[nagdu] the public and dog breeds

Thu Jun 25 18:55:41 UTC 2015

Hello,

I can understand the thing about the compliments.  When I'm out with my friend, who has a lab guide dog, my akita receives the bulk of the compliments, and then my friend's dog receives compliments on her behavior.  

Because people's first sense is visual, they complement Zion on his coat color.  Having never seen color, it is difficult for me to truly get it, but people stop mid conversation to look over and tell me, "He's beautiful."  If we do stop and talk, they will then notice my friend's dog because she's more calm, not to say my dog is crazy hyper, but he's still got that puppy energy about him.

In regards to dog breeds, I will sometimes get comments on how friendly he is for an akita.   I don't get them often because most people that we encounter are not familiar with the breed.

This is for the person who said they jokingly wished they had a pit bull so that the public would give them some peace.

Just because you have a dog who is more  prone to aggression doesn't mean people will leave you in peace.  People will make the mistake, no matter what the breed, that your dog is friendly because it is a service dog.  The people who do make this mistake, I try to correct.  I don't want the public thinking that service dogs can be threatening, but nor do i want the public thinking that a dog wouldn't hurt them because he's a service dog.

Here's an example.  I was talking to a passer-by while  on the way back to my apartment.  As we were talking, a guy comes up and starts talking to my dog.  To my surprise, Zion started backing away from this guy, who proceeded to keep walking toward my dog.  Before i could say anything, the lady told the man that he was making the dog uncomfortable and he needed to stop approaching the dog.

The man said, "oh he's friendly. he's got a harness on."

The lady and i tried to explain to the man that, though he is a working dog, he is an akita first, and while service dogs are trained to be socialable, it is a very dangerous assumption to make, especially if you know what this breed was bred for, as the man did.  

I firmly believe that dogs are what they are raised to be, but I also don't ignore breeds.  

For the person who said they wished they had a pit bull, though it was joking, I don't think the public, in general, would think, "oh, it's a pit bull. let's leave it alone."  

For those of us who have met really good pits, I would know that the pit bull might be friendly, but I'd never assume the dog is friendly.  

I know this borders on the fact that the man should not have tried to pet my dog anyway, but i think a little extra caution is needed when you're approaching a dog who you know was bred for hunting and protection work, and when the dog is making obvious signs of not wanting to go near you.

In short, some people in the public are not that bright.

> On Jun 24, 2015, at 10:39 PM, Raven Tolliver via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> As someone who plans on sticking to goldens, I suspect I'll always be
> flooded by the public. The compliments, comments, and questions are
> never-ending. Most of the time, I just ignore it, or politely thank
> them for compliments on how beautiful my dog is or how well-behaved he
> is. He usually keeps to himself, but people still get curious, chatty,
> and handzy. I think the amount of attention your dog attracts has more
> to do with curiosity and ignorance than the dog's behavior.
> 
> The people who are fearful of dogs are fearful no matter what, in my
> experience. Some people just see a huge dog, and are afraid regardless
> of breed. One time, I was playing with the Golden Guy at a park. I
> took him down a slide, and at the bottom, I lost the leash. He took
> off to say hello to a Dachshund. The poor dog owners were frightened
> by this, so they left with their dog. I don't blame them. They knew
> nothing about my dog.
> 
> About dogs being mistaken for female. I think many people assume
> lighter colored dogs are girls. My dog is truly golden; he's pretty
> blonde. So many people think he's a girl. Also, he has a small head
> for a male golden. It's proportionate, yes. But compared to other male
> goldens, his head is smaller, so I think that has something to do with
> it, too.
> -- 
> Raven
> Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
> www.1am-editing.com
> 
> You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
> have or what you do.
> 
> Naturally-reared guide dogs
> https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs
> 
> On 6/24/15, Lisa via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Dan, that's really funny! :D
>> Yesterday, even the vet said "She" at first. There must be something about
>> Taylor but I don't know what it is.
>> 
>> Lisa
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Dan Weiner via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: "Dan Weiner" <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net>
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 2:28 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] the public and dog breeds
>> 
>> 
>>> Or what about the bizarre conversation I had the other day:
>>> "Is he a girl dog?"
>>> Dan: "he's a boy yes"
>>> 
>>> "she's so beautiful."
>>> 
>>> You've gotta' smile at that one--lol
>>> 
>>> Dan W. and the Parker hound
>>> 
>>> dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lisa via nagdu
>>> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 8:09 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Cc: Lisa
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] the public and dog breeds
>>> 
>>> Hi Pam and all,
>>> 
>>> I often wish (jokingly of course) I had a pitbull or another breed that's
>>> sadly seen by the public as dangerous. So they would let me and my dog
>>> have
>>> our peace.
>>> I have a lab whose face looks, according to many sighted people including
>>> 
>>> my
>>> guide dog trainer, like a puppy's face. Additionally, he's so friendly
>>> and
>>> wagging his tail all the time. Almost every member of the public wants to
>>> say hi to him and says: "She's still young, isn't she?" So apart from the
>>> fact that he'll be 4 in November, really everybody thinks he's a female.
>>> A
>>> female puppy with a heart full of joy. I sometimes hate the public. ;-)
>>> 
>>> Lisa
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Pam via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: "Pam" <pamyoung80 at gmail.com>
>>> Sent: Monday, June 22, 2015 11:17 AM
>>> Subject: [nagdu] the public and dog breeds
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> hi all. just going back to something which was discussed on another
>>>> thread
>>>> about the public's interaction with guide dogs. just curious if any of u
>>>> think it depends on the breed of dog u have and the amount of attention
>>>> the dog gets from the public? i have a couple of friends that went from
>>>> having lab/retriever crosses to shepherd/retrievers and they have both
>>>> said people pretty much stay away from them now they have
>>>> shepherd/retrievers. that they seem to b more wary of them. i also have
>>>> a
>>>> friend that has a golden/doodle and she is constantly being stopped by
>>>> people. so i'm interested to hear your thoughts on this " :) Sent from
>>>> my
>>>> iPhone
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>> 
>> 
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> 
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