I don't bite and he's not blind.

So there are two questions that I get at a pretty much nonstop rate.
1. Are you blind?
2. Will he bite me? (Meaning Riddick while he's working.)

If either question sounds ridiculous to you then you're not alone. I tend to agree. In all fairness, seeing eye dogs are what people automatically picture when they think of a service dog. The funny thing about that is that hearing dogs outnumber guide dogs by as much as 3 to 1. Most people see a service dog and assume oh that person is blind. It's only worse when I wear sunglasses. I also find that people assume I'm blind when I don't notice or respond to their speaking to me. I guess they think I'm not responding because I can't see them not because I didn't hear them. Even if it is somewhat understandable it's still really annoying. It's especially annoying when someone asks me this after looking me in the eyes and I look back. I've decided to design a t-shirt that says: If you can read this you're as blind as I am. It's the best way I can think of to deal with this question.

The second question is the infinitely more obnoxious one. It drives me crazy to have people ask if Riddick is going to bite them. If he were doing something threatening I could maybe understand the question. However this question is almost always posed to me when he is just lying on the floor. More often that not people ask me that when he is taking a nap and drooling. I look at my not even remotely scary dog and then back at the person. I just want to say, "Seriously?  He's taking a nap with his stuffed hedgehog, and you think he's going to bite you?  What lead you to that bright conclusion?  His drooling?"  Thankfully, I don't typically smart off to people. Normally I politely say, "No, he's a trained service animal.  They don't bite."  Occasionally I sign something that may or may not be particularly polite.

So please, if you're out and about, don't ask those two questions when you see a person with their service dog. If nothing else do it as a favor to me! I promise you'll be doing that pair a favor by skipping the obnoxious questions.