[NAGDU] Cricket can growl?

[Emily Michael]

Hi Abby and all, 

A similar situation happened to me this year. I think extra pups is a peril of the holiday party season! 

I went to a holiday party where the hostess usually has her small dog put up. She lives next door to a police officer, who has a K-9 dog in their fenced yard. But the police dog rarely barks or causes trouble, so I didn’t expect a problem. I was getting out of the car and putting York’s harness on when I heard some pretty intense barking. Turns out the neighbor has two German shepherds, and they were out in the yard. My parents assured me that the dogs were behind a fence, but their barking still got York excited. It was difficult to get his harness on because he kept turning to see the other dogs. 

Then we walked through the front door and not one but two little dogs came charging at us. One was barking and growling – very aggressive. So I stepped back outside with York until the little dogs could be taken care of. York behaved well, but little dogs make me nervous because they can get so easily underfoot. 

I’ve heard York growl only once when another off-leash dog came running up to greet him. I was at a quartet rehearsal in a friend’s house and her daughter’s ill-trained dog snuck out of the bedroom where he was being kept. York growled because the other dog was way too close, crowding him. I didn’t correct him because I knew the growl meant, “Back off, buddy.” 

As others have said, introductions are vital. A few people at the holiday party thought I was being a diva because I was upset about the other dogs there. I wouldn’t have minded them being there if York had a chance to meet them on neutral turf. But being surprised by other dogs, especially dogs who aren’t well-behaved, when you’re trying to work your guide dog – that’s no fun. 

For a good example, I went to a get-together yesterday at my sister’s house. Even though York has met her friendly Corgi before, I asked that they be reintroduced. They were able to sniff each other and there were no issues. 

With best,
Emily 
---
Emily K. Michael
emily.k.michael at gmail.com
Blog: http://areyouseeingthis.wordpress.com/

"Nowhere, Love, will world exist but within."
- Rainer Maria Rilke

> On Dec 27, 2015, at 3:21 AM, Abby Bolling via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all!
> I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!
> I went to my uncles house for our annual  family get together. My aunt and uncle have two black labs and they said that of course, cricket was welcome, that Stella and Lulu would love to play with another dog. Well, that didn't go as planned.
> I was working Cricket into the house because we don't go there very often, so the layout is very unfamiliar to me.
> So Cricket and I are walking up the steps and she is doing really really good. She steps up and is on the landing and all of a sudden I hear puppy paws on the wood floor. Crickets harness handle is 20inches long because she is super short, but this means, when we go up steps, I am usually two steps behind her. So I wasn't on the landing yet. But all of a sudden, I feel Crickets head jerk around a little bit, then she turns to the right to body block me. at this point, I can feel Stella and Lulu like dancing around Cricket and getting in her  face and jumping at her. I could tell they were playing, but i have no idea what was going through Crickets head. I was very surprised when I heard my little 48 pound tiny black lab let out one of the most terrifying growls I have ever heard. I'm serious, I was taken-aback for a split second.
> I corrected her so hard that she actually did a 180 degree turn, but Stella got back in her face and she growled again. At this point I was able to get on the landing and correct her hard again, but even through the fact that the collar was tight around her throat, she was still trying to growl. At this point, my cousin was able to grab Stella and then Lulu and put them in a separate room, but Cricket was still wound up and was jumping in the air. I literally had to almost tackle her to get her to lay down and calm down.
> My family doesn't understand dog corrections, and they cringe and squawked because they thought I was hurting Cricket. I told them that I wasn't "hurting her," sure it wasn't comfortable, but I wasn't debilitating her.
> 
> 
> Now the question! In your guys' opinion, did I handle the situation correctly? Should I not take cricket over there? And what would yall have done in that situation?
> My Boyfriend asked why I didn't take Cricket out to the car, as it is really warm here, so temperature wise she would have been safe, but I didn't do that because she has really bad separation anxiety and will cry and whine and howl if she is left alone very much.
> And since I have only had her home for 4 months, I don't want to make her mad too early in the game.
> 
> So anyway, thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? All are appreciated!
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Abby and the currently snuggly peaceful sleepy cricket.
> 
> -- 
> Abigail M. Bolling
> Wright State University-2018: Rehabilitation Services
> Phone: (513) 512-3456
> Email: bolling.8 at wright.edu
> Abilities United: Secretary
> Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users, a chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio: Secretary
> "keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and just let the music play." (Julie Anderson-Diamond)
> "Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live like it's Heaven on earth." (William Purkey)
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
> 
> 
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