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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/22/AR2010092204991.html?hpid=topnews
I have to take my dog with me everywhere as he's a hearing ear dog. He's been trained to a fare-thee-well, but we've both learned to dread the ill-behaved, untrained pet dogs that equally ill-behaved, untrained pet owners drag about.
Itzl has his CGC certificate[1], his AAT certificate[2], his FBE certificate[3], his PA certificate [4], his TDI certificate [5], his SRT certificate [6], and exceeds the ADI [7]and IAADP standards[8] for hearing assistance dogs.
While we don't expect other dogs to be as educated as he is, we do at least expect them to have the equivalent of a CGC. Responsible dog owners teach their dog manners. Even the smallest dogs can learn good manners, and Itzl, at 4 pounds, is ample proof of that.
Even Xoco, poor brain damaged little pooch, has some manners. She, too, has her CGC. She's deathly afraid of men and will bark at them if I'm not holding her (I'm her safe place). I don't know where her fear comes from, no man has ever abused her for as long as I've had her, and I got her before she was 8 weeks old. I don't know what happened to her those first few weeks of her life, but that's the only time where human men could have harmed her. When I got her, she had hydrocephaly, a twisted spine, dislocated hips, and luxated patellas. All of that is fixed now.
If Xoco were allowed all the same places Itzl can go, I can trust her to behave as well as he does (although much clingier). I know she will stare at people eating (but not beg) and will wait until she's given the treat before she eats it -she won't take it off the plate or table, just the floor, fingers, and her treat dish. She barks at other dogs, but will hush when I tell her to (I can tell she's barking because she bounces with each bark, tail and ears as straight up as she can get them).
I have absolutely no problems with well behaved dogs appearing anywhere in public - restaurants, grocery stores, parks, fairs, hotels, stores, festivals, concerts, theaters.
Ill-mannered dogs should be left at home until they have learned some public manners. Stressed-out dogs should be removed to someplace where they can calm down or get away from the stressful situation [9]. If you bring a dog out in public, you need to be constantly aware of its needs - and that includes assistance dogs because even assistance dogs, when provoked enough, will snap.
Be honest - if someone were pulling your hair and poking your eyes over and over again, wouldn't you snap? Why put a dog in a situation like that and then get upset when it growls or snaps - or even bites? A dog that goes that far is a dog whose owner is ignoring it and not protecting it.
And if you're the type of owner who sics your dog onto other dogs [10] - you don't deserve dogs.
I grew up in Europe and have a very European attitude towards dogs, as Suzanne Nagy says: "Suzanne Nagy, an Alexandria resident who has been posted in Austria with the International Atomic Energy Agency, said dogs are more likely to be seen in public settings in Europe, but with much less friction. The difference, she said, is near-universal obedience training and an onus on owners to make their dogs behave.
"They just see dogs as an integral part of life, and they go everywhere with people, restaurants, shopping malls, beer halls," Nagy said. "Here, I see people getting dragged down the street by their dogs."
Dogs are not accessories. Dogs are not toys. Dogs are not "children".
Last weekend, at FenCon, most people were excellent with Itzl. Of course, most of them are familiar with him by now - he's attended FenCon (and other cons) with me for 5 years now. But there are still those who tell me I'm lucky to be able to take my "baby" with me, and they miss their "babies" so much.
Gag me with a spoon!
Itzl is not my baby. He is my highly trained partner. He is not spoiled, although he is very indulged. He earns that indulgence by working every one of my waking hours. He goes above and beyond his required duties to act as a therapy dog for the residents where I work, and to work with cats to acclimate them to the presence of dogs, and he will work to protect other people, to herd them to safety when the tornado sirens sound. He deserves all the benefits he receives.
If other dogs were half as well trained as Itzl, there would be no issues with dogs in public places.
[1] Canine Good Citizen - AKC certificate - tests dogs on 10 good public manner behaviors.
[2] Animal Assisted Therapy - mostly for the benefit of the residents where I work, but also to increase my own attention and communication skills by modulating my voice so I'm neither too loud nor too quiet (I have a tendency to speak too softly)
[3] Feline Behavior and Enrichment - Not needed for assistance dogs, but he volunteers at cat shelters to help cats live with dogs - he speaks Cat fluently and was awarded this certificate for his unstinting work in playing with cats.
[4] Public Access - Advanced CGC - tests dogs on their ability to cope with elevators, wheelchairs, crowds, traffic, etc.
[5] Therapy Dog International - not for therapy dogs, but a service dog test for traveling in other countries
[6] Sound Response Test - an annual test to both test his hearing and his alerts to sounds
[7] Assistance Dogs International - a place that trains and places assistance dogs, developed the first set of minimum standards
[8] International Association of Assistance Dog Partners - provides a great deal of information about assistance dogs, including training information.
[9] I saw a Great Dane at a street fair being pestered by a rat terrier - the terrier was attacking the Dane's tail repeatedly. The Dane tried to get his owner's attention - the owner just "shushed" the dog every time. The terrier's dog was laughing and encouraging the terrier to snap and bite the Dane's tail. Finally, the Dane had enough, turned and snapped once. The terrier was dead. It was the fault of both the terrier's owner and the Dane's as one ignored his dog's pleas and the other encouraged bad manners. The Dane, however, was blamed for all of this.
[10] When I drove to California last year, at a rest stop a man with a pair of beautiful Golden Retrievers sicced them onto Itzl and Xoco - since I had both on harnesses, I was able to pull them up out of harm's way, but not before one of them bowled Itzl over and dislocated his knee. The owner thought it was hilarious - until CHP caught up with him last month and arrested him for the federal crime of injuring with malice a service dog.
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