LJ Idol Season 5 Week 8 - Leave the God damned Dog Alone, or I Am Not Your Child's Entertainment

[walkertxkitty]

o/` "There's something wrong with the world today
I don't know what it is
Something's wrong with our eyes

"We're seeing things in a different way
And God knows it ain't His
It sure ain't no surprise" o/`

----- "Livin' on the Edge" performed by Aerosmith

Comments

[theafaye]

I canNOT believe the audacity of those parents! My children are being brought up to ask permission from the owner before approaching ANY dog, let alone a working one. It's basic respect - not to mention safer for the children. Even if she wasn't working, she's your property, no one else's to decide what to do with her.

I must say that the entries from the disabled entrants have been really eye opening for me. Yes, we have autism to deal with, but it's a whole world apart from the kind of inconsideration you face.

[walkertxkitty]

Autism has its own challenges. I have quite a few adult friends with it; people treat them horribly, as if they were mentally ill or too stupid to care for themselves.

Sadly, the way people behave in public toward a working dog when it's bad behavior no longer surprises me. What does surprise me is the growing number of elementary school children who correct their parents and tell them it's a working dog trained to help someone with disabilities so younger sibling may NOT pet the animal.

[morning_stand]

If there's one thing I learned from idol, is that there are a lot of people with disabilities who have problems interacting with people. I read a lot on a community about this one person who works at Walmart and has a guide dog with him, and he has stuff like this happen all the time. It's really sad.

I don't see working dogs around that often here, but if I did, I wouldn't let my kids play with it because you can usually tell what's a working dog and what's not.

Thanks for this post. I thought it was very insightful and educational :)

[walkertxkitty]

You're welcome!

You'd be surprised how many people miss the patches, which are three inches wide and bright blue and yellow with medical symbols on them. I could grant them, in this day and age where people dress up pets, the fact that they may not recognize our modified backpack as working gear, but how do you miss the patches?

You'd also think the wheelchair or crutches are a clue. When I was still walking unassisted, I was more understanding but now that I'm in a wheelchair, I find it kind of hard to believe that the people who act that way 'didn't know'.

Thanks for reading!

[lilmissmagic71]

Oh god that must be frustrating! You know, what appalls me as much as folks not realizing they are infringing on you is... why haven't they taught their children what I teach mine...that a strange dog can be dangerous? I mean, I know service animals have wonderful training, but if you don't teach your kids in a broad manner, they won't differentiate between a service animal and any other dog on a leash or harness... dumb freaking people.

And to continue to demand AFTER you say no is RIDICULOUS. I will say this. IF I knew someone with a service animal AND we were in a social setting together AND they didn't seem unnerved by questions, I would allow my kids to ask a few questions regarding service animals. Learning about things outside of your comfort zone is awesome... however, petting would be STRICTLY off limits unless expressly invited by the individual. I mean, DAMN people!

Whew. Sorry. I ranted about your rant.

Thats the sign of a great rant!

[walkertxkitty]

That's partially my point. Freyja has wonderful training, but she's still a dog and she doesn't really like toddlers up close and personal. That's the result, again, of someone's child's bad behavior. We were in a library and the kid chased us through the stacks until we had nowhere else to go. I was in full blown panic mode by then and the kid got to her and started yanking. In a matter of minutes there was fur everywhere. Now she tends to shy away from them; it's slight but her dislike is plain. When she's not on duty she's actually growled or snapped at a friend's child.

An asking me if I pee out of a bag and how I empty it (I don't....yet)? That's just plain rude.

[lironess]

You go girl!

When I was young I was told "do not stare" at people in wheelchairs, and if I even looked, I was "corrected". It took me a long time to be able to look at someone in a wheelchair. And I am glad that I can. But it seems like things have gone way to far the other way. Nobody should treat you like that. No wonder you don't go into town much.

[walkertxkitty]

I don't mind answering honest questions about my disabilities and I love to talk about all the good things Freyja does for me. I think it's a shame that people teach their children that we're invisible. There's nothing wrong with telling a child that the person uses wheels because his or her legs don't work or that the dog does things for the owner.

But this? It will be a good, long time before I venture into the city again. I hate interacting with rude people.

[caninespirit]

oh lordy this sounds all too familiar except my canine partner is way too big to pull into my lap. Just because my eyes and hands don't work doesn't mean i don't know you're interacting with my dog so don't freaking lie to me and just leave her alone. And when a child is screaming in a store and the parent goes "oh look at the doggie, see nice doggie." I want to scream "no don't look at the doggie!" my dog is nolt a babysitter.

[walkertxkitty]

All I can say, is "Amen." I'm sarcastic by nature so I have to resist the urge to point back and shout, "Oh, look, honey, a brat!"

The only time I don't mind being pointed out is if the parents ARE trying to explain why dogs seen in stores shouldn't be touched. I don't mind them saying, "See? That's a working dog and if you see one, you don't touch it."

Thanks for reading!

[caninespirit]

jus once i want to have the guts to play out the following...
Kid: "doggie doggie dooogie!!!!"
Me: (looks around franticly) "what! Dog! Where!?!?!?""

[walkertxkitty]

One of these days, I just might.

It would make a great Halloween costume/bit, kind of the reverse of the empty harness trick :D Simply wear a shirt that says "Crazy Lady" and do that.