[nagdu] harness signs

Tue Mar 9 13:57:51 UTC 2010

I'm wondering how much of the interaction between public and dog is
gender-based to the handler? As a woman, I know that I'm interacted with on
a slightly different level than men - called 'little lady' by
many-a-older-guy on public transit, etc. I know there was a study done
recently (um, 20/20 special so not really a study) with a blind man & a
blind woman trying to buy pastries in a shop and the woman was actually
stood up for/defended more readily by an incredulous public than the man. Is
this because women are inherently viewed as inferior and in need of
protection? Probably.
So when a female handler walks around with her dog is it  much easier to
disregard her and interact with her dog? Perhaps. I've had men spit in my
face because I told them to leave my dog alone. Granted he spit in my face
after he started petting my dog and I said no and he said F-off and I said
oh really? And stepped between dog & dude and dude then pushed at me so I
slapped him in the face and he spit on me and then....ran away. But the main
point was I said no and he said "so?" and continued his bad behavior.
I have a hard time with this subject. It's so rooted in my need for safety
in public as a woman - using public transit and getting groped by a dude
behind or next to me feels as dirty and disgusting as unauthorized petting
of my dog by a stranger. So how do I reconcile my need for safety and
autonomy with the day-to-day hassles all handlers have in public?
I do so by not allowing people to pet my dog. By demanding that I be asked
first. By expecting my answer to be respected - if I say no it means no.
This goes for my body as much as my dog's.  And unfortunately the waiting
public takes away that I'm a rude, withholding human. But my safety is more
important than public image.
Unfortunately we aren't in a vacuum and all blind people speak for all blind
people in front of AB folks. So when someone lets the public pet their dog
in harness they send a message that I will to. And when I say no and am
assumed rude I send a message that all blind people are rude.
It's a crappy inter-connected all-disabled-folk-are-the-same world.
Jeanette

On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 8:12 AM, Albert J Rizzi <albert at myblindspot.org>wrote:

> now there is the honest one in the group. I must confess that I too enjoy
> it
> when people take notice of my handsome lad. I do stop to let him take in
> the
> praise at times, though I always take his harness off. Now before you all
> go
> mad about that, it is a conscious decision I make and am willing to make
> for
> my dog and all the good work he does, I feel that if time allotted when I
> take the harness off it reinforces the work thing and out of work thing for
> the dog. It also embarrasses  the petting offender and they always insist I
> not go to any great lengths, which always allows for a honest and open I
> really should bet t my meeting.
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 6:39 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs
>
> Hmm...  Maybe someone should make a project out of finding a mutt-ugly
> scurvy cur, slappying a guide dog harness on it and heading out into public
> to see what happens?  /grin/  I've thought of designing a special poodle
> cut
> to uglify Mitzi...  I could have the groomer do her all lopsided and patch
> and stuff, then put odd dye patches on her here and there...
>
> Whaddaya think?  Should I go for it?  /grin/
>
> Or maybe someone could invent a spray, like that stuff that is supposed to
> keep pets away from certain areas.  In fact, isn't it called "Pet Away?" or
> stomething?  Maybe if we sprayed are dogs with anti-human pheromones we
> could go about our business in peace? /lol/
>
> Okay, so my dirty little secret is that I've sort of gotten to enjoy the
> attention my poodle gets, now that we've learned to deal and move on.
> Unless she's in hussy mode, in which case, I just have to deal until I can
> make a graceful exit or haul out the jaws of life to separate her from the
> bestest friend ever she just made.  /smile/  I figure I can embarrass
> myself
> enough that I may as well let the dog find ways to embarrass me so long as
> it makes everybody happy...  Sigh.  Maybe it has something to do with
> living
> in Portland?  Part of me remembers the place as the oversized redneck town
> of my youth; it's fun talking to long-time resident cabbies who remember it
> the same way.  But in the past (I will not admit how many) years, it's
> grown
> and changed along and now it's sort of...  Funky? Funny? Kind of getting to
> be cosmopolitan but with a super progressive political bent and a strong
> flavor of small-town friendliness.  It can make going out and about a lot
> of
> fun, in a funy, weird way.
>
> So long as one remembers to take into account the growing number of
> homeless
> people with dogs of uncertain temperament downtown...  That population has
> grown over the past few years, and while the scary dogs we've passed have
> been kept under control by their ragged and dirty humans, it seems to take
> a
> lot of effort from the human to keep the dog from going for my sweet
> precious.  Yikes!  Still, with the housing situation here, as in so many
> places, it's to be expected.  Sigh.  Otherwise, though, Portland is a
> pretty
> cool place.
>
> You just don't stand a prayer of going more than five steps without someone
> saying something about your dog.  /grin/
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Albert J Rizzi
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 2:05 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs
>
> What if we all got the ugliest dogs imaginable? Do you think that would cut
> down on the petting distractions?
>
> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> CEO/Founder
> My Blind Spot, Inc.
> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> New York, New York  10004
> www.myblindspot.org
> PH: 917-553-0347
> Fax: 212-858-5759
> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> doing it."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Marsha Drenth
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 4:39 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs
>
> Now here is where I have seen a improvement. My husband purchased me a sign
> for my pup for the harness for Christmas, and she has been wearing it
> since.
> Granted not all that long. But I have had only one person try to pet my pup
> since. I don't think this person could read, and most likely had other
> disabilities. Before, I had so many people try to pet her. I was trying and
> just dreaded going places because of the number of people who wanted to pet
> her. So in my situation, the sign has definetly worked wonders!
>
> JMO
> Marsha
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Julie J
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 3:43 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harness signs was guide dogs
>
> I don't think the signs make any difference anyway.
>
> I have a sign on Monty's harness that says "Please don't pet me I'm
> working".  For folks who have difficulty with words there is also a picture
> of a hand reaching to pet a dog with a giant red slash through it.  You'd
> think people would get the hint, but they don't. I have noticed absolutely
> no difference in the amount of petafiles since I started with the sign.
>
> Just today I had some guy reach out to pet Monty just as we're getting
> ready
>
> to cross the street of all things.  He explained that he had been petting
> the dog in training on the college campus earlier.  As if that made it okay
> or something.  Torks me.  But Monty got my revenge, he backed up and gave
> the death ray eyeball look.  LOL  Go Monty!
>
> Julie
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Meghan" <meghan at n-republic.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 12:15 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dogs
>
>
> > No, they don't give you a sign for the harness, but you get cards that
> you
>
> > can hand out.
> >
> > They make it clear that they discourage petting, but they advise you on
> > how to approach it if you are going to allow it, too.
> >
> > Hope that helps,
> > Meghan
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jennifer L Finley" <jenniferfinley at embarqmail.com>
> > To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 3:28 PM
> > Subject: [nagdu] guide dogs
> >
> >
> >> Does the seeing eye have the please don't pet me signs?  Do they use
> >> anything to let the public know to not pet the dog?
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-- 
Jeanette Beal
MS.Ed Assistive Technology
Independent Consultant
Boston, MA 02115
bealjk at gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bealjk
http://bealjk.tumblr.com/

"Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire" - Marge
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