Hello! My name is Franco, I am a guide dog and I want to teach you how you should act when you meet me assisting my person.
First of all, let me tell you that I am a working dog, not a pet. The more you ignore me, the better it will be for us.
My behavior, as well as the treatment that should be given to me, is totally different from that of companion dogs, and I must be respected in my double role as guide and companion of my person. Please don’t pet me or try to get my attention when I’m working. That is, when you see me with the harness on. If you do, you can distract me and cause an accident to my person. I must never fail to guide him.
Don’t be afraid to be close to me. One of the requirements of being a service dog is to have a calm and balanced temperament, so I will not do harm for any reason.
As a special request, if you have another dog with you, please control it to avoid any incidents when it passes by us. If you like your dogs to go outdoors and explore the streets, please have them under your supervision and never off leash. By doing so you will avoid mishaps. Above all, you will help me fulfill my mission. Being attacked by another dog could frighten me, and, as you know, one of my greatest virtues is having confidence so as not to doubt what I do.
Please don’t offer me any type of food. I have a fixed meal schedule, and my person is the only one who should take care of that.
If you want to offer your help to my person, speak directly to him and not to me. If, on the other hand, he comes to ask you for help, approach him from his right side, so that I am on the left. My person will then order me to follow you, or he will ask you to offer him your left arm. In that case, he will signal to me that I am temporarily out of service.
Never touch my harness or my leash. They are the instruments of communication between me and the person I assist.
I am used to traveling in any means of transport, lying at the feet of my person without causing inconvenience to other passengers. I will not cause any type of accident, since we assistance dogs have predetermined places and times to do our business. Likewise, I am trained to remain with my person in all types of public establishments, such as health establishments, shopping centers, restaurants, supermarkets, cafes, cinemas, theaters, and study or work environments. Rest assured that I will not cause any alteration to the normal functioning of the establishment, or any inconvenience to the staff or the public.
Thanks to my rigorous training, I am protected by law to access the places my person has access to. You will never see me wandering around the premises on my own, since I am an assistance dog, and I must be available when I am needed. You can see me sleeping peacefully or calmly relaxing, but I am always alert in case my person needs me.
I very much appreciate your interest in getting to know me and supporting me in fulfilling my mission, which is to ensure the well-being of my person!
May I ask you one last favor? Will you help me spread this information?
¡Muchas gracias!
Franco, Perro Guía