"Therapy Dogs"

Has your dog ever reacted differently with a handicapped person? Well, excluding actual therapy dogs :).

I was at Petsmart yesterday and I was in line at the counter and a guy in a wheel chair came up behind me. I had Romeo with me, and I was checking out, and didn't realize that Romeo had went up to the guy. Romeo generally has a problem with keeping ALL fours on the ground, he has to be reminded repeatedly not to jump on people. Especially if you're sitting, he'll be halfway in your lap wiggling to get petted. Well..when I turned around he was standing very still with his head on the guys knee, while the guy was petting him. Usually too if he gets petted, he gets wiggly and goofy. But he just stood stock still and let the guy pet him. It was really quite amazing.

I think there has been similar threads about this but I figured I'd go ahead and post my little story. :)

Tango is normally a very excitable dog around new people but is very calm and gentle with elderly people and handicapped people. It's as if she can sense that she has to be extra careful.

Jenny is scared of people with canes. Well, we don't know what might have happened when she was younger, but she is timid with all new people. This was more than timid, though, she was really scared.

I think dogs can sense when a person is handicaped or elderly or just very nice with dogs.I take Chica out to the mall almost every week-end and people see her and want to pet her. She lets them if she senses that they are nice or sweet in their approach to her. :)

Maybe its a sign?! I think dogs so sense it in some people.. Although when my lab was a puppy she ran straight up to a man in the park in a wheelchair and she jump straight on his lap, I felt so bad! I think she picked up on him liking her because he wouldnt put her down after lol He said it made his day seeing a beautiful lab puppy. He said it reminded him of his lab pup he had when he was younger :D I think my lab would be such a good therapy dog but she isn't very good at listening to commands! She tends to have selective hearing!