[Cagdu] on service dogs

[Ken Volonte]

Yesterday, Velvet and I flew in from John Wayne Airport Orange County.  On our plain were two service dogs: a Doxhound in a crate, and a poodle who was just tucked up in a lady's sweater.  Before we left, there was some talk about these dogs.  The documentation wasn't right on one of them, but it was soon squared away and we were off.  One of the dogs, It must have been the Poodle, was seated about nine rows behind me.  I know this because from time to time, the flight attendants would go back and talk to the owners and interact with the dog.  The first unusual sound was an open mouthed cat squall with no result.  Over the next hour, We were treated to flight attendants imitating a mountain lion, some swallowed growl I couldn't identify.  I even heard one of the more frustrated ladies doing a lam in an effort, I suppose to get the dog to chase her down and kill her.  They were trying to push the limits, to provoke a perfectly quiet and unobtrusive dog to a display of temper or outrage at being yowled and snarled at.  Nothing worked.  The dog or dogs were perfect travelers just like our guides.  They have a job to do.  I think one dog alerted for seizures and one was a signal dog.  Truth to tell, the airline staff were much more annoying than the dogs.  It was like watching Wild kingdom live.  If a service dog has been trained to alarm or to do a specific task to make a person's life easier, folks should just leave them alone.  Maybe this is just a matter of getting used to the fact that there are more kinds of service dogs than just guide dogs in harness.  They all deserve our respect.   
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