Mummy, why is there a dog inside?

When I am out and about, I often hear children ask their parents 'Why is there a dog inside?' This question is often followed by the statement 'Dogs aren't allowed inside.'

The question always amuses my Person and I - not so much for the question itself, but for the variety of responses it gets. Here are a few examples:

'Shhh!' (We assume these people are too embarrassed to think we might hear them talking about us, or just don't want to say they have no idea.)

'The lady is training it to help people who can't see.' (This one is flattering - I must be doing a great job! Actually, I'm fully trained and am guiding my Person so she can do her shopping etc.)

'He's a Seeing Eye Dog and is helping the lady.' (Yes, I'm helping 'the lady' but I'm not a Seeing Eye Dog - I'm a Guide Dog. What's the difference? Guide Dogs Victoria and Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) are different organisations. There are a few differences in the breeding and training set-ups of the two organisations, as well as the harness - if you ask me, Guide Dogs has a higher standard of expectation in relation to behaviour. Still, I'm not offended if people think I'm a SEDA dog - it is hard to tell the difference!)

'He's a working dog - he's helping the lady because she can't see very well' (We like this explanation - obviously the parent is prepared to explain things fully to their child and is not afraid to mention my Person's disability.)

'OK, so now the explanation I would probably give if I was asked:

I am a Guide Dog, and that means it is my job to look after my Person wherever she goes. I am allowed anywhere my Person is allowed (with the exception of the Zoo, because I might disturb the animals and they might distract me from doing my job properly - and some other reason called 'quarantine'). This includes resteraunts, supermarkets, libraries, milkbars, shopping centers, markets...

Until next time...

Guide Dog Kenworth