I heard a strangers voice. "Is he friendly?" they asked as they reached out to touch me. "Yes, but he's working. No touching, please." We reposition, so the wheelchair is between the stranger and I. The stranger moves around the wheelchair and looks right in my eyes as they ask, "Are you a good boy?" It's already hard to pay attention here and to listen and watch for cues because there's so many people talking and a multitude delicious odors are wafting around. The stranger held their hand in front of my nose. It smelt like paper, coffee and pocket lint with a hint of peanut butter. Unexpectedly, the wheelchair moved and I had to be quick to get my paws out of the way. I didn't see the hand signal to tell me to move left because I was wondering how long ago the strangers hand touched peanut butter and if they might be smuggling toast in their pockets. "Yes, he's a very good boy." The voice that belongs to my partner helps gets my attention back and I follow the wheelchair as she moves to give us a bit more space. But I'm not 100% back on task. It can take us dogs a minute to get re-oriented. During that time we can miss important cues that tell us to do something. Or we might not notice things that are important. Like strollers on a collision course with us, or a loose toddler, or a door opening. Imagine being at work and suddenly a stranger is right in front of you making funny noises and putting strange smells right in front of your nose. When they are finally out of sight it might take you a few minutes to get back on task. If you're doing something that takes a lot of concentration, you might even need a break so you can settle back into the job. So please, try not to be that extra distracting thing around a dog that's working. Don't try to make our job harder than it is. Don't touch us or put things in our faces. Don't make direct eye contact or try to get us to look at you. And always speak to our humans instead of us. Though I don't recommend asking mine if she's a good girl or she might snap at you. 😉 – at Edmonton, Alberta