Dogs provide great companionship, but owning a pet involves serious responsibilities. Making your pet a welcome part of the neighborhood benefits everyone, including those with Seeing Eye dogs.

It only takes an instant for tragedy to strike. Dog attacks and interference are largely preventable. The first step is to realize that any dog, even a family pet, is capable of causing harm if it is threatened, in pain, out of control, protecting its “territory” or deliberately/inadvertently trained to be aggressive. Obeying leash laws and keeping control of your pet go a long way toward preventing attacks against and interference with guide dog teams.

Even the neighbor’s pet that runs out to “greet” the team, the family “guard” dog who menacingly growls and barks while circling the team as they pass by, or the well-meaning pet owner who brings their leashed canine over to “visit” with a Seeing Eye dog can inadvertently jeopardize the safety of the team.