# Wal-Mart clerk tries to kick my sister and her seeing eye dog out of the store. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 24, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561 "2003-07-24T05:21:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/21 "2003-07-24T10:33:18Z")
AT a deli I once worked at we had a lot of regulars that had certain days of the week they came in on. Fridays I remember two in particular. “The Friday Mothers” who came in for coffee and dessert, and let their spawn run all over and be noisy. And “The Lawyer”, a guy with a a seeing eye dog(black Labrador), whose dog lay quietly under the table at his feet. That dog was better trained than the kids and I rather serve a roomful of people with service dogs, than a roomful of neglectful parents. I fully approve of service dogs being allowed to go anywhere, barring the previous examples like an ICU. But there’s one place I might expect to see dogs and don’t remember _ever_ noticing one, and that’s in church. Most disable people I’ve seen in church have either a friend or family member to act as a guide, not a dog. I’d more than welcome a service dog there, but do some people have reservations about it? ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/22 "2003-07-24T10:45:49Z")
Hi Baker… Me again, can’t freakin sleep. J didn’t take his dog, I am avoiding the dogs name coz its the name of a horribly obnoxious SDMB poster, to church mainly because the pews were so close together that there wasn’t really room for “Puppy Paws” to get comfortable for the hour or so that they’d be there. I don’t know if that was just his church or what, but my experience is that there isn’t much room there. And if you belong to a church where the congregation stands up often it can mean some stepped on puppy paws. And oddly enough a lot(obviously not all) of blind people’s family members dont really trust the dogs. Or they get jealous… its very strange… And sometimes dogs dream… imagine what a dreaming dog under a pew who starts to howl will do to a Seventh Day Adventist congregation… chaos ensues;) ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/23 "2003-07-24T12:07:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Krisfer the Cat \* > Mama Tiger: that was the thing that brought my blood to a boil the fastest. That and servers that would ask ME what he wanted! We got so that when they would talk to me I would sign “What?” to him. He would sign some nonsense to me and I would sign nonsense back to him. Then J, my ex, would say "Well _I_ want this and she will have this. Many a server skulked away in embarassment! You are sick and twisted; I like that in a person. 🙂 On the subject of non-blind people having guide dogs: I have seen people in wheelchairs with “assistance dogs” (I guess you can’t really call them guide dogs). I’m not sure exactly what their duties were; I mostly just saw them walking alongside or ahead of the wheelchair, and I didn’t know any of the people well enough to ask. The dogs were wearing harnesses and usually some sort of “I’m working” sign, so they definately weren’t just pets. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/24 "2003-07-24T12:41:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LurkMeister \* > \*\*On the subject of non-blind people having guide dogs: I have seen people in wheelchairs with “assistance dogs” (I guess you can’t really call them guide dogs). I’m not sure exactly what their duties were; I mostly just saw them walking alongside or ahead of the wheelchair, and I didn’t know any of the people well enough to ask. The dogs were wearing harnesses and usually some sort of “I’m working” sign, so they definately weren’t just pets. \*\* The specific duties of a service dog will depend on what the owner needs. One man I know with a service dog is a quadraplegic with limited use of his arms. His service dog is trained to do small things to assist him; for instance, certain doors at his house and the office building where he works are adapted so the dog can open them, and the dog can also pick up objects he might drop. But more important, if he falls or has bad spasms, he says a command that tells the dog to sit down and make one hell of a racket until some human comes over to help. Although he’ll never be able to _live_ alone again, having a service dog allows him to _be_ alone for short periods of time, something that would be risky otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![ILovCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@ILovCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ILovCoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/25 "2003-07-24T12:42:00Z")
We have a patient who trains assistant dogs and guide dogs. When I worked retail there was this blind person that regurally came in the store that was disrespectful to his dog. :rolleyes: He would yell at, jerk the harness of, and kick the dog. ☹ I was totally suprised that the dog didn’t have “an accident” while crossing the street with this SOB. I believe that the dog knew he was a professional and took pride in doing its job well. It would get a slightly perplexed expression though when its charge would mistreat it. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/26 "2003-07-24T13:28:37Z")
When someone puts it as elegantly as GMRyujin did, there’s not a lot you can add to that. Although I would say that a blind person who mistreats his dog is about as dumb… or dumber… than a Walmart clerk who tries to throw a blind person out of a store. Abusing one’s seeing-eye-dog is NOT smart, I should think… ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/27 "2003-07-24T13:44:59Z")
