Great things about being blind. Dogs in the mall.

I am sure I am not the only one who gets lost in malls. I find them hard to navigate sometimes. My dogs make mall traveling easier for sure. But, they also make it interesting. There used to be a pet store in the mall nearest me. It is no longer there. but, any time we walked through that mall, my dogs would always find their way there and take me in wagging. "I know I need something here right?" Negotiating the mall crowds is easier and more fun with a guide. My favourite mall story took place last year. I met a friend of mine for lunch and shopping. I had my golden Gia with me at that time. I love all of that golden retreiver fur but really there always was a lot of it. No matter how much I brushed, it was everywhere all of the time. My current lab guide hardly sheds at all which is very nice. My friend and I had had lunch and were walking down the mall talking and shopping. Suddenly, behind us, we heard a tap tap of a support cane and a older woman walking as fast as she could and calling, "Excuse me. Excuse me." We stopped. I thought maybe we had dropped something. She came up to us and said, "I just thought you should know that your dog is shedding. I feel so sorry for her. You should get someone to brush her." We thanked her but after she left burst into laughter. She felt sorry for the shedding dog. Gia had no problems losing fur. She didn't mind it. And that I should get someone else to brush her. That was funny. We have an inside joke where we would say to each other, "Excuse me. Excuse me. I just thought you should know that your dog is shedding."
When I think of Gia, I often think of that story.
Happy mall traveling to all.