I have quickly come to learn the greatest compliment I can receive is that someone didn't notice my dog. Let me backtrack. It's not that I'm ashamed to have or even need Renee. I love her! Still, the goal is that she makes the difficult areas of my life more seamless without drawing attention.
In training, we talked a lot about public opinion. As dog guide handlers, we work extremely hard to keep our corrections and commands subtle. During training, Renee and I walked around a mall for a while. We were both exhausted from training itself, so I found the coffee cafe at a Barnes and Noble. I got my coffee and sat dons at a small table, having Renee sleep at my feet. When I had entered the cafe, I noticed a loud group of high school students at a large table. I was a little nervous that they might try to pet Renee or that they would distract her. This just comes to show that we all have inappropriate judgments about others! They didn't even notice Renee. We sat comfortably for about an hour. When it was time to go, I woke Renee and we started out. One of the high school girls exclaimed, "Wow! I didn't even know she was there!"
Renee gets lots of attention from me each day and even gets loving from family and friends when she's off harness. She is happy to work without the praise or even acknowledgement from any other person. While it's natural to see a dog and get excited, the right thing for all people to do when they see a service dog is to ignore it.
I have noticed that a lot of people think there's a difference between petting a dog and talking to if. The reality is that distraction is distraction, regardless of the kind. Anything that could distract Renee from her work hurts my ability as a woman with a disability to live life. A distraction while waiting in line somewhere might cause me to be kicked out of a restaurant for an unruly dog. A distraction on the street might cause Renee or me to get injured by obstacles. And a distraction while crossing a street could potentially impair our judgement and even kill one of us.
I hesitated on whether or not to be so blunt, but I decided that the truth is very important here. A simple locked gaze between a person and Renee, a little "Hello doggie!" or tiny pat on the head could have extreme consequences. The best thing to do is to completely ignore the dog.
This does not, however, mean to ignore me! People are people, sighted or not. People are always welcome to talk to me. I'm not much for a pat on the head though...:-)
Please pass along the seriousness of dog guide etiquette. It could mean someone's life.
With Gratitude,
Sara
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