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.
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.
Not to mention, I’m sure the restaurant was real happy with some idiot throwing saucy bones on the floor.
pfffft, that’s nothing. I’m still pissed about Reagan and Bush 41 violating my decree.
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.
Leo, are you struggling with any substance-abuse related issues? This sentence is, um, difficult to follow.
I think he’s referring to CalMeacham’s post, which Bear_Nenno quoted just above him.
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.
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.
He’s not blind.
Forgetful? 
Maybe he dropped 5.0 mg of clonazepam and a few beers. That decimal is tricky.
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.”
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.
And “Seeing Eye” is a trademark. Not all guide dogs are Seeing Eye dogs.
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!”
Not seeing eye unless you get the dog from The Seeing Eye - it is trademarked.
(Their page.) 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?
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.
What conditions are there that are serious enough to require a service dog, yet still allow someone to forget said service dog?