All right, bad joke alert. IlovCoffee’s story reminded me of it. The other day, I saw this blind man walking down the street with his seeing eye dog. The dog must not have been paying attention too well, because he led his master straight into a street light. The blind man cursed, but carried on. Almost like it did it on purpose, the dog made the man bump into the NEXT street light as well! Whereupon the blind man sat down, and got a doggie treat from his pocket. I walked over, perplexed. “Hang on sir”, I said, “surely, you’re not goign to REWARD that stupid dog for making you bump into two street lights in a row??” “Reward him, no!”, the man replied, “but I need to know where his damn head is, before I can kick his fucking ass!!” All right, that’s my tasteless joke of the day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/28 "2003-07-24T14:06:50Z")
I remember posting a thread about my own troubles training seeing eye and service dogs. Some people are just idiotic. In Canada, they can get seriously fined if they refuse entry - I’m sure it’s similar in the states. Your disabilities act is particularily impressive! I’m glad the situation got sorted out quickly! As for guide dog abuse, we have seen it a lot - some people, having recently lost their sight, take it out on their dogs. Dogs make mistakes, they’re not perfect, and they’re certainly not 100% reliable when guiding. Sure, we try to make them that way… but they’re still _dogs_… they have their bad days too! \*\* snake \*\* According to the law, guide and service animals are to be considered the same as a wheelchair, crutches, a cane for the blind. Would you see yourself saying that wheelchairs are a hazard (they have wheels and can run over people’s feet! Especially childrens’!) in restaurants? There’s no question of “middle ground” here. Frankly, guide and service dogs are well looked after. Chances of you getting a dog hair in your steak far more remote than having the chef sneeze on it before it came out from the kitchen. It’s not like the dogs are running around, shaking out their coats. Most of the time, when I’ve had a pup in training in a restaurant, people didn’t even _notice_ he/she was there until we left… Just be glad you’re not yet dealing with Guide Horses (yes, they exist - miniature pigmy horses!) - which, actually, are probably the best kind of guiding animal around in the world, but I digress. **LurkMeister** there’s a wide variety of service dogs. Some dogs guide autistic kids, just like a guide dog. Others assist wheelchair-bound folks and do fun tasks such as: opening doors, getting the phone when it rings (cordless, of course), picking up stuff that’s dropped, handling money (coins and bills), loading/unloading carts, getting things off shelves (like in grocery stores - we use lazer pointers to point out what they are to grab), doing the laundry (loading/transfering/unloading washers/dryers - all front load of course!), retrieving things from the fridge… all very useful tasks. Some service dogs work with epileptic patients, as we have discovered that some dogs can actually predict the coming of a seizure. They also offer protection if someone _does_ have a seizure. They are often called “Seizure Alert Dogs”. Some work with the deaf - “Hearing Dogs” - they alert at the person’s name (by putting a paw up on them, or climbing into their lap if they are small dogs), fire alarms, phones ringing, doorbells, traffic, car horns, that sort of thing. They serve as a person’s ears. Many work with sign language. Some dogs are now being used to work with psychiatric patients - to remind them to take their meds, to carry the meds, to provide a “touch with reality” with some, or to provide the vehicle for them to leave the house (in the case of severe anxiety). These dogs aren’t yet recognised as service animals, but they may well be soon. In order to be recognised as a service animal, dogs need to pass specific tests and/or come out of a recognised school or training institute. That way, people can’t just train their own and take it to the store. In some places, people DO train their own service dog (I knew a young paraplegic woman who trained a lab for herself) and then have them tested. Talk about a wonderful partnership! My current working animals work with disabled children who don’t qualify for a service dog of their own because they are considered too “low functionning”. we work with them until they _do_ qualify. It’s very rewarding work, and our training organisation only keeps the top 1% of its trainee dogs to work in this program. I’m blessed to have had two such working dogs live and work with me over the last 8 years. All the others I’ve trained have been placed with disabled adults and are contributing to every day life and autonomy. Workings animals are… gifts, from whoever you wish to thank (God, people, whatever.) They willingly and happily serve, and give people their autonomy back. Some people don’t understand that - cultural differences sometimes paint dogs as “unclean”… but you know, a few months ago in Ottawa, I had Zap on the bus with me when a young woman wearing a veil and her young boy stepped onto the bus: I moved the dog a little so they wouldn’t come into contact with her (it’s a cultural thing with many practicing muslims). They sat opposite me, and the young lady smiled, and thanked me. Then, she proceeded to explain to her son that this was a working dog, and that it would someday help someone who was disabled and needed the help. Talk about bridging difference, eh. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/29 "2003-07-24T14:33:36Z")
