It's interesting when I travel with Isaac to see how people in different places respond to a service dog. When we were in the Detroit area back in May, I was pleased to find that not one person tried to pet Isaac without asking and no one distracted him by barking or meowing or howling or anything like that. People did ask if I was training him and that sort of thing, but no one distracted him.
Beyond that, though, I have noticed that these days when I shop or go to restaurants or other businesses near my home, places Isaac and I frequent, we aren't questioned or bothered so much. Staff at those places are all used to seeing us and if they ever were inclined to pet or distract the service dog, they've been educated and now know not to do that. They've already asked if I was training Isaac for a blind person or whatever they wanted to know. Even other customers, if they are regular customers, are used to seeing us.
Outside our little comfort zone, though, even if I happen to stop at the grocery store in the next town over, we get a lot more attention. Where I live, at least, service dogs are a novelty. I think that is different in some other parts of the country, but it is the case where I live.
So when we travel, it's just interesting to see how people react.
No comments:
Post a Comment