My special guest today, whom I have my lunch date with, is Orinda, the Guide Dog.
I recently shared a post regarding my interview with Sophie, a Para-athletic who competed in the Tokyo Paralympic 2020.
Check this earlier post about Sophie, the owner of Orinda.
Sophie moves around with her guide dog, Orinda.
We caught up for lunch in a pet-friendly restaurant, and guess what?
Our lunch lasted more than 2 hours, and I completely forgot about Orinda.
Because she was so calm and silent throughout the session.
Before I met Sophie and Orinda, I read up on “how to behave” in front of a guide dog! Lol…
It was a fantastic experience, and I like to share about Orinda today.
Here are some tips to remember when you are near a guide dog.
#1 IS THE DOG WORKING OR OFF-WORK?
How do you know when a guide dog is ON DUTY?
When you see them wearing a harness.
The harness is a trigger for them to be at work.
#2 DO NOT DISTRACT OR PLAY WITH THEM WHEN THEY ARE WORKING.
No matter how adorable they are, when you see the harness, remain a respectable distance from the dog because they are working.
The easiest way is to ignore them as though they are invisible.
Please do not feed them, talk or play with them because this might confuse the dog, “Am I working or playing?”
Even if they seem to be sleeping, they are still on duty as long as their harness is on.
#3 TRUST THE GUIDE DOG
When you see someone with a guide dog crossing a traffic light,
Give the dog the benefit of the doubt that they can safely get their owner across the road.
Avoid honking or yelling, as that is a significant distraction rather than helping.
#4 TRUST THE HANDLER
Guide dogs are highly trained, but they do still make mistakes.
Any corrections might seem abrupt to a guide dog, but the handler has been properly trained in giving corrections.
And they would never do anything to hurt their dog.
#5 GUIDE DOGS ARE PLAYFUL LIKE OTHER DOGS
It is playtime when the harness is removed.
Orinda transformed into any other playful dog instantly when we removed the harness.
That is when you are given permission to pet and play with the dog because they know they are OFF WORK.
Sound familiar?
We are similar to them in many ways, don’t we? Lol…
But do always remember to ask permission from the handler first.
Always approach the handler first for permission, not the dog.
And yes, she looked pretty happy in the picture when we were playing 🙂
This is Joseph Signing Off.
May You TRANSFORM, FLOURISH AND PROSPER in the brand new world!
#riseup #riseupglobal #showup #leadership #team #leader #motivation #inspiration #guidedogs #paralympics #diversityandinclusion
