Thursday, April 24, 2008

Seeing Eye

This morning I saw a seeing-eye dog bringing a woman across Winter Street in Downtown Crossing. It's mostly foot traffic there, but while they were crossing a slow-moving Poland Spring water truck happened to be coming down the street. The dog noticed it when they were half-way across the street. He hesitated for a second, just long enough to make it clear he was deciding whether to continue along or go back. Then he started backing up and brought the woman back to the sidewalk.

4 comments:

Maggie said...

I've always wondered how long it takes to tune in to the slight movements of a seeing-eye dog, or learn to react quickly to what the end of your cane finds in front of you. The loss of sight, more than any other sense, must really heighten the others.

Seeing-eye dogs are heroes. I have considered volunteering to raise the puppies until they are ready to start school.

NickM said...

If it were a German Shepherd, he would have kept going!

Ben Monopoli said...

Hehe, it was a golden retriever. If he had kept going I don't think I would've noticed it. It was the going back that made it seem like more of a thoughtful decision.

Anonymous said...

Clever dog.