REAL Exclusive Magazine

Can I Pet Your Dog?

By Chris McNamee

Chris McNamee has the degenerative rentinal disease retinitis pigmentosa. RP is characterized by the progressive loss of photoreceptor cells, rods and cones, which provide night and peripheral vision. RP is an inherited disease; his father has RP as well as a younger sister. Chris was diagnosed with the disease at age 28, and his vision deteriorated to the point that he was forced to stop driving six years later in 1993. He currently has a very small central field of vision, and no night vision. He travels with the aid of his guide dog, Max.

“Can I pet your dog?”

I hear this question every time my guide dog Max and I are out in public. I completely understand why, even if I am a little biased. Max is a beautiful yellow lab, and he is wonderfully friendly with a great personality. So I try to accommodate requests by taking Max “off duty”, removing his harness and allowing him to interact with visitors. I explain how Max is trained to ignore distractions, such as squirrels, birds, and of course human interaction while wearing his harness and guiding me. If he was not disciplined to only pay attention to me, I would not be able to trust that he will notice a flight of stairs, a curb, or an obstacle in my path, and safely guide me around it. People are obstacles as well, and they are in perpetual motion! So not only does Max have to guide me safely around people, he has to anticipate where they are moving to and avoid a collision. So as Max is watching people, it is common for folks to assume he is seeking attention, as opposed to maneuvering around them! It creates an opportunity for the “Can I pet your dog?” question.

However, some people don’t ask, and they approach Max and begin to pet and interact with him, regardless if I have noticed them or not. I have even had people whistle for him from a distance, or call “here doggie doggie”! This makes it very awkward for me. If Max’s concentration is broken by human interaction, it puts me at risk! So here are some simple rules to follow when encountering a working guide dog:

• Don’t touch, talk, feed or otherwise distract the dog while he is wearing his harness. This allows the dog to concentrate and perform for the safety of his master.

• Any person using a guide dog should be treated as independent. If you want to offer assistance, simply ask “May I help you?”

• Don’t allow your pets to approach, challenge or intimidate a guide dog. Meeting another dog creates a distraction that a working dog usually can’t ignore, creating a dangerous situation for the handler.

Max loves to be an ambassador for Southeastern Guide Dogs, and greats all visitors enthusiastically, when appropriately taken “off duty”. But please understand if I am on a schedule, or in a crowded area that makes it difficult to take Max “off duty”, I have to decline an invitation to pet Max. To learn more about guide dogs, and guide dog etiquette, please visit www.guidedogs.org, and while you are there check out the puppy cam! You can also visit the school during any one of their open house opportunities.

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