Daisy the Recalcitrant Guide Dog

This event happened to me early in 2007. I have been under some pressure to retell it here in this forum as, after all, it is a rail story.

I had to collect my car from the mechanic at Rockdale one afternoon. I arrived at Martin Place station in time for a train to Rockdale at 5pm but, quell surprise, there was a hold up with the trains and all were late. Just as the announcer was giving us the bad news a train pulled in, I noticed that it was stopping at Rockdale so I jumped on.
I did notice, but sort of didn’t, that the train was in fact a country train on its way to Wollongong, which meant that it was a bullet train and would get me to Rockdale quickly. I have to say, in my defence, that this line isn’t my usual line and I was only slightly aware of the consternation caused to the 'Gong' residents by people alighting at stations prior to the south coast stations. I was however, fully aware of it by the time the train had passed Redfern station. Every five minutes the guard would announce that passengers couldn’t alight from the train at Rockdale, Hurstville or Sutherland and that the train would only pick up passengers. Eeeeeeeeeeeeek how the hell was I going to get off the damn train. Was I going to be arrested? Jumped on by angry commuters from the Gong? Yelled at over the PA? Chased off the platform by the station staff?
As it turned out it wasn’t that hard. I just surreptitiously stepped off the train backwards (as if I was getting on) and no one was the wiser. Whew!
As I was congratulating myself on my crafty deception I was assulted by a very friendly, very enthousiastic Golden Labrador who flew up at me out of nowhere and greeted me as if I was her long lost best friend. She danced around me for a moment, licked my hand and then flew off in the opposite direction to run around in the garden.
Two things struck me as odd here:
1. this dog was wearing a guide dog harness and
2. there wasn’t a blind person attached to the harness.
There was no doubt that this particular dog was having a fantastic time, she was running around sniffing everything and going up to every person on the station and saying hello and running and running with joyous abandon.
I do have some knowledge of guide dogs having had a friend who was blind and I know for a fact that if he has a harness on then he is ‘working’ and he shouldn’t be being a dog.
I just acted without thought and called the dog to me. I was squatting down to the level of the dog so she wouldn’t feel threatened (or think that I was the fun police coming to arrest her). I need not have worried she turned around on a penny and came at me full speed, jumped about 3 feet away from me and landed front paws first planted firmly in my chest. As I lay on my back, winded with a 30 kilo bag of wriggly fur slobbering all over my face, I questioned the wisdom of being a dog rescuer and did (for a moment) consider taking my broken ribs over to the nearest seat and watch this dopey mut get itself onto a train to who knows where. BUT of course I am the biggest loser when it comes to canines and the thought of the heartbreak that a lost dog causes made me grab the dog’s harness and make her help me up to go on our crusade to find and yell at the moron who let her go.
Have you ever tried to find a blind person on a train platform on a sunny day? Think about it. What distinguishes a blind person from the rest of us?
Usually they have a white cane or a guide dog (in this case I was guessing that a white cane wasn’t going to be the giveaway) and sunglasses.
As I look down the platform I see about 40 people standing, facing the tracks with sunglasses on. Hmmmm I have a look at the tag on the harness, Daisy – guide dog association. That’s it!!! No phone number, no ID number – nothing. There goes the easy option of calling a mobile and running towards the sound.
Ah well good thing I don’t mind talking to strangers. I ask the person closest, an Asian woman who is standing there studiously ignoring me. “is this your dog” I ask. A shake of the head and she points to the train that I just got off and the man stuffing bags onto it. ‘his dog’ she says as the doors are closing!!!! WHAT THE!!!! What sort of blind person gets on a train and forgets their dog?? I turn to her and she just shrugs. ‘dog lost now!’ and walks away from me. What a cow! This isn’t just an ordinary dog, It is someone's eyes. Who am I kidding, the demographic here in Rockdale doesn’t like dogs – doesn’t matter if they are assistance animals or not.
