
> will get a bus driver who sees his sign and gives me some insights that I
> need. I feel like I need a little recording device that I can push a button
>
> and have it speak that I am blind. Somehow people can get the deaf part
> pretty easily but the blind part just --- *You don't look blind* or *you
> dont act blind* is common until someone pets and I am guided right their way
>
> in the process. People dont do the fly by pets much any more with me after
> they see the consequences to either Thane's feet or their own with my
> wheels, but the petting while we are on transit or waiting for it is still
> pretty common since I went mask free.
>
> Karyn
>
>
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