Canine Colleagues

The other day Morey had the chance to meet two other working dogs. The first one was a guide dog. We were out for a walk on campus and we approached a blind student with her guide dog. I always call out to inform the person that I am approaching them with a dog so they can react appropriately. Usually with dog training we focus on being proactive in responding to possible distractions or challenging situations with our dogs, but guide dog partners are too often put in situations where they can only react to their dog's behavior instead of proactively dealing with potential distractions.

We were approaching each other from opposite directions on a sidewalk that had the road on one side and a brick wall on the other and there was really no way to give each other any space. I let the student know I was approaching with my service dog and as we passed each other both dogs paused and tried to sniff each other. Both of us urged our dogs to keep going and they reluctantly parted ways and continued along. Both dogs behaved very professionally, acting like dogs for only a moment before snapping back into work mode.

The second dog we came across was a K-9 police dog. The UT Police Department does have several canine cops as part of their force, although I have never come across one of them before. Morey noticed "Spike" first. He was in a police car that had dark tinted windows and was parked along the street. The officer was in the car and the windows were down slightly. My first indication that a dog was close was when Morey began to sniff the air. Then Spike smelled Morey and started barking, sounding quite ferocious. We quickly continued along our way and as we passed the car Morey's ears went back and he kept great eye contact with me (what he typically does when he is uncertain or scared of something).

Morey's experiences with the guide dog and the K-9 police dog were quite different, but in both situations he acted like a cool and calm professional. He doesn't often come across canine colleagues and but it's good to know he can make a good impression when he does!