Mom's away from the computer so I'm gonna put my paw to pen, so to speak, about something that irritates her to no end- lack of courtesy

Look... we know that I'm small and cute, but that's not why she chose me.  She chose me for my abilities and portability. To paraphrase Judge Judy, "I'm not working because I'm cute, I'm here because I'm SMART."

It's really getting out of hand and a bit irritating. Allow me to enlighten you on what pisses us off:

While out shopping we have been:

Getting jumped in front of to bring us to screeching halt just so the person can ask some intrusive questions like, what do I do for her, what is her disability, what kind of dog I am or the mother of all questions - "How do you get him to wear them shoes???"

Mom cringes when she hears someone yell, "Lookit the shoes!" because she knows the questions will start.  You may say "so what?  it'll just take a couple minutes".   Trust me, you are NOT the only ones stopping us to ask the same questions we get asked over and over. It's gotten so bad that Mom has actually written a FAQ to hand out.

Oh but that's not enough.  They reach over and pet me.. and I'm wearing my cape to show that I'm working!  When you see a dog wearing a service dog vest, just consider him "hands off "

And by all means, PLEASE don't try to call me over to you or ask if you can see me - I'm WORKING! 

This also goes for kids.  Teach them about service dogs. Do NOT encourage them to go 'pet the puppy'

Then lastly, there are those who want to show us a picture of their dog who they say looks EXACTLY like me.  In the past 3 years we have met only two other Shorkie owners and only one picture even looked like me. It's about as interesting as looking at pictures of someone's' grandkids and listening to how smart they are.

Puppy on a String

Tips for Easy Walking of Your Dogs

        

I often observe other dogs being walked on extenda leads. As you have realized by now, your control of your dogs are at a minimum.  The extenda lead SEEMS like a good idea until you walk more than one dog at a time using more than ONE extenda lead.  They criss cross and weave together making them basicaly useless.

So what is the alternative?  Put your dog on a 4' leash.  Yup, that is all you need.  You see, an extenda lead goes from zero to 25 feet.  Your dog has no idea of what his boundaries are, so he keeps pulling to the max.  Use a shorter lead.  This keeps the dog closer to you and gives him the added security that his pack leader is close by and with the coyotes out and about, you will be able to readily access your dog for his safety.  You will thank yourself and so will your dog. If you have two dogs, use just one leash with an attachement called a "coupler".  It looks like two short leashes attached to a D-ring that you clip to the clip on the end of your walking leash that you attach to your dog's collar.  The can be found at any Petco/PetSmart where the leashes are sold.

Your dog does NOT need to be 8 yards away from you to go potty.  When he has to go, he'll go.  Dogs are not that modest :)