Autism Service Dogs

At the convention this weekend, Glindy and I had both ups and downs--mostly ups, of course. Here they all are:

Ups

• Minimal fuss at check-in, once we assured the clerk that Glindy was a service dog.
• Glindy and I walked well together through the convention crowds.
• Most of the conventioneers took an "Ooh, how cute!" view of Glindy's presence.
• Mary Tamm, Pamela Salem, Nicholas Briggs, and a few other celebrities couldn't resist coming up to coo over the dog.
• Glindy sat quietly through hours of panel discussions.
• She was only mildly started the first few times there was thunderous applause.
• Several waiters, especially in the upscale J.W.'s Steakhouse, came up to compliment me on how well-behaved Glindy was in the restaurant.
• The hotel manager had words with one of the other on-premises restaurants over access issues. Marriott was wonderfully supportive!
• We had no accidents, disruptive barking, or other embarrassing incidents.
• Having Glindy with me really reduced my general anxiety level, as well as the attendant OCD that goes along with it.
• Because of the dog, I ended up walking several miles a day, which can only be a good thing.

Downs

• Glindy was pulling on leash every time we went for a walk outside.
• Too many people wanted to pet Glindy. She was very hand-shy by the end of the convention.
• Everyone wanted to know what she was in training for, what she did for me, or wanted to share a story about some other service dog team they knew. It was exhausting and a bit invasive, even if it is somewhat understandable.
• A single conventioneer had to leave the hospitality suite shortly after we entered due to allergies.
• Glindy's tail got stepped on just once all weekend. A mortified woman in the vendor suite hadn't thought to look down as she walked; it wasn't entirely her fault, as Glindy was lying behind me.
• Three different hostesses at the on-premises cafe, Latitude 33, gave me grief on three separate occasions. They kept insisting that pets weren't allowed, and that there were no exceptions for service dogs.
• Glindy barked at a tiny yorkie some woman had sitting on her luggage cart near the bell desk. I can't remember if the yorkie barked first or not, though.
• A volunteer in the convention's hospitality suite kept insisting that no dogs were allowed, even when the convention staff assured her that service dogs were an exception. She eventually stormed off, muttering about how "dogs are unsanitary."
• Glindy tended to sprawl on the floor, rather than tuck in safely. We need to work on that.

As you can see, it was a good experience overall. We didn't meet any insurmountable problems, and would gladly do it again in the future.