My husband Ken is sometimes hard-pressed to remember his manners.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and that’s true about Ken — or I should say, it’s true when it comes to his manners around service dogs. I remember one time at Family Retreat, Ken and I met a polio survivor named Julie who had the most beautiful German shepherd for a canine companion. The dog’s name was Max and he was so intelligent! When he was working, that is when he was helping Julie open doors or pick up keys off the floor, or turn on the lights, or grab her knapsack off the back of her wheelchair, when Max was doing these things, he wore a little vest and a muzzle to show everybody around him that he was working. It wasn’t that he wore the muzzle because he would bite, no; Julie explained that the muzzle, for Max, was his sign that he should just “keep his mouth shut and do his job.” And do his job, he did. That dog was so attentive, so alert to Julie’s every request. It was like he couldn’t wait to do something for her — anything — rarely would he lay down on the job; rather, he’d sit by her side with ears perked up, looking for ways to help his master.
Now here’s the thing: My husband Ken was absolutely dying to pet that dog. The animal was so winsome, he was almost irresistible. But whenever he was around Max, Ken tried observing good etiquette; he kept his hands clasped behind his back and let the German shepherd do his job. Julie commended Ken for observing (as she put it) ‘good service dog manners.’ In fact, she decided she wanted to reward him. So she told him: “Ken, I want you to meet Max and me out on the front lawn after the meeting tonight.” Well, neither Ken nor I knew what Julie was up to, but her invitation sounded intriguing, so that evening, after the Talent Show at Family Retreat, we went out to the front lawn where Julie was waiting with Max. “Okay,” she said to Ken. “You have the privilege of taking Max’s vest off and his muzzle!” Ken was so touched by this, and it was so cute, it was like she was rewarding him for his patience with her dog. Well, when Ken started to untie Max’s muzzle, oh my goodness that dog started wigging and wagging his tail furiously and whining. When Ken unsnapped the little vest, Max nearly went ballistic; he was jumping and dancing with joy. It was so odd seeing him like this; before he had been so calm and quiet, but now with his muzzle and vest off, it was like he knew he could be a dog again! When Max was free, he started racing around in circles and barking happily. That’s when Julie handed Ken a tennis ball. When Max saw that tennis ball, he started jumping up in the air; it was a sign for him that he wanted Ken to throw it so he could catch it. And oh, did my husband have a blast with that dog that night, and what a gift Julie gave to him; the chance to play full force with her wonderful dog.
I like that the Bible commends us when we take care of our pets. Proverbs chapter 12, verse 10 says that “A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal…” God genuinely cares about how we treat our dogs or cats or horses or parakeets. And oh, does Julie take good care of Max. Hey, if you’d like to learn a few service dog manners like Ken learned — you know, a few doggie do’s and don’ts around service animals like Max — then you must go to my radio page today at joniandfriends.org and download a sheet of information about all the different kinds of service dogs there are, as well as the manners you need to observe when these dogs are working to help people with disabilities. Max and Julie will appreciate it when you do. So download it at joniandfriends.org.
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PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376