[nagdu] Handling difficult store owners

[Doug Parisian]

Sheila, even that choice for me at least, is dog dependant.  My retriever 
simply played dead in situations where it would have been difficult to have 
him nearby, regardless of what anyone tried to do..  On the other hand, my 
most recent black lab took every possible opportunity when I wasn't paying 
attention to get as much of her own as she could manage before I caught on. 
With these dogs, each demands a specific method of management.

Doug: my dog can lick your dog, and you too.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sheila Leigland" <sleigland at bresnan.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2013 7:07 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Handling difficult store owners


:i personally don't like my dog wenty feet away partly because I don't
: know what he is doing. Also I don't wan others to pet him without my
: knowledge.
: On 7/22/2013 2:16 PM, Andrew Webb wrote:
: > Hello all,
: >
: >
: >
: > I've been a member of this list for all of about the last 15 minutes, so
: > it's good to be with you all.  I'd like to ask some advice on a topic 
that
: > I'm sure comes up very frequently.  I'm a pretty new guide dog user and 
so
: > there are some situations on which I'm still sort of feeling my way and
: > appreciate hearing thoughts from more experienced handlers.
: >
: >
: >
: > I recently visited for the first time a store where the proprietor was
: > plainly not very happy about my having brought my dog inside. 
Specifically,
: > it was a barber shop.  However, the point I'd like to emphasize is that,
: > unlike with a couple other similar encounters I've had, this gentleman 
was
: > absolutely kind, respectful, and courteous to me in every other regard. 
He
: > gave me a warm greeting, made small talk, made sure he knew what I was
: > looking for in a haircut, etc.  He just wasn't comfortable having the 
dog
: > inside the shop.  He said that ordinarily the shop has a "no dogs" 
policy,
: > but that for me, "he would make an exception."  (Yes, I know, kind of
: > patronizing, but I needed to get my hair cut.)  When we were done, he 
asked
: > if next time I could please tie up the dog to a post that is right 
outside
: > the shop's front door.  I explained to him in a respectful tone, that 
this
: > was a service animal and as such enjoyed a special status, and that by 
law
: > the shop owner could not refuse admission to the dog or ask me to keep 
him
: > outside, not to mention the fact that I take care to ensure that the dog 
is
: > clean, well-groomed, and well-behaved.  After I explained this, 
especially
: > the part about the applicable laws, the gentleman just sort of went 
silent,
: > we left it at that, I wished him a good day and the dog and I were on 
our
: > way.
: >
: >
: >
: > Bottom line: This was a nice and seemingly decent fellow, who probably
: > sincerely believed that he was acting within his rights as the store 
owner,
: > and simply doesn't know the relevant law.  He listened to what I told 
him
: > about the law, but I don't think he believed me.
: >
: >
: >
: > I wonder how people would suggest that I handle this matter going 
forward?
: > This barber shop is far and away the most convenient one for me to 
visit,
: > and what's more they give good haircuts at a reasonable price.  In other
: > words, all other things being equal, I'd prefer to keep going there, and 
it
: > would be an inconvenience for me not to.  What's more, it's a short 
enough
: > walk from my house that I can feasibly get there using just my cane and 
park
: > the dog at home (in most cases).
: >
: >
: >
: > What's giving me pause here is that the shop owner was nice, just 
ignorant.
: > If he were a jerk, it would all be different.  I can deal with a jerk, 
and
: > have done so.  I'd have no problem suing, if need be.  (I'm actually an
: > attorney.)  But in this case, since the shop is right in my neighborhood 
and
: > I pass by it every day, since I'd prefer to keep going there for 
haircuts,
: > and since the owner was an absolutely nice guy aside from not wanting 
the
: > dog in the store, I feel sort of conflicted.  I wonder if I should just
: > check my ego (and my rights), and go there in futre without the dog?  Or
: > should I return there next time with the dog, armed with a copy of the
: > relevant statute in hand, and show it to the gentleman, in the interest 
of
: > educating him (and consequently probably taking the pleasure out of that 
and
: > all future visits)?  Perhaps there are no right or wrong answers here 
per
: > se, but I'm just interested to hear people's thoughts.
: >
: >
: >
: > Also, when I went to sit in the barber's chair, I left my dog tied down 
to a
: > seat in the waiting area (perhaps 20 feet away).  Can anyone tell me if
: > legally this was permissible, or do I need to have him close at hand 
near
: > the barber chair?
: >
: >
: >
: > Thanks in advance for all thoughts and perspectives.
: >
: >
: >
: > Regards,
: >
: > Andrew
: >
: > _______________________________________________
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