I once saw a couple who faked being blind to get their dog on a cross-country bus trip. They pulled it off beautifully. Doggy was way cool, but these people were obviously (to ME anyway) not vision impaired. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/30 "2003-07-24T14:37:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\*I once saw a couple who faked being blind to get their dog on a cross-country bus trip. They pulled it off beautifully. Doggy was way cool, but these people were obviously (to ME anyway) not vision impaired. \*\* Must have cost them an arm and a leg to get a harness without proper school/group identification. Some suppliers will do it… but even so, when you book a trip, you still need to present ID… Eh. Bah. If the animal was well behaved, I guess, who really cares… still… _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/31 "2003-07-24T14:46:28Z")
So they get their dog on the bus but then they can’t read for the duration of a cross country trip. That’s a helluva tradeoff. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/32 "2003-07-24T14:51:39Z")
The harness didn’t look “standard” to me. I don’t think the bus driver knew enough about it to spot it. And Lieu, I know they bided their time by smoking pot in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Heloise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@Heloise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heloise)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/33 "2003-07-24T15:12:04Z")
To answer some of the questions: The Wal-Mart clerk was about 25, 26. My sister brought Heidi to church, she sat quietly on the floor between the pews. The only problem was, she liked to “sing” along with the rest of the congregation. From what I understand, she was better than most of the humans and they got jealous. So, my sister quit bringing her. 🙂 As stated before, there are service dogs of all kinds. I had the pleasure of briefly owning a dog whose disabled owner had passed away. A basset hound, actually. One of the best, most intelligent animals I’ve ever known and I’m still heartbroken, after nearly 6 years, of having to give her away. There was a Disney t.v. show a few years ago about how the seeing eye dogs came about. It was really good, and the fact that it actually has relevance in my life now is especially poignant. Did anyone else see it, or do you know what I’m talking about? ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/34 "2003-07-24T15:15:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Elenfair \* > **Just be glad you’re not yet dealing with Guide Horses (yes, they exist - miniature pigmy horses!) - which, actually, are probably the best kind of guiding animal around in the world, but I digress.** Actually, there are a few guide horses in the US - this one was raised on a farm near where I live: [http://www.guidehorse.org/people.htm](http://www.guidehorse.org/people.htm) I hadn’t seen this horse at the mall myself, but I know a couple folks who did - very funny sight, a horse in the mall wearing sneakers! I am wondering about the process of housebreaking a horse … ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/35 "2003-07-24T15:16:46Z")
Eh. Charming. And a little silly, really. There are lots of guidedog harnesses out there, and interestingly enough you can usually recognize the school the dog came from according to its harness. Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind uses rigid plastic martingales and a nifty curving handle. A guide dog school in California uses british style harnesses (LDS leather) that are very blocky, and square, and always the same brown, with SEEING EYE DOG printed on top of the leather strap that goes over the shoulder. We use bridgeport harnesses because they also do service-dog weight-support/gait-support harnesses 🙂 and our guide dog harnesses have clips on them so the handle can be removed (muchos useful when working with kids and you need different lengths of handles! The bus driver, in a way, did the right thing - airlines usually require you present ID, most trains do too. If you are waiting at a bus stop, however, or getting into a store/restaurant, etc… technically the workers aren’t _allowed_ to ask you for your or the dog’s ID. It’s against the disability act stuff. This is mostly because some people use service dogs for things that, outwardly, aren’t visible (hearing dogs, seizure dogs, etc.) and it’s considered bad form to ask them to “prove” their disability… to anyone… ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/36 "2003-07-24T15:22:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*[Nitpick] > I think some seeing people get the guide/helper dogs to train and stuff. Not 100% sure. > [/Nitpick] \*\* Guide dogs in training are either with puppy raisers their first year – in which case they don’t have a harness on, just usually a jacket saying “guide dog in training” on it for the clueless, or if they’re in training, they’re within a short distance of one of the guide dog schools and the community around there generally is aware of what’s going on, and I believe they also wear something saying “guide dog in training” for the unintiated. A full working dog, however, using a harness is virtually NEVER with a sighted person unless it’s for some corrective training, and then only for a couple of days. (A friend had to have someone from the Seeing Eye come out and work with her dog once to correct one behavior.) ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/37 "2003-07-24T15:27:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by romansperson \* > \*\*Actually, there are a few guide horses in the US - this one was raised on a farm near where I live: > > [http://www.guidehorse.org/people.htm](http://www.guidehorse.org/people.htm) > > I hadn’t seen this horse at the mall myself, but I know a couple folks who did - very funny sight, a horse in the mall wearing sneakers! > > I am wondering about the process of housebreaking a horse … \*\* They’re so CUTE! We had one visiting in Ottawa, with a blind chap once. You should have SEEN the look on the bus drivers’ face! Apparently, they’re pretty easy to housebreak and will ask to go outside. Ideally, you actually have a little barn for them… and a horse friend or two (they’re very social animals with their own kind, horses…) One of the great advantages of having a guide horse is that they eat cheaply! AND they live a VERY long time. Their service career can be well over 35 years! Talk about a good deal. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/38 "2003-07-24T15:34:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Snake \* > \*\*I know this is gonna sound rude , but i honestly don’t mean it to be . Are blind people with guide dogs required to carry bags to clean up after these dogs ? \*\* Are parents required to carry bags to clean up after their children? Seems to me that a toddler is far likelier to make a mess than is a well trained guide dog. If Greg the Guide Dog takes a dump in the lobby of the Four Seasons, well… shit happens, pun intended. You deal with it the same way you’d deal with little Timmy spewing his hot dog. In any respect, it seems to me a very young child is every bit as filthy as a guide dog. They’re as likely to barf or shit as a guide dog, and they’re far likelier to touch things with dirty hands - in fact, I’d wager that kids touching things is a much greater health and clealiness issue than all the barf and poop produced by guide dogs and children combined. Guide dogs are, at least to my thinking, generally LESS dirty than humans. But they’re extremely disciplined… ALL dogs as a group might not be able to make the same claim, though dogs in general are reasonably clean animals. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/39 "2003-07-24T15:35:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mama Tiger \* > \*\*A full working dog, however, using a harness is virtually NEVER with a sighted person unless it’s for some corrective training, and then only for a couple of days. (A friend had to have someone from the Seeing Eye come out and work with her dog once to correct one behavior.) \*\* Very true. Depends on the school, though, or the purpose of the guide/service animal. We do a lot of urban training, using our service dog harnesses to teach young dogs about safety/road crossings. A lot of that is done, indeed, when pups are just wearing their coats (often called “Capes”) which read “guide dog (or service dog) in training” - but some things just need the full real-life simulation. Even so, mind you, we do have identification tags on the harnesses that point out the animal is in training. Because of the nature of the kids I work with, I have to take the young dogs (phase two training, after they’re done with the “puppy walking” phase) into the city and get them used to actually using their harnesses to _pull_ and manoever, not only to guide. We can do these on school training grounds, but nothing replaces the real thing. Also, because our kidlets are usually unpredictable, we put in a lot of time simulating real-life possibilities - an autistic child may well be a runner and decide to run straight across a busy street… The advantage guidedogs for the blind have is that the blind usually “listen” to the dog if it stops for traffic… 🙂 But yes - good rule of thumb - assume the person you are dealing with _is_ the partner/disabled user at ALL TIMES. More often than not, an animal in training will be IDENTIFIED AS SUCH. Yay for working dogs! ---
**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:** [July 24, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561/40 "2003-07-24T16:07:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Heloise \* > \*\*There was a Disney t.v. show a few years ago about how the seeing eye dogs came about. It was really good, and the fact that it actually has relevance in my life now is especially poignant. Did anyone else see it, or do you know what I’m talking about? \*\* Didn’t see it, but I can recommend an excellent book (unfortunately out of print): **First Lady of the Seeing Eye,** by Morris Frank. Mr. Frank, blinded as a teenager, brought the first guide dog to the United States and worked for many years to get guide dogs accepted in all public places. Fabulous reading, lots of great stories. A must if you’re interested in service dogs. And I’d like to add to the chorus pointing out that guide dogs are trained to relieve themselves in appropriate places, and also have strict feeding schedules to help with this. They are also supposed to be rigorously groomed to minimize shedding and maximize cleanliness. I would agree that a well-trained and well-groomed dog is more acceptable than quite a few children. More cheers for service dogs! They are truly man’s best friend. _sniffle_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wal-mart-clerk-tries-to-kick-my-sister-and-her-seeing-eye-dog-out-of-the-store/190561.md?page=3)