The "Working Dog! Please ignore" signs I see on signs for dogs of the disabled

[NNN0LHI]

In the past week I have been fortunate enough to be around two different female black labs trained to assist blind people and they both had the "Please ignore signs" on them.

Let me be honest here. When a nice friendly dog starts licking my hand with those big beautiful brown eyes staring up at me I can't ignore them. And both owners did not act like they wanted me to ignore them either.

At the dentists office yesterday the lady in the chair even asked me to walk her dog for her outside if I didn't mind. If I didn't mind? Ha! Thats all I do. My dogs make me walk them 4 or 5 times a day rain or shine and I love doing it as much as they do. So I got the treat of my life having a working dog pretty much taking me for a walk until she found the right spot. :)

But if anyone knows what is the "Please ignore" sign for? Is it maybe more for kids who might make the dogs nervous? Thats what I am thinking because both of these owners acted like they wanted me to pet and give attention and praise to their their working dogs. And I am glad they did. I like Labs a lot.

Don

[Taverner]

1. I think that sign is more for parents of kids mauling their seeing eye dogs

[NNN0LHI]

4. That was my guess and I believe you are right

Pulling on their ears and stuff. Yep, that would do it.

Don

[dsc]

2. Probably it is for kids

but also to keep the dogs from being distracted at inoportune times. Clearly you wouldn't do such a thing but others might.

[MuseRider]

3. The signs? No clue, sorry, but Labs

ahhhhh. I am looking at my big, goofy Lab right now and he is smiling at me. He would have made a horrible assist dog. He wags his tail so hard that his back legs come off the floor. It would be very hard to hold on to that one once the tail starts going.

[marmar]

5. I've seen drug- and food-sniffing Golden retrievers at the airport with.....

... "Don't Pet Me, I'm Working" vests on, and I honor their wishes. :)

[Raven]

10. I was coming home from Aruba with a friend and she called one

of those drug sniffing dogs over to us. Yikes!

[Recursion]

6. Because the dog is working?

Most highly-trained dogs have a very specific reward system as part of their training; random petting may mess that up.

[otherlander]

25. The control

over every scrap of happiness allowed to another being...

What makes us think we have the right to do this?

[davekriss]

7. Perhaps they should change the sign to...

..."Working Dog, Please don't interrupt"

[mr_hat]

8. Useful for when they poop.

[rox63]

9. It breaks the dogs' concentration

I have a friend with a service dog. When he's in work mode, his attention needs to be fully on doing what his human needs him to do. But he gets plenty of time off when he's at home, or even just out for a walk. That's when he can just be a happy-go-lucky doggy.

[sandnsea]

11. I waved to a blind person yesterday

Her dog was the most beautiful Alaskan Malamute, or Huskay, not sure which. It didn't occur to me the woman was blind. I saw her in the rear view mirror, stopping as every car drove by, ooooh. haha. Silly me.

[Bozita]

18. GWB waved to either Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder at a performance.

Can't recall which one.

[sandnsea]

20. Oh now that just wasn't nice at all

Comparing me to Bush? booooooo.

[Bozita]

23. My sincere apologies. Here's a WaPo snip ...

From the Washington Post:

Here's a vignette we're dying to see on the ABC broadcast of Sunday's Ford's Theatre Presidential Gala: When Stevie Wonder sat down at the keyboard center stage, President Bush in the front row got very excited. He smiled and started waving at Wonder, who understandably did not respond. After a moment Bush realized his mistake and slowly dropped the errant hand back to his lap. "I know I shouldn't have," a witness told us yesterday, "but I started laughing."

[napi21]

12. My cousin has a service dog. He is blind. The sign means

the dog is WORKING NOW so please ignore him/her. That applies to EVERYONE, not just children.

I didn't fully understand that until my cousin got his dog. These dogs are trained (better than people) that there's a difference between "working" & play. It's close to unbelievable when you actually watch the difference. When they have their harness on, they are trained to concentrate on ONE THING...protection & safety of their owner. They are NEVER to be distracted from that job! When they take that harness off, they are just another active, happy, & playful dog! When we pick up my cousin at the airport for a visit, as well as I know the dog and she knows me, I DON'T TOUCH OR PET HER because she is working until that harness comes off. It's the distraction that is bad.

BTW, most people never even SEE the darn sign! I can't tell you haw many times we've been out shopping or just taking a walk, and people come up and say "awe what a darling dog. HI BABY, come on over here." Unfortunately, they sometimes get offended when my cousin says "please don't touch her, she's working." He doesn't say it to offend anyone, but to keep the dog focused and keep her training strong.

[MADem]

21. You got it. The thing to do is engage the person attached to the dog, if they give you permission,

then it's OK to pat the dog. I once met a lady in a long grocery store line (military commissary, it can be a social occasion when the stores are packed) who had, believe it or not, a massive POODLE working dog. The thing was a calm as a cuke, very focused, and its job was to warn the lady if she was having a seizure. She didn't have a problem with me saying hello to the pooch, but I didn't "assume" and I only engaged the dog after she said it "You can pat him if you'd like."

It's rude to even try to bother the dog otherwise. And dangerous to the person for whom the dog is working.

[MrsMatt]

13. If you are on a bus, would you like the driver to hold conversations with

someone driving in the next lane? Or would you rather have him/her pay attention to the job at hand?

