Smelling Like a Rose

February 24, 2008 • Posted in book tour, guide dogs, Seeing Eye dogs, Uncategorized by

You might remember my “Papa & Me” blog about a presentation I gave at the Oak Park Public Library? A small independent children’s bookstore in Oak Park called Magic Tree was kind enough to bring books to the library for me to sign after my presentation. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a whole lot of takers.

As I put on my coat to leave the library, I could hear Rose, one of the Magic Tree owners, shoving unsold books back into a box. “Sorry we didn’t sell more books!” I called out in her direction. The temperature was one degree – yes, you read that right, one – outside. I hated to have dragged her out on such a cold night for such little reward.

Rose was unfazed. “No problem!” she exclaimed. “Now you can come to our store and do a presentation –we already have a stack of books!”

And so, this afternoon Hanni and I did a presentation at Magic Tree. Rose read “Safe & Sound” aloud, and I explained three rules to keep in mind if you happen to see a guide dog with a harness on: don’t pet the dog, don’t feed the dog, and don’t call out the dog’s name. “Those things can distract a Seeing Eye dog,” I told them. “It’d be like if someone nudged you or kept calling your name wile you were working on your spelling words at school. You wouldn’t be able to concentrate on your work.”

I suggested we come up with a fake name for Hanni. “If you use her fake name to say hi to her, she wont’ notice,” I said. “She’ll think you’re talking to someone else!”

“For today, let’s call the dog ‘Rose,’” I said. “You know, after the lady who invited Hanni and me to Magic Tree.

The kids liked the idea. The bookstore owner liked it, too. Until it came around to question and answer time, that is. There were some of the usual questions – how do you know where your food is on the plate, do you have to pay for a seat when the dog goes on an airplane with you, things like that. But then came the zinger. “How do you pick up Rose’s poop?”

I looked in Rose-the-human’s direction. She was quiet for a second. Then she burst out in laughter. I answered the question, but decided to refer to Hanni as “the dog” rather than “Rose” for this explanation.

It was a great event. When it was over, Rose didn’t pack any leftover books away in boxes. Instead, she asked me to sign them so she could bring them to a presentation she’d be giving to West Forty next month. “It’s an organization of 40 different public school districts in western Cook County,” she explained. “A lot of reading specialists are involved, I give presentations to them about books they might be interested in using with their kids.” She said she is especially pleased when she brings good books to their attention that they might not have heard of otherwise. “Yours is one of them.”

Laurie On February 26, 2008 at 10:54 pm

What a good sport Rose is! That story made me laugh out loud.

bethfinke On February 27, 2008 at 12:44 pm

You know, Rose *is* a good sport. And the fact she’ll be bringing copies of “Safe & Sound” to that West Forty group is really helpful. It could lead to more kids reading “Safe & Sound” in school — and learning about Seeing Eye dogs!

Yam Erez On October 13, 2008 at 8:38 pm

Hi Beth. I just adopted my second guide dog. The first one was a “dropout”; this one is retired. So, I’m curious: How DO you remove Hanni’s poop?

Beth On October 14, 2008 at 1:20 pm

You are swell for adopting those wonderful dogs, thanks! And picking up after them is, well…easy! Hanni walks around in countless circles before finding exactly the right spot. When she finally stops circling I feel for her back. If it’s rounded, I know she’s squatting. Placing my foot near her tail, I slip a plastic bag over my right hand and reach down. I feel the ground through the bag until I run across warm lumps. I pick them up, fold the bag over my palm, and that’s that.
We were taught this at The Seeing Eye, for all the obvious reasons. I hate stepping in dog crap, and complain profanely any time I do. I wouldn’t feel right barking, as it were, about the negligence of other dog owners if I didn’t pick up after Hanni. Besides that, picking up after her consistently is a good way to make sure she isn’t sick or hasn’t eaten anything rotten.

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