[nagdu] Changing my petting policy

[Tracy Carcione]

Aleeha, you left out the best bit of a guide dog's life--he gets to go 
everywhere with his person.  He's almost never left home alone for hours, as 
many pets are.
And, perhaps because our dogs have been bred to work, I think many of them 
have an idea that what they do really makes a difference to their person, 
and that matters to them.  I think, though I'm not sure, that sometime 
during class, the dog realizes that this is not the fun game he played with 
his trainer; now it really matters, and this person really needs his skills.
Tracy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aleeha Dudley" <blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2014 11:12 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Changing my petting policy


>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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>
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