These dogs have jobs to do, and by distracting them you could possibly put the person holding the harness in danger. They need to concentrate on their job, and should only have attention paid to them when the owner indicates that they are on "break".

I've taught my children that dogs should not be addressed until they have made eye contact with the person holding the leash, and only once they have asked if it is OK to interact.

[Irishonly]

14. I know a blind therapist

She says the ignore me signs are for when she is walking, doing tasks and as a warning for parents to not let their children come up to a strange dog. She is more than happy to let people pay attention when they are resting and not working.

[NNN0LHI]

17. Well that explains it very well and thank you very much for contributing to this thread

[Warpy]

15. It gives people a warning

that the dog is working and that distracting the dog is not a good idea. It especially warns parents to keep their kids away from the dog.

It's always a good policy to ask the dog's owner if it's OK to give the dog a few well deserved pets. Most owners will agree unless the dog is in the process of being trained as an assistant.

[Berry Cool]

16. In college, I had a blind friend who acquired a guide dog

and explained the philosophy behind this.

Guide dogs (the generic term for any dog trained to assist blind people) in training need to be taught a clear distinction between "working time" and "recreational time." This is because their work can be a matter of life or death to their owners (such as when crossing a street). Guide dogs who are "at work" need to be free of all distractions, and need to be taught not to allow themselves to become distracted. (For example, they can't just see another dog across the street and thoughtlessly run toward it, or begin barking at it, for that matter.)

Part of the training of these dogs is that people (including their owners) are taught not to pet them, scratch them behind the ears, etc., when they are in harness and working. When they are not working and are at rest, then it's permissible to show them signs of friendliness and affection--but not when they are working.

It's not so terrible. Consider the average workplace. There isn't a lot of hugging, kissing or even backslapping going on. There's work to be done, and no touching necessary in most cases. When's the last time someone playfully rubbed your hair at work?

It's hard to resist wanting to pet an appealing animal, but guide dogs are not just pets to their owners, they're essential equipment. My friend told me "If you just ran up to me and petted my dog, it would be as if you just ran up to me and touched my eyes."

Does that explain it any better?

[NNN0LHI]

22. Her name was Nina and she loved laying on my feet and getting her belly rubbed

But yes you have explained it very well and I do appreciate you and others who have done so. If the owner had said don't touch I sure wouldn't have. I asked first. But it would have been damn hard not to. Those eyes.

Yea, I am in love. Puppy love.

Not really. Nina was eight years old and she was a good old gal. About my age in human years.

Don

[MiniMe]

19. When a dog is working, when the owner had the handle, the dog is in working mode

That means no distractions are allowed. That dog is responsible for its owners life. When they grab the leash instead of the handle, the dog is allowed to do things like go to the bathroom, or move around a lot. Usually, it is only when the dog has its harness off that it is allowed to act like a normal dog. Always ask, the answer will most likely be "please don't interact with the dog".

Also, you could inadvertantly pass on a disease to the dog. Its unlikely, but the possibility exists. And then you have to think about the jerks of the world, who would think that it would be funny to do something that may cause the dog distress. Remember, the dog owner can't see what you are doing.

Once a dog starts getting attention from strangers, it is possible that they would seek out those pets while working, dragging the owner along behind him.I love dogs too, I foster for a lab rescue. When I see working dogs, I usually just compliment the owner of what a beautiful and well behaved dog they have.

[MonkeyFunk]

24. I had a blind friend years ago

and learned a lot about how to react to his dog.

It IS a real problem that people will come up and start petting or talking to a working dog. If somebody's standing at a light, waiting to cross, the last thing he needs is his dog distracted by somebody petting him.

I was taught it's always polite to ask the owner if you may interact with his dog - and not to feel insulted if the answer is no. He knows the dog better than anyone, and understands how much distraction it can tolerate.

As a side note, those dogs are amazing. When on the harness, it was the most dedicted, hard-working dog I'd ever seen. But take the harness off and it was a just a big old playful pup.

[lumberjack_jeff]

26. "The person on the other end of this leash thanks you for not throwing frisbees for me". n/t

[applegrove]

27. It is for adults too. Just because the owners are being social doesn't

mean they really want you to indulge their pets. It takes alot to train a seeing eye dog and they often have to go back for more training. If every single person who shared a streetcorner with them petted their dog - it would need training really quick. I'm betting that sitting in a waiting room was sort of a time out for the dog. While walking down a heavily trafficked street is a time to not touch the dog or get its attention.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

28. Guiding Eyes For The Blind has a major training center nearby, and the dogs

are brought to a local city and shopping area to be trained. Crossing streets, going into stores, navigating sidewalks, etc. I honestly don't recall any of them wearing signs. I guess they feel it common sense that people would not attempt to distract the dogs. It also seems that your patient chose to place the sign on her Lab so that when it was working it would be able to do its job without interference. You had your sweet encounter with the Lab at the dentist office when the dog was getting a break while its person didn't need its service.

[JitterbugPerfume]

29. my son just had to "give back" a beautiful black lab

that he and his wife were raising for Paws With a Cause. I loved that dog and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings to know that he will be a helper dog.

He loves attention , but never give them treats because they are on strict diets