What's Wrong With You... If You Don't Mind Me Asking

Always in interesting question. Not the question itself, but the fact that it gets asked.

It happened yesterday at the Mall. Me, Willie, and my friend Betsy went to the mall yesterday and at Bath & Body Works the question got asked. We were at the checkout counter paying up (yummy smells, my weakness!) and the sales girl asked me for my "autograph" on the credit card receipt. As I deftly grab the piece of paper and pen, she asks "do you mind if I ask, but how well can you see?".

See?

Oh, yeah, it's once again reared it's ugly head. You have a dog, you must be blind. Oy.

Funny story: In Vermont, I wheeled into a dentists office and had a woman hold the door for me. I said thanks, didn't think anything of it. Later, we both wound up leaving at the same time. This time, I open the door myself and start wheeling to the car. I realize that she's standing outside the door behind me. As I load up the chair and dog and then proceed to get into the DRIVER's seat, I look in my rear mirror and see her still standing there, staring at me.

It's then I realize she thinks I'm blind and she's wondering if the dog tells me to go left, right, and to pass the mope in front of me. Oy again.

Anyway, I tell the woman at Body Works that I can see just fine, that I'm not blind. She's of course shocked. I tell her about what Willie does for me, pulling, retrieving, all that. She's never heard of such a thing. Watch the freakin' Animal Planet once in a while, girl!

I guess this can be added to my list of stuff you have to put up with when working a service dog. Comes with the territory, we just have to get used to it. Frankly, it always gives me a good laugh and now a great blog story to tell!

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