Saturday, May 11, 2013

No, I'm Not Training Him for a Blind Person

A few days ago, I was shopping at Meijer.  This is not the Meijer I used to shop at regularly, but the Meijer closest to my new home; close is a relative term, since it's nearly 20 miles away.

I was selecting some yogurt when an employee asked me if I was training Isaac.

I replied with my standard answer: "No, he's already trained."

She looked confused and said, "You're not training him for a blind person?" 

I said, "No, he is already fully trained.  He's my service dog."

She started telling me how she used to have a dog that she got from "those people that train them for the blind," and how he was "too friendly and too nosy" so they let her adopt him.  She said he was a great dog.

And then she asked, "So you're not training him for a blind person?"

I said, "No, he is already fully trained.  He is my service dog.  Service dogs help people with all kinds of disabilities, not just blind people.  And you can't always tell if someone has a disability just by looking at them."

To which she replied, "I know that!  I just thought maybe you were training him for a blind person."

I sighed and said, "I have to finish my shopping now," and walked off.

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