# I just left my service dog behind as I began to leave a flea market **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719 "2014-11-15T19:32:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/41 "2014-11-17T21:06:02Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > It is basic common sense and courtesy (and usually the law) to keep a dog leashed in public. I don’t care how good its off-leash training is. Unless it’s a police dog in hot pursuit, or a search-and-rescue dog looking for bodies, leash your dog! > > It’s up to the owner of a service dog whether to allow petting. If the dog is working, the answer will be no. And it’s common courtesy to ask first (and expect that the answer will be no, and to respect that if it is). Better yet, just leave the dog and owner alone to go about their business. When we were raising guide dog puppies people were really good about asking to pet them. We usually let them, even when they were working and in public, since it was good training for someone petting them without being asked. The last one became a breeder and we still have her, and she is still great about being petted. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/42 "2014-11-17T21:09:48Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Word. One time, back in 1991, **kaylasmom** and I were sitting in a restaurant having dinner; her guide dog was laying under the table. Some asshole decided to make friends with the dog, so he took a bone from his BBQ beef ribs off his plate and tossed it onto the floor in front of her. > > To this day, I still get angry just remembering that incident. Wow, that is obnoxious. I assume the dog didn’t budge. A big part of the training was not being food distracted, able to walk right past food on the street without trying to gobble it down. It’s why our puppies in training only ate from their dish, never from the hand. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/43 "2014-11-17T21:15:38Z")
Not to mention, I’m sure the restaurant was real happy with some idiot throwing saucy bones on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/44 "2014-11-17T21:37:13Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > It’s been over 20 years. Time to let it go. _pfffft_, that’s nothing. I’m still pissed about Reagan and Bush 41 violating my decree. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/45 "2014-11-18T00:40:59Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > So, did the OP honestly think he would get positive feedback here? What would that look like? > > “Silly Leo, don’t forget next time!” Really? It’s not like this is a new poster, after all! Sometimes you see Dopers interacting so normally that you forget this place doesn’t do well with basic stuff like sympathy or not kicking someone when they are down. It’s like the one time I almost posted here for advice on something interpersonal related. Luckily I came to my senses. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/46 "2014-11-18T00:56:40Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > No, just that one. You can read good books, but adding under colors sometimes let’s people lie. **Leo** , are you struggling with any substance-abuse related issues? This sentence is, um, difficult to follow. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/47 "2014-11-18T01:11:18Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > What thought? Who are you responding to? I think he’s referring to **CalMeacham’s** post, which **Bear\_Nenno quoted** just above him. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > All these posts, and not one about the inappropriatenerss of leaving a dog at a _FLEA_ market? > [@BigT](#): > > Sometimes you see Dopers interacting so normally that you forget this place doesn’t do well with basic stuff like sympathy or not kicking someone when they are down. If **Leo** posted this for sympathy, he came to the wrong crowd. His dog is the one who needs sympathy. **Leo** deserves all the criticism and scorn that’s been heaped on his head. You don’t just take your dog out with you and forget about him, whether he’s a service dog or not. Especially if thousands of dollars and hours have been invested in his training. But even if he’s just a run-of-the-mill mutt (yes, I see what I did there and no pun intended), he deserves better treatment. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/48 "2014-11-18T03:03:15Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > **Leo** , are you struggling with any substance-abuse related issues? This sentence is, um, difficult to follow. Has it not occurred to anyone else that if he’s using a service dog, then he might be… you know, blind or something? Maybe he just had a few typos he missed. (Having said that, it’s all the _more_ reason he shouldn’t have forgotten his dog, which I am certainly not defending.) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/49 "2014-11-18T06:16:28Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Has it not occurred to anyone else that if he’s using a service dog, then he might be… you know, blind or something? Maybe he just had a few typos he missed. > > (Having said that, it’s all the _more_ reason he shouldn’t have forgotten his dog, which I am certainly not defending.) I’m not familiar with **Leo’s** disability, and he has a right to keep it to himself, but I believe he is not blind. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/50 "2014-11-18T16:33:15Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Has it not occurred to anyone else that if he’s using a service dog, then he might be… you know, blind or something? Maybe he just had a few typos he missed. He’s not blind. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/51 "2014-11-18T22:22:48Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > He’s not blind. Forgetful? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/52 "2014-11-18T23:29:03Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > **Leo** , are you struggling with any substance-abuse related issues? This sentence is, um, difficult to follow. Maybe he dropped 5.0 mg of clonazepam and a few beers. That decimal is tricky. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/53 "2014-11-19T03:37:54Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Has it not occurred to anyone else that if he’s using a service dog, then he might be… you know, blind or something? Maybe he just had a few typos he missed. > > (Having said that, it’s all the _more_ reason he shouldn’t have forgotten his dog, which I am certainly not defending.) I’m going to vote AGAINST him being blind. Service dogs for the blind are NEVER called “service dogs.” It’s either “seeing-eye dogs” or (more properly) “guide dogs.” ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/54 "2014-11-19T04:36:01Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Service dogs for the blind are NEVER called “service dogs.” It’s either “seeing-eye dogs” or (more properly) “guide dogs.” I mean, I don’t know or care if he’s blind or not (outside of the parameters of this thread, of course), but this is just patently false. “Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind…”–[Americans with Disabilities Act, 2010 Revised Requirements](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_dog). ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/55 "2014-11-19T05:49:58Z")
And “Seeing Eye” is a trademark. Not all guide dogs are Seeing Eye dogs. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/56 "2014-11-19T06:39:18Z")
Leash, no question, especially with a history of near-misses like that, and something so valuable. Reminds me of the old joke: A woman is walking down the street with one breast exposed. Some good samaritan says, “hey lady you got one tit hangin’ out!” She says, “Oh shit I left my kid on the bus!” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/57 "2014-11-20T07:09:29Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’m going to vote AGAINST him being blind. Service dogs for the blind are NEVER called “service dogs.” It’s either “seeing-eye dogs” or (more properly) “guide dogs.” Not seeing eye unless you get the dog from The Seeing Eye - it is trademarked. ([Their page.](http://www.seeingeye.org/aboutUs/default.aspx)) Ours were guide dogs, though service dogs are the more generic term which also includes guide dogs. ETA: Ninjaed, but I have the link. Nonetheless, I can’t imagine a blind person forgetting a dog or having the dog off harness - kind of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/58 "2014-11-20T12:46:35Z")
Sheesh. My entire point was intended to be that guide dog users don’t refer to their dogs as “service animals” or “service dogs” – they refer to them as “guide dogs.” Therefore, simple deduction leads us to the conclusion that the OP is not blind. I’ll concede that I shouldn’t have bothered mentioning seeing-eye dogs (even though, to the best of my knowledge, the term is practically as generic as “aspirin”). To be candid, I’m happy to learn that the term “seeing-eye dog” appears to be losing currency. **kaylasmom** has applied to and been trained at several guide dog schools during the past 35 years, but no “seeing-eye dog” schools. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/59 "2014-11-20T15:25:57Z")
What conditions are there that are serious enough to require a service dog, yet still allow someone to forget said service dog? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719/60 "2014-11-20T15:34:18Z")
Leo may or may not be deaf. [Opinions](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710175) [differ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=16335793#post16335793). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-left-my-service-dog-behind-as-i-began-to-leave-a-flea-market/704719.md?page=4)