But does the same hold true for a woman?
Not if you're a woman with a guide dog! If you shop when I do, you can witness this scene for yourself at least once or twice a week. Follow me on a typical shopping trip.
I go into the grocery store. I am trying to make it past the entrance and avoid the traffic jam of shopping carts, when someone says, "Oh, what a beautiful dog!"
Here we go! "Yes, she is gorgeous, isn't she?"
"Oh yes. What's her name?"
"Molly." I back up to keep us from creating gridlock traffic and cart rage in the store.
"How old is she?"
"Four."
"Can I pet her?"
Molly's fluffy black tail is wagging and I know she's smiling at the shopper and pleading for affection with her beautiful brown eyes. She laps up the attention like a gourmet meal. How can I deny her? We are not actively traveling somewhere, so of course I give permission.
Molly welcomes the praise and ear scratches with sweet, gentle kisses and happy wags. After the "oh, what a sweet girl" and "Oh what a good girl" come the next in the litany of questions: "How long have you had her?"
"Almost four years."
"What breed is she?"
"She's a Belgian shepherd and border collie mix." It takes me about a half our to accomplish ten minutes worth of shopping.
My black, fluffy guide is a social girl who thrives on affection and adores shopping. She lives for accessories. If we go out without Molly's bandanna, the world just might come to a fashion-starved halt.
She loves having her toenails polished silver. Should I leave her at home, people ask, "Where's Molly?" I am convinced that if I got someone to drop Molly off somewhere, not one person would ask, "Where's Ronda?" They would all say, "Oh, there's Molly!"
Molly is a local celebrity. She is truly a stunning dog, with a perpetually moving banner tail, a gentle personality, and a bright, engaging smile. She loves people as much as I love animals, and is what I call a "Joy Dog."
We can walk into any room with a hundred stressed-out people, and once she has made her rounds and "worked the room" with me in tow, at least ninety-eight of them are smiling. Moods lift. Children laugh. Adults smile. Molly makes everyone feel better. She has even begun converting a couple of people who are terrified of dogs to her cause.
At the salon where I used to give massages, she liked to be the healer's helper and rest under the table while I work. She let out a huge sigh at some point during almost every massage. What a great reminder to breathe deeply!
I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she develops a fan club. Perhaps I will write an advice column called, "Ask Miss Molly" and become a syndicated writer one day. I'm already working on her book.
Maybe one day soon, a man will come up to us and be more interested in me than he is in my dog. If God is smiling on our meeting, the man will have a good heart and a ready laugh, and we will become friends, then close friends, then engaged, then married.
Maybe I can't get a man with a dog, but maybe I can get one despite my dog!
About the Author
Ronda Del Boccio is a globally published, award-winning author, so an inspirational speaker and a mentor who helps people live their dreams. Ronda happens to be legally blind.
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