A surprising, and pretty amusing thing at a chain pet store this morning, Zinnia got attacked by a big white Yellow Lab Seeing Eye Dog right by the dog food aisle.
The dog, led by a nervous handler, both festooned in “seeing eye” “rescue” and “service dog” vests and scarves and collars, responded to Zinnia’s barking by leaping on her, knocking her down and grabbing her by the neck collar.
He looked pretty aggressive to me, had Zinnia by the throat briefly, but Zinnia was yowling so loud it rang in my ears and scrambling away. The handler pulled him back quickly.
(There is something funny about this story, but also something serious. I should say I assume this was not a real Seeing Eye or trained Service Dog, but someone – an amateur, it seemed – who was hoping to train one. The Seeing Eye is a non-profit center in Morristown, N.J., for training dogs who work with the blind. A trained Seeing Eye Dog would never get in the door doing that.)
Zinnia scrambled out, shrieking as dramatic puppies do, and I walked her back and told her to sit, which she did just a few feet from the huge dog.
She sat down and barked at her attacker, indignant. She did not run or back off, neither did she fight.
The handler, a mortified woman full of apologies, said she was astonished, her Seeing Eye trainee – he had to be 90 pounds at least glowered and growled at Zinnia, who sat down on command and barked right back.
I can’t count the number of times people have told me they are astonished when their dog behaves like a dog. Still, seeing eye dogs can’t make those mistakes.
I noticed his ears were back and his tail was down, which I didn’t like. I made a note to never buy those vests or banners or bandannas. And if he reacted this way to a puppy, I can only imagine how he might behave with aroused or bigger dogs.
I thought the handler was going to keel over, she was so mortified, as I guess I would have been.
I kicked myself for not getting a photo, but I was too busy watching and freeing Zinnia.
Zinnia doesn’t rattle easily, a good trait in a therapy dog.
She was butted by a sheep yesterday in the pole barn and didn’t seem to notice.
Zinnia gave the dog a good tongue lashing by barking, and I saw it as a great training opportunity and test. “Lie down,” I said, and she did, and she stayed down, in a star-off with the alleged seeing-eye dog, but quite unfazed and without any injury, certainly no blood.
She seemed quite annoyed, befitting the WASP Princess that she is. Then she lost interest. I couldn’t stop laughing at the eye of having a puppy attacked by a Seeing Eye Dog with an expensive red “Service Dog” vest, but then gathered myself.
I couldn’t wait to call Maria.
The handler, still apologizing, said it wasn’t like Theo to do something like this.
Well, I said, no harm was done, it’s a great training opportunity for a therapy dog, which Zinnia is. But he did so something like this.
Mostly, I’m just grateful she wasn’t guiding a sightless person when it happened, that would have been awful.
The dog nearly knocked the handler down while lunging at Zinnia, he was not in control.
The store manager came rushing over, nearly hysterical, and asked if the dog was aggressive. He was probably terrified about getting sued.
Well, I said, I guess attacking another dog is kind of aggressive, but there was no harm done, my dog is fine, and we got some good training out of it.
If Zinnia was ever going to lose it, I’d say it was then.
I hope this other dog gets a lot of training or switches over to hunting ducks. Meanwhile, I told Zinnie there probably aren’t many Lab puppies who get roughed up by a Seeing Eye Dog.
She was more interested in the bully sticks out on display by the floor. And I had even more confidence in her composure and response to me. And I may be an awful person, but I can’t stop laughing about it. Zinnia getting assaulted by a seeing-eye dog with a huge red vest? How can you beat it?
Obviously it wasn’t a real service dog . Glad your dog is ok
I hope not..
HYSTERICAL! Made my day – Brought tears of laughter to my eyes – a very good chuckle!!
Onward!
Thanks, Jon 🙂
I am glad that Zinnia is ok. I would have been so angry and don’t think I would have taken my dog over by the other dog; but reading this, I can see why you did it was the right thing to do for Zinnia. You don’t want her to be afraid to be out in public.
Thanks Marsha, Zinnia is going to be a therapy dog, and if she is, I have to know with absolute certainty that she will not respond aggressively even when provoked..It was good to see that I can trust here, even in that environment… You can’t be a therapy dog if you fight back..
Thank the universe for a solid puppy. And while dogs can and certainly SHOULD be dogs, that behavior is completely unacceptable in any type of work he was labeled for. And makes the world infinitely more difficult for people that need actual service dogs.
I’m happy to hear Zinnia was unflappable in the face of rudeness.
I look forward to your stories. You are right there is no way that dog was a seeing eye dog in training. I hope Zinnia does not get skiddish or some kind of set back because of it. If so it can be worked thru. Zinnia is such a sound puppy already it doesn’t sound like she would have an issue.
Seeing Eye is a trademarked name for a specific guide dog school located in Morristown, NJ. Dogs that lead blind people come from a variety of schools and are generically referred to as guide dogs. Please do not accuse The Seeing Eye for being responsible for this out of control dog. I doubt that the handler was a guide dog puppy raiser or that the dog was anything other than a pet with fake service vests. To make the connection to The Seeing Eye – unless you absolutely know for certain that is where the dog is from – is unfair and as a former journalist, I expect that you like to have your facts right. You might consider lightening up a bit..some humor is still legal in America…
Sheila, your message seems a bit stuffy and unnecessary to me, and I expect critics to have their facts right also. I said up high in the piece that this clearly was not a Seeing Eye dog, and the term has been in common usage for years, and was also stenciled on both sides of the dog… I am not a journalist, I am a writer, and I am quite comfortable with what I wrote. None of us can know with absolute certainty where any dog comes from (for all I know, it WAS a dog from Morristown), that is the drama and dilemma of the modern dog world..best to you, no apologies today…I have no doubt it was not from the Seeing Eye School, with which I am quite familiar, having lived close by it for years..
Yikes! That is bizarre. Glad Zinnia wasn’t hurt, and kept her cool.
Your response was good, for you and Zinnia. I, personally, (I know, you didn’t ask!) would have wanted to know the name or the organization they claimed to represent b/c I would have reported the incident to them. ANY legitimate training organization, as you probably already know, would immediately reevaluate that dog and in most of them such an incident would automatically remove it from their training program. I’m speaking as a person with some experience with the legitimate service dog process, and out of appropriate concern that the other dog was as you stated out of control of the handler. Anyway, my two cents (or less) worth! Carry on with your wonderful AOG work, it means the world to so many including those who get to participate in your projects of providing assistance in so many wonderful ways to others who are in need of the extra help.
Thanks Ruth, I think there was no organization, that was not a trained therapy or service dog…
Wow that is a lil funny but also scary, to think that this is being offered to a person who really needs a REAL seeing eye dog, glad zinnia is ok.
I find the term Seeing Eye Dog a bit odd. Over here in England we call them Guide Dogs which seems more appropriate with regards to what they do . However , I would agree with Jon regarding the episode with Zinnia in the shop ( in which she responded so well and was in complete control) thanks to your excellent training Jon and also your lifelong experience with dogs , Zinnia was completely under your control and I can understand you being proud as I would have been , she is going to be a wonderful service dog etc when she is older .