On the receiving end
My fiancé has a guide dog. On account of the fact that he is blind.
Walking in town one day, a real looney toons animal rights twat shouts at him that guide dogs are all suffering and miserable and grabs the dog's harness and attempts to take the dog from him. My fiancé responded by grabbing the bloke's hand and twisting it round sharply at the thumb joint. The bloke let go and yelled like a girl, then beat a hasty retreat, followed by passers by who objected to someone assaulting a blind man and his guide dog. So indeed, he was correct, there was suffering, but it wasn't the dog.

What makes it amusing is that a) my fiancé has been instrumental in changing some of guide dogs for the blind's attitudes to certain training and health matters when he felt they were not in the animals best interests and b) both he and I have been quite active in the animal rights department over the years, but never ever through violence or man handling people going about their business or to the detriment or safety of either animals or humans.

However, no matter what you do for the causes you believe in, there will always be some genuinely mental dick head who will do shit like that and make you, by mere association, look like a lunatic. But being on the receiving end was surreal for him under the circumstances to say the least.
(womanwhocanonlylivewithdogs, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 15:13, 9 replies)

What would he have done with the dog had he succeeded in "Liberating" it?
released it back into the wild?
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 15:25, closed)

That could've been expensive
depending on the breed.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 15:33, closed)

Fuck knows
... But the real mentalists at the extreme end don't think of that shit, do they ?
I think if it ever happens again with the guide dog he has now, the would be liberator will very likely get bitten. Current guide dog isn't keen on being messed about when he's working.
(womanwhocanonlylivewithdogs, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 17:41, closed)

Not that I have
much experience, but seems to me most guide dogs are very well looked after, and never appear to be particularly bothered by their situation.

They certainly get plenty of exercise, something my old Golden retreiver used to absolutely live for.

I don;t think that bloke was any kind of protestor, he was just a fucking nutter.
( Not Pineapple anymore, Wed 17 Nov 2010, 9:23, closed)

What would he have done with the dog had he succeeded in "Liberating" it?
Sang "Who let the dogs out, who, who, whowho.."?

I hang my head in shame.

It was either the above or I start a whole new rant about nurses raking the money in for doing bugger all. And I think I might have been flamed for that.
(Big Smurf Brush me daddy-O, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 23:17, closed)

Comment from a Blind student of my acquaintance in Halls many years ago
He had a guide dog, and commented on more than one occasion that the dog had a better quality diet, and was better looked after than the average student!

Could say that muttly went For the WINalot!!
(Sir Tainley Barking Ezekiel 23:20, Wed 17 Nov 2010, 13:41, closed)

most dogs love working
It allows them to develop correctly.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Wed 17 Nov 2010, 14:20, closed)

But not all dogs?
Are some of them lazy?
(Big Smurf Brush me daddy-O, Wed 17 Nov 2010, 19:10, closed)

Not sure if it's the work they love
but a dog likes to please, in my experience (sounds a bit creepy if taken out of context, lol.) They like to curry favour with whoever is at the top of the pack - i.e., in the best case, you (one). Though it can't be denied that a bright guide dog (like my fiance's current dog) does like the challenge of the work and relish getting it right. He does an excited lap of honour of the front room if he's come in after working particularly well in a difficult or unusual situation (the dog that is, not the fiance). You can tell he's chuffed with himself. And of course he likes the praise and cuddles he gets. Not to mention the food rewards.

All the guide dogs I've met who had good partnerships with their owners were / are very happy (I know many). Those that weren't (I can only think of one to be honest that I knew some years ago) don't work well - and they get their owners into trouble more than is usual allowing for the normal mistakes the partnership might make. Like walking into lamp posts or parked cars or whatever. Which hurts. So, it's in the best interests of the owner to make them and keep them happy. And you have to treat a dog well to make him / her happy.
The unhappy guide dogs get re matched with someone else who might be better suited to the dog's working style, or the owner gets retrained, or the dog gets retrained. Unhappy guide dog partnerships don't last long.
(womanwhocanonlylivewithdogs, Wed 17 Nov 2010, 21:50, closed)