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Letter: Hey, my guide dog is not here to be your new friend

Guide dog handler and manager of advocacy with CNIB says people who use guide dogs too often have to explain to people the dog is not for them to pet or play with, and too often have to tell retailers allowing guide dogs entry is the law
Letter to the Editor
typewriter pexels-cottonbro-3945337 (From Pexels by Cottonbro)
From Pexels by Cottonbro

I’ll never forget the first time I held a harness handle in my hand and walked with my first guide dog, Salsa. 

I was about to graduate from university, and up until that point in my life, I’d never experienced such an incredible feeling of freedom and independence.

In those first few moments of joy and excitement, I hadn't even considered that becoming a guide dog handler would come with its own set of unique challenges. And I don't mean the day-to-day trials of owning and caring for a dog, but rather, the barriers that guide dog handlers continue to face.

Guide dogs aren't pets. They're partners in mobility for people who are blind, deafblind, or who have low vision.

Sadly, many people still don't know how to behave around a guide dog. You’d be amazed how often people distract my guide dog by petting or talking to him, offering him food or encouraging excitable play. A guide dog's No. 1 priority is the safety of their handler and distracting them while they're working can jeopardize our safety as a guide dog team.

Every time I step outside, I not only have to worry about people distracting my guide dog, but I also have to mentally prepare myself for the possibility of being denied access to stores, restaurants, rideshares – you name it.

Refusing access to a person accompanied by a guide dog is not only degrading and disrespectful, but it also violates our fundamental human rights. 

Across Canada, legislation prohibits discriminating against a person with a disability who is working with a guide dog; this includes refusing service and access to places the public would normally have access to. Whether it’s dining at a restaurant, shopping at a store, taking a taxi or rideshare, going to school, staying at a hotel, visiting a salon or movie theatre – guide dogs belong everywhere. It’s the law.

Despite the legislation, guide dog handlers like me continue to encounter discrimination when we're challenged, questioned or turned away from these public places.

Having to educate others about proper guide dog etiquette and my rights as a guide dog handler can be exhausting and emotionally taxing, especially when I’m met with resistance or ignorance. For many of us, the anxiety that comes with advocating and standing up for our rights is a small price to pay for the freedom and independence that our guide dogs give us – but it shouldn't have to be that way.

Many of the barriers guide dog handlers face are deeply rooted in ignorance. Often, people don't know how to behave around a guide dog and don't realize they’re breaking the law by denying access or refusing service to a guide dog team. 

That's why Guide Dog Access Awareness Month is so important. It’s all about educating people on proper guide dog etiquette, the rights of guide dog handlers, and the legislation that protects them, and it’s about championing equal access for guide dog handlers.

By learning more about guide dogs, you can help shift social attitudes towards universal acceptance and appreciation for guide dogs, ensuring the rights of guide dog teams are always respected. To learn how you can help make your community more welcoming to guide dogs, visit GuideDogChampions.ca.

Stephanie Pilon
Guide dog handler
Manager of advocacy, CNIB
Greater Sudbury