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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Yesterday, Velvet and I flew in from John Wayne
Airport Orange County. On our plain were two service dogs: a
Do</FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial>xhound 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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