In fact I try to ask about 5 or 6 people and all are either disinterested or ignorant or don’t speak English. I get the feeling that if I hadn’t been there Daisy would have been history. Not one of the bludgers is interested in the fact that there is a blind person somewhere without their eyes or that a very valuable dog is just running around on a train station unattended. Not to mention that a beautiful creature is lost and will be missing her family when she realises it. I am constantly amazed and angry at the lack of feelings of responsibility that the masses have when it comes to animals. One can’t help but feel that it would be divine retribution if certain dog haters would have to rely on a guide dog. Or better still be buried in an avalanche and be rescued by a St Bernard (actually there would be two problems there. The dog and the brandy) however, I digress, it never snows in the desert anyway.
Even the station staff don’t seem to give a rats. I ask at the booth on the station if they have seen whose dog it is but they just shrug their shoulders and tell me to ask people on the station. I ask them to ask over the PA but they ‘don’t do that, it’s for important information only,’ right. This isn’t important.
I am now envisaging having to take Daisy home, call the Blind Society and try to find her owner. As I am doing this Daisy is literally dragging me all over the place in her haste to sniff every corner of the station and say hello to every person (be they friendly or not). She isn’t exactly the bastion of good training; in fact I’m beginning to wonder if her owner let her go on purpose. She is probably the worst dog I have ever held a leash for. AND no manners!!!
I was getting exasperated with her, I mean; really, she is a guide dog for goodness sake! Where is her decorum? Her professionalism? Her work ethic? I give her harness a shake and in my best dog whisperer impersonation I tell her ‘you’re working’.
Magic words.
Daisy goes quiet and pliant and actually guides me down the station. Like a guide dog.
I must say, this is all right! I allow myself a little enjoyment of the moment, I have the dark glasses on and the dog – everyone thinks I’m blind…..they get out of my way, it’s cool. Not that I want to try it for real you understand but it’s unreal the way the crowds part.
As Daisy and I are making our way down the platform I can hear a train approaching the station, and because I’m looking out for it, I spot a woman about 100 metres away mime stooping down to grab (a guide dog’s harness?) something. I say mime because there is nothing there.
I guess I have found my blind person and start to run because I can see the panic start to form on her face as she realises that her dog isn’t sitting quietly by her side.
It all happens in slow motion, I’m trying to get us there as fast as I can, it isn’t fast enough and the blind woman starts screaming Daisy’s name in a panic and is walking with her hands splayed out in front of her as if Daisy is playing with her and is just keeping out of her reach. It’s too close to the station edge and no one is paying attention and the train is coming. Daisy is straining at the harness to get back to her mum but I can’t let go in case she doesn’t go back to her (lets face it her past performance doesn’t fill anyone with confidence). I make it there just as the woman is starting to cry and is teetering a little too close to the edge for my liking. Being mindful of frightening someone who cant see and is in a full panic I stand close without touching her and tell her its ok, I found her dog. She grabs the harness and I tell her there is a seat just behind her, sit down and relax for a minute.
I expect to be treated with mistrust or hostility after all she didn’t know what had happened except that her mutt was missing and all of a sudden I show up with her dog in tow but she once she was calm she was wonderful.
I told her about my introduction to Daisy and we ended up in hysterics over her inappropriate antics. I asked her how it happened and she said that she must have released her lead by mistake. (Guide dogs have 3 attachments. If you release the lead or the harness the dog thinks that it’s time for play). Daisy should have known however, that she was working and she should have stayed where she was.
Jean then told me that people were known to steal guide dogs from under their owner’s noses (literally) and she was frightened that had happened to her.
Can you believe that!!! Just add that to the man’s inhumanity to man list.
Anyway all’s well that ends well. Daisy didn’t have to come home with me after all, I made a new friend and thankfully I was in the right spot at the right time.
Ps: as a consequence of her lapse, Daisy had to complete a further 3-month training session. I see her and Jean whenever I need to put the car in and they are both very much improved.