Pokin' At Ya, Pokin' At Ya

Did I mention that one of Frankie's trainers is a S.W.A.T. cop? He's the head trainer for the K9 Division and works a dog Ammo. Cool guy, even cooler dog.

Well, Ammo was recently injured in the line-of-duty. He got poked in the eye by some vegetation while chasing a bad guy. Now his eye is swollen and he can't see out of it. Needless to say, Ammo is on "sick leave" until it heals.

But, Mr. Swat Dude still has to go to work, without Ammo. He described going to work without Ammo like this: "I feel like a cavalry man with no horse".


I can related to this. There have been a few times when I've had to go out sans service dog because my doggie was sick. When this happens, I feel like I have a critical body part missing. Not only because the assistance my sdog provides is greatly missed, but also because I'm treated very differently when I don't have my sdog with me.

When I have my sdog, people tend to look me in the eyes and acknowledge me in some way. Either with a smile, a nod, a "hello"... something that makes me feel included. But when it's just me in my wheelchair, the reaction from the public is very different. People look over my head as if I'm invisible, or they look at me like I'm contagious. They rarely speak to me unless I talk first, and they appear to want to run away from me as quickly as possible.

I'm glad I have a service dog. But I wish the general public could be as accepting of all people in wheelchairs as they are with me and my service dog.

Someday.

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