What a day !!!

What a day! Yesterday, I went to pay my Cox Internet bill. After crossing my street and continuing down the sidewalk, Shaman suddenly pulled to the left and almost pulled the handle out of my hand. I said to him, " What are you doing? " There was a person walking down the sidewalk towards us and he said that Shaman had chased after a rather large lizzard. I thought we had gotten past the lizzard chasing phase but I guess the size of this particular one was just to much for him to resist. He is still a young dog and still new as a guide dog. After a quick leash and voice correction, we continued on our way. Lizzards ha! We had to wait for the light to change at the busy intersection of Grant and Oracle. When the light did change , I heard a very large trailer truck start to turn right in front of us so we could not continue until it had passed.Suddenly Shaman started to dance around nervously and then backed up, actually he ran backwards, and I reversed my wheelchair fast as I did not know why he did this but did not want to take any chances. The back wheels of the trailer truck went over the curb cut where we had just been moments before! Shaman knew that the truck was too close and moved us out of the way just in time. We could have been hurt or even killed! He may be distracted by the occassional lizzard, but when it really counts, Shaman is right on target. I praised him and gave him a big hug. I spent so much time praising him, we had to wait for the light to change again. We continued on and got on our first bus. Arrived down town at the bus station, and proceded to get on the second bus. Went on our way and paid the bill. Getting on the bus to go home, there was a lady with a large wheeled walker who refused to move it and her feet to let me pass. An eldery gentleman lifted his feet and his oxygen tank out of the way so I could pass. I thanked him and proceded to feel my way into the wheelchair bay with my cane. Every thing went fine for a while. The lady with the walker decided to hold the walker on her lap for some reason. She had refused to do it earlier so I could get passed her. Then she dropped the heavy walker right on Shaman. Poor Shaman just sat there and did nothing. He is such a good dog. He puts up with so much. She tried to pet him and I told her to get that thing off of him and I would check my own dog to see that he was ok. She then proceded to tell me that I needed to brush my dog because he had mats on his back end. I wish people would mind their own business. Shaman is combed and brushed every day and I always run a slicker brush over his coat before I put his harness on when we go out. He does not have any mats on him. His hair grows in a cowlick on either side of his hips. The hair curls in a circle. His undercoat which is lighter than his outer coat shows up in the circle of hair. That is the way his hair grows and brushing it, even wetting it, does not change the way it grows. Shaman enjoys being groomed and I enjoy grooming him. He is a long haird dog and must be brushed regularly to keep him from getting mats. This woman on the bus dropps her heavy walker on my dog and then tells me to brush my dog because he has mats? Some people ! What a day!!! Thankfully, Shaman is ok. The walker did not hit his head, just his body. I really wish people would be more careful about working guides and other service dogs on the bus. To be continued.............