Tahoe Speaks

By Tahoe Johnson

Hi! My name is Tahoe and my job is to guide my human, Tee Johnson. Yes, you are correct, I am a guide dog. My human was hit by a car a long time ago and, although she has very good mobility skills, she was afraid to go out by herself. Now, we go everywhere together...school, shopping and out to social events.

Wherever we go, most people are very nice. But I've noticed that the public seems to not know how to treat me sometimes so I've written up a few ideas that I'd like to share with the readers. Following these few suggestions will make life easier for all dogs who are responsible for the safety of their humans.

• While I am guiding my human, please do not pet me...especially in the middle of the street!

• Do not whistle at me. It is distracting and you may cause an accident.

• When I'm working...do not call my name if you know it. (The neighbors do this a lot.)

• I do not like to be petted while in-harness. Please get permission from Tee before you pet me.

• While Tee is shopping, getting assistance or otherwise occupied, do not sneak up and pet me when she doesn't know.

• Do NOT try to give me a snack at any time.

• Do not pick up the harness handle if we need your sighted guidance, such as at a traffic light. Give Tee the directions....I'll follow what she says.

• Please keep your children under control and do not permit them to run up and touch me. It is confusing and scary for any dog to have people run up and touch us.

• When you see me guiding Tee around people and objects, please don't try to move anything out of the way. I've judged the distance and get thrown off when this happens, sometimes making her brush up against things. I will need to be "corrected" for that, and I do not like being corrected for something that is not totally my fault in the first place.

• When Tee asks you for directions, please do not grab my head or nose to direct me. I don't know the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) and can't read street signs. My duty is to keep Tee safe. I have been trained by excellent and knowledgeable people and I know my job.

The general rule is, when I'm wearing the harness, I'm working and should not be interacting with you. If Tee needs help, talk to her and she'll talk to me.

It is also important to remember that I am a dog and need to be treated with same respect that all dogs deserve when walking outside with their humans. It is never advisable to allow children to come up to me without asking first and never, never, NEVER feed us without consulting the human first. Many of us are on special diets or get really sick from food we are not used to eating.

Tee and I really appreciate your cooperation and we hope these few suggestions have given you more information about dog-guides. We thank you sincerely for your understanding and cooperation.

[Editor's note: Tee and Tahoe Johnson live in Santa Monica, California. They do not have e-mail so if you have any comments for them, please send them to the editor who will gladly pass it on to them. ]