::shudder::
Not that I haven’t thought of it, but definitely a Bad Idea…
The $3000 fine is fabulous. Good guys 1, ignorant morons 0. Wait, I have just received a correction to the score. Good guys 56, ignorant morons 32409723542.
Well anyways, it’s still “one for the good guys.” 
oldscratch, I’ll take a thumping with hard tubes to $3000 any day. “thumping” does not imply a beating requiring hospitalization, right? 
Why, if I ever saw you trying to enter a mall with your dog, and I ad my child with me, I’d, I’d, I’d beg you to let us pet the pooch.
How can anyone be this X#$%^S*& stupid? Why not just get out of the way if you’re not find of dogs? Sheeesh.
Elenfair,(nicetameetcha,BTW) if you’re still reading this thread, I have a question. I noticed a man with a guide dog at a stop light the other day, waiting to cross. This was a major intersection, crossing a six-lane street. The man stopped at a red light, and when there was a break in the traffic he proceeded to cross even while the light was still red. All indications were that the man was blind, and the dog was his guide. Does the dog look for the cars, or the light to turn green? (Sorry if this is inappropriate, just thought you may know).
sili
While I am sure you mentioned this for effect, and I am equally sure that if you were to go up to Ms. Elenfair and ask nicely to pet her working dog, she (and moist people like her) would consent, please do remember that these dogs ARE working, and that distractions such as petting them are generally frowned upon (though I think asking first is better than just going “Oh, what a cute doggie!” while a dog is leading a blind person acrosss a busy intersection).
Yer pal,
Satan
*TIME ELAPSED SINCE I QUIT SMOKING:
Six months, two weeks, 21 hours, 47 minutes and 31 seconds.
7916 cigarettes not smoked, saving $989.54.
Extra time with Drain Bead: 3 weeks, 6 days, 11 hours, 40 minutes.
I slept with a REPUBLICAN moderator!*
You and your dog have a much better temperment than I do. I would have ripped that kid’s arms off and then the mother’s. If he was so scared why was he provoking the dog?
I’m glad they gave her a fine. I wish it were higher. Much higher. The fine and public flogging. Flogging is good. I hope that she is so embarassed by the public spectacle she made of herself that she’ll never go back to the mall ever again.
I went to an outdoor concert years ago when I was on vacation in Denver. There was a yellow lab there that was so small she must have been under a year old. She was wearing a harness and an orange “jacket” that said “guide dog in training”. I’m an idiot. I didn’t know you aren’t supposed to pet them. I see a dog and immediately go into “hug and squeeze the cute puppy mode”. I went to pet her and her trainer (very nicely) asked me not to because of the training, I said something really stupid like, “oh, since she was at a concert, I thought it was her day off”, and went back to where we were sitting. But I was REALLY impressed. Kids were screaming and running and throwing balls and frisbees and there were fireworks and loud music - and that dog never budged. – Is there a point to this story? - not really, no. – Well, maybe. I guess I’m just really impressed that someone could train a dog to have 1000 times more self control than I have. Wave a monopoly board or an internet connection in front of my face and see how long I can ignore it. I’d be up and playing in a mere nanosecond.
In a way I hope the bitch does fight the ticket - that way not only has she made herself look like a total loser idiot at the mall, but in court, too. <insert evil revenge laugh here>
[slight hijack]
A couple people have said that you shouldn’t pet a working dog, which is of course true. But really, you shouldn’t pet any dog without the owner’s permission, working or not.
[/hijack]
Let me add my congrats. to Elenfair for a situation where the nice guys win for once, and add a comment – which I learned from the 11-year-old girl at our church who does guide-dog pre-training like Elenfair…
When they have the “blue jacket” on, they are in training, are working, and should not be disturbed (though of course the trainer can supersede that if he/she adjudges that it’s a good time to teach the dog how to deal with other people while guiding – but it’s his/her decision, not yours!). Guide dogs with the jacket off are “fair game” for us dog lovers – and appreciate the attention more than most dogs even, since they can’t get it while working.
Thanks guys
Yep, always ask before petting any dog - even cute little terrier that lives down the street.
I let people pet my dogs in training, mostly because I like to know that if it happens when they are out there in the work force, they won’t panic or react badly. Shit happens. People sometimes forget. So, when people ask if they can pet my trainee - I often let them. I release the dog first (with an “OK” command, so he knows he’s allowed to lose focus).
I normally train these dogs from 8 weeks up to the day they are ready to work full time. It’s sometimes a 3 year process, and requires a lot of time and patience… mostly patience with jackasses like that woman…
In answer to your question, tradesilicon: It depends on the pooch. Most of them only pay attention to traffic - so they sometimes cross when they shouldn’t. Some dogs follow traffic - which means that they see cars going in the direction they wish to go, so they move ahead too. My current trainee understands the signals - so he looks up at the lights and can tell the difference between the “man walking” and “hand” signs.
It all depends on the dog and his learning style. The current dog I have is going to be really wonderful at working with children and in SAR - he’s a dual-work dog. He has a confirmed vocabulary of 146 words (other than standard commands).
Can you tell I’m proud of him? 
I’d be glad to be of help if anyone else has questions they’ve always wanted to ask but were afraid to offend a disabled person with his/her assistance dog
Time for a walk!
E.
Jesus Christ, I am really glad I wasn’t there. I would probably be in jail right now if I was. Honestly.
:mad:
At least the rancid cunt got a $3k fine.
Elenfair, thanks, it was a point of curiosity. And thanks also for the fine work that you do.
Satan, yeah, we know enough not to bother a working dog. It would be only with the encouragement of any person with the dog at the time.
Everyone in my family is a dog lover, and we have had the good fortune to enjoy the company of various breeds, but I must say the working dogs are most impressive. Not just their ability to learn what the foolish humans are asking them to learn, but also the temperment as mentioned above. Impressive. Remind me of when our son was just learning to walk, and would occasionally catch up to my inlaws Shitsu - he’d grab his tail, and try for the ears before we’d get to him, but the poor pooch just sat there and looked at him lovingly, never did anything remotely agressive or defensive. Gotta love 'em.
Elenfair, what’s the breed you work with the most?
trade: I work with a number of breeds, depending on the purpose of the dog. In SAR I work mainly with Malinois and German Shepherds. With assistance dogs, mostly Golden Retrievers and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. My current trainee is a NS Duck Tolling Retriever. I also work with Bernese Mountain Dogs, especially for work with the elderly. I’ve also had the odd Beagle for sniffing work
E.
Elenfair, I figured the German Shepherds, but never heard of Malinois.
How about other types of sheep herding dogs? I have seen info about Australian Shepherds, and several other breeds from UK which indicates that they are very smart dogs.
The Aussie, especially, seems pleasant and friendly.
Thanks again Elenfair.
sili
