Isaac has a patch on his vest that says "Please Don't Pet Me, I'm Working." But that is apparently not sufficient. I need a patch that says "Do Not Pet Me, Talk to Me, Make Kissy Noises at Me, Bark at Me, Meow at Me, or Otherwise Bother Me." I don't think all that would fit on Isaac's vest, though.
Yesterday, Isaac and I were in line at Kroger when an employee started talking to him, making kissy noises at him, etc. "Oh, pretty, pretty doggie. I can't pet you. I'm sorry. I would pet you but I'm not allowed. It says so right there on your thing. I'm sorry, baby. Pretty doggie."
Isaac was so good. He looked at her and that was it. In the past, he would have tried to go to her and asked to be petted.
That's awful. Are there patches that simply say "Please do not disturb me, I'm working"? It would save so much space, and hopefully people would back off a bit. :(
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are such patches. But people often ignore them. Or read them out loud while petting the dog.
DeleteOh, and it's also not unusual for people to read the patch on his vest and then apologize to him profusely for not being allowed to pet him. Happened just the other day at the oil change place.
DeleteI decided I'm going to print these images out on card stock so I can hand it to people when I don't want to explain myself. Earlier this week I had an altercation with someone coming up to me and continuing to try and pet after I sad "please don't touch us." They said "no, it's okay! I have retrievers!" And I said "no, it's not okay. I asked you not to touch us." She ended up petting my hand and arm because I blocked her. Took 10 minutes to "reset" Charlie. :s http://www.anythingpawsable.com/10-things-service-dog-handlers-want-know/strangerschild/#.VGOO32K9KSM
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