This evening my husband and I took a walk down to the main drag with Snowie. He popped into a shop and I milled around outside (dogs not allowed in this particular shopping centre -- so annoying!). I had crossed the road to look into a shop window and was on my way back, waiting at the pedestrian crossing for the light to change. A woman asked me if I wanted to cross the road. Rather odd question I thought. She then said, I can help you cross if you like. And then I realised she thought I was blind and I was with my guide dog. Oh Snowie, such high aspirations!!!
Hehe, nice work Snowie! When Ella was a little puppy, I spent a bit of time in town working in Ella being calm while people walked past. One lady stopped and asked if Ella was in guide dog training. I burst out laughing
I sat outside shop waiting outside shopping centre for oh with my 2 dogs looking my usual elegant shelf in muddy big boots combat trousers etc when a lovely older lady with her carer and gave me a tenner to feed the poor doggies. I explained I was fine financially just a very scruffy woman who had just been walking across ploughed fields and the poor doggies wanted for nothing. Her carer was laughing so much she couldn't look at me I was amused but i think the kind lady thought I was just being proud . I gave her tenner back. She left with her very amused carer after stroking the deprived pups.when I told OH he nearly wet himself, I really am a unrepentant scruffy army and navy surplus scruff. Oh told everyone
I have a selection of dog walking hats. They're all too big and fall down over my eyes. I have a pin head When Shadow was a pup, he was often mistaken for a guide dog puppy - by people who clearly had no idea about GDs!! I think it was his harness (which I know GD pups don't even wear!) and, like Emily, because I was working on training calmness, sitting at kerbs etc.
Good for Snowie - aim high! This is my first Rottie, Duncan. Because he was a very, very big boy (and because I just liked to), I used to dress him up when we went to fairs and such. It helped people not be afraid of him. The people who started Doggles first sold them at a little dog fair as prototypes and I bought them for Duncan. They were quite a hit. Once at an art festival, a lady came up to me and said, "Oh, isn't he sweet - a blind seeing eye dog!".
Exactly! Although we know which way Snowie would be showing me: straight to the nearest bin at high speed for sniffing and marking! I always say that if Snowie were a guide dog he'd be taking me nowhere really fast. To her favour, he was wearing his black back-fastening harness. And against his white fur, it does look rather smart.
I often get asked about my pups "is he a blind dog?" I answer "he's going to be a Guide Dog, so no - he'll very much need his eyes - he's not blind!"
He was a wonderful, wonderful boy. Calm, sweet and completely unflappable. Just sunshine in a doggie suit. He LOVED wearing clothes, hats, glasses, backpacks, anything really. He was my first dog so I didn't realise how unusual it was that a dog would like to walk around all day with glasses and a hat on! Then Brogan came along and I tried the hats and such and Brogan just kind of looked at me as if to say, "Lady, I can get with the bandanas, but the other stuff? You've GOT to be kidding me!".
Aw Duncan! I must confess that I have always been wary of Rotties -- afraid I should say! Not for myself, but for Snowie. But since your postings, I have stopped being wary and now even see some Lab in them! I do think they're very much like Labs in the head and general shape, expression, and bounciness.
That's lovely to hear! Both boys were such great Rottie ambassadors. As with any breed, it depends more on the human than the dog. Early and consistent socialisation is so important. But I think you are wise to be initially wary of any big dog meeting Snowie. And I have to say, I was sad about most of the Rotties Brogan and I met once we moved to Europe - in six years we only met one that Brogan and I could both approach to meet. The others were too dog reactive and the owners yelling to stay away. People just don't socialise them properly and then attribute poor doggie manners (the nice way to say dog aggression) to some innate quality of the breed, when in fact any dog who is not socialized with other dogs is going to have the same problem. Ah well...there's me and my soapbox! Both Brogan and Duncan (and especially Duncan as he was born in 1997) were "old school" Rottie types - a more houndy head, longer legs and a leaner body. Well bred Rotties today simply do not look like this anymore - massive basketball heads and snub noses, shorter legs and a more barrel body. I think this is why I find Labs so handsome - while smaller in scale, a lot of show Labs remind me a lot of old school Rotties.
Ah, I met a Rottie cross on my walk this morning. Shadow was besotted. She was obviously a handful, but lovely. She looked very much Rottie to me
Hattie gets mistaken for a guide dog when she's wearing her Pets as Therapy tabard. I got asked by a lady in the Hospice "what is wrong with your eyes, as she stared into them really closely, "nothing at all, why?" "well you've got a guide dog haven't you?" Bless her x
