Service dogs are NOT here for your enjoyment

[BookstoreEscapee]

My older cat has a whole chain of warnings she gives. She'll flick her tail and lay back her ears. Ignore that, and she'll hiss. Ignore that, and she'll give a bare-teeth louder hiss. Ignore that, and she gives a series of claw-retracted swats, really hard.

My cats do the tail flick and ears back, but then they'll just wriggle out of your arms and run. If you've really got them trapped they'll bite but I don't hold them that tightly. If I'm holding the boy in my arms and he wants to get down he'll just start pushing at my neck and chest with his paws until I loosen my grip. The girl...well...she's pretty hard to catch in the first place...

[Dreamstalker]

I've been around service dogs since I was 5 and even then I knew not to mess around with them. It's amazing how smart animals are when you think about it. My mom said that when I was little and was playing with the cat, the cat would give a rough swat to stop me.

When I was really little (and didn't know much better), I grabbed the cat's tail and bent it double.

Livia turned and smacked me (hard), but with no claws. If she had used her claws, given that the smack alone was hard enough to startle me and leave a temporary red spot, I would have ended up in the ER. I didn't touch her tail or any cat's tail for quite a long time after that.

[Banthor the Unruly]

People just don't pay attention unless it hits them upside the head, and that has always pissed the hell out of me.

Back when I used to work in retail, when it was closing time we would turn off the auto-doors and half close the security gate, to discourage people from coming in. The gate moved along a rail that folded up during the day, but would lay on the floor across the exit when we wanted to close the gate (like at closing time).

So when people wanted to leave I or one of the other employees would open the doors for them, politely thank them for shopping, wish them a good night, and warn them to watch there step on the rail. I would point at it just to make that clear.

Every night, and I mean EVERY STINKING NIGHT there would be one dumbass who
would acknowledge my good-bye thank me for the warning, and then trip on the rail.

As for petting unfamiliar dogs, i don't understand why people feel the need. I don't go around in public petting every dog that walks by. If I'm at the dog park and a dog comes up to me wanting to be petted I will, but I think whole petting thing is more for my enjoyment than the dog.

[RammsteinGirl]

Draggar, you need to, very firmly, tell people -NO!- when they try to pet or mess with your wife's service dog in any way. I can understand kids, to a degree, but there's no excuse for literate adults to do that.

[tollbaby]

My children were taught from the time that they could walk that it was *NOT ALLOWED* to touch an animal without permission, both from mommy or daddy AND from the animal's owner (and that we NEVER EVER touch wild animals).

My poor ex-husband had to rescue a chipmunk once that had fallen into a rain barrel at his father's house because my son wouldn't let him leave it there - but the daring *three* year old, instead of reaching in, was smart enough to go get his dad

They'd never pet a strange dog or cat without asking the owner first. Why can't adults learn this simple concept?? (oh, and my son greatly admires service dogs and had read the book "Shadow" about a dozen times - it's all about a family that fosters animals, but when they get Shadow, the daughter thinks he'd make an excellent service dog, so she manages to get him enrolled in a program to become one).

[Saydrah]

off topic but you just reminded me of a story...

When I was about four, I walked outside, and must have smelled like a peanut butter sandwich or something, because a squirrel (and not an urban squirrel that is used to people, either, I lived in a fairly rural area) walked straight up to me and put his paws up on my legs like a dog. So, of course, I thought it was a little dog just the right size for a kid and petted him, which he loved, until my mother came out and screamed, causing the squirrel to run away.

Thereafter, that particular squirrel never asked for petting again, but he followed me around the yard and sat staring at me while I played outside for the rest of his life.

Rodents are smart!

[Seshat]

oh, and my son greatly admires service dogs

I feel very honoured to be one of N's 'people'. N is the seeing-eye dog who helps my blind friend.

When off duty, N is such a sweetheart. She loves to lean against people, or solicit belly rubs. She's also very 'handle-able': I can give her foot checks and ear checks and gum checks and all those 'find problems early' type of health checks, and she'll just let me, then LEAN on me when I'm done.

(Her main person - my blind friend - does all the checks that can be reasonably done by touch. We do the checks that are better done by sight.)

[draggar]

Draggar, you need to, very firmly, tell people -NO!- when they try to pet or mess with your wife's service dog in any way. I can understand kids, to a degree, but there's no excuse for literate adults to do that.

We try that but they continue to pet him while asking "why?"

She didn't bring any of them to the south Florida fair yesterday (heh, I was her service dog). Her friend did bring hers (IMO - bad idea), he was very stressed after the day there.

[Record Store Tough Guy]

I had a lady in a motorchair come in with the sweetest mixed breed service dog. I didn't even notice her at first because she was lying underneath the bins. She had blue eyes. Obviously she was very well behaved. I was allowed to pet her, since I had been chatting with the owner about music, and I asked permission beforehand.

The dog had been under a bit of undue stress lately, so it was as much a treat for her as for me. I forget why, though.

[draggar]

My wife was in New York City this weekend for the Westminster show (showing her service dog). You wouldn't believe the shit people gave her!

Cab drivers refused her because of him. The hotel gave her a hard time, the restaurants gave her a hard time, the museums gave her a hard time, the limo driver gave her a hard time (and they were told ahead of time!)

WTF is this shit? I think she is going to write a few lengthy letters over the next few days.

It's the polar opposite than here in south Florida. We are rarely questioned here and if we are it is a polite "is that your service dog?" my wife says yes and that is the end of it other than an offer of water for him.

[draggar]

She had to fight with the airport shuttle driver to let him into the van, too.

WTF? I thought NYC was a FORWARD thinking city?

[Dreamstalker]

My wife was in New York City this weekend for the Westminster show (showing her service dog).

Which dog was it?

[sportsmom]

That is one of my pet peeves. I despise people who do not realize that service dogs are working! These are the same people who would complain if someone came and bothered them while they were working, but they see no problems doing it to a dog.

Back when I was working full time we had a lovely woman who would shop with us about once a month with her Yellow Lab. The lady was legally blind, but had enough vision left to see movement and shadows and light. I always made sure to approach her from the front and speak to her before I got right up to her. I always asked before I petted her dog. She never said no, but I would never pet Sunny without asking. I usually would wait to ask until the customer was going into the fitting room, because Sunny would lay on the floor outside the room and wait patiently for her master.

[draggar]

Which dog was it?

Malinois. He didn't win anything but our breeder did take best of breed and best of opposite sex.

[mariamousie1]

...what is wrong with people?