“BLOG, BLOG, and BLOG.”
“Goodee the Service Dog,
what are you doing?”
"Making a BLOG, what
else do you think?”
“I’m not sure
Goodee, but I don’t think a human typing a blog ever looks or sounds like that.”
"It's my version of blog typing mom. Humans pretend they are dogs. Why can't I pretend I am a
human who is blogging?"
"I think that's
reasonable Goodee. Do you have an example of a human trying to be a dog?"
“Well the other day this
guy in Wal-Mar. oops no specific mentions in our blog . I
know I’m on it mom. “
“Anyway, this guy he was
doing all kinds of crazy things that he thought looked and sounded like a dog.”
“Like I said mom when we
were in Wal—Mar., oops. I mean when we were in the store just going past him he
did weird stuff.”
“What kind of stuff
Goodee?”
“Well, like throwing his
head back and saying ARF & WOOF. —Things dogs just don’t do.”
“What did we do
Goodee?” Well, I think you looked at him but I just went right past
him.”
My Service Dog Goodee is
right. We encountered a guy that made all kinds of noises the
minute he saw Goodee. At first I wasn’t sure the purpose for
all the noise.
I heard him tell
on-lookers: “Oh I was just trying to aggravate the dog.”
He was successful in
aggravating the human but the professional Service Dog was not distracted.
Service dogs must be able
to ignore all distractions while doing their tasks Hours of training goes
into making sure the dog is fit for their intended use.
NOT NOW: YOU REALLY DON’T
NEED THE DOG’S ATTENTION
“Besides noises, are there
other things that bother us, Goodee the Service Dog?”
“Yes mom, people coming
too close to us and people trying to get my attention.”
Goodee is correct people
often walk around us or run ahead of us making noise trying to get “the dog” to
look at them. Often they will follow us all over a store. . Some adults tell
their children to follow us. as if we are an amusement ride.
“Why shouldn’t people come
too close to us Goodee?”
“Well DUH Mom!”
“Goodee don’t be silly.
Stop using that Urban Dictionary. We are trying to talk to our friends”
“It’s not a good idea to
come close to a Service Dog and their handler because the handler needs lot of
room. They may fall or have another condition that requires lots of
space. If the Service Dog is in training or just over-stimulated
they might become distracted. Furthermore, the Service Dog may think you are
trying to harm their human and become protective. “
“Right Goodee.” “What do
you suppose would be another reason people shouldn’t try to get your
attention?”
“I’m a SERVICE DOG not a
PET! I’m not paying attention to them and I don’t belong to them. I am busy
WORKING and don’t have time to socialize.”
Service Dog Goodee is both
direct and correct. I often need Goodee to help me walk or balance. Some
Service Dog handler’s need their dog to retrieve items or observe medical
conditions. There’s often no time to meet and greet others.
NOT NOW: YOU DON’T REALLY
NEED TO TRY HARDER
Sometimes people will
practically stand on their head trying to get Goodee’s attention. Goodee
ignores them and they continue behavior that looks and sounds silly. Some
behaviors make no sense and are a danger to others.
“You would think people
would be smarter than that.” “Goodee the Service Dog!” “Don’t
be rude.”
“Just sayin’ mom.”
“There was a store
employee once who bent down and called “here doggie,” as if I was going to go
to him.” ---PLEASE! “I’m on a leash attached to someone’s arm why would I go to
someone else?” --- Furthermore “Here doggie, is not in my vocabulary.”
“Right Goodee,”
There was another store
employee instance where the employee threw a bite of shrimp on the ground and
called to Goodee as we passed by. “Leave it,” I advised Goodee. We moved past
with no interest. The employee looked up in dismay. This type of behavior makes
the floor dangerously slick and often frustrates the Service Dog and
their handler.
Perhaps the most discrete
distraction is the store employee who looks down and continually makes faces trying
to gain the dog’s attention. This can disrupt the dog from work. --- It also
shows poor customer service skills. The human Service Dog handler should be
addressed. The dog is an important medical tool, not a toy for your
entertainment.
I’ve read of instances
where people try to disrupt the Service Dog to create noise in the
interest of complaining and getting free services. I also know some
people like to show of their communication skills. –Others are simply desperate
to see a dog.
IN CONCLUSION
Team Goodee finds many
wonderful people as we travel. The situations in our blog are often the rare
situation selected from thousands of things we have encountered.
We strive to be an
educational Resource not a rant.
If you need assistance
finding information about Service Dogs, please contact us.
On behalf of Service Dog
Teams everywhere to al forms of distraction we say: “Not Now We Are Working.”
DD & GOODEE
GoodeeWorks Productions
GoodeeWorks@gmail.com
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