Salsa Anyone?

Today is my mother's 50th birthday. So of course Rocco and I are down in LA visiting my mom and step-dad. Well, my mom decided that she wanted to do this Salsa Boot camp for her birthday because the 4 hour lesson is free if your birthday falls on the lesson day. So that's what we did from 9:30 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon (travel time). Of course my first thought was to bring Rocco, but the instructor said they didn't allow dogs. As a puppy raiser I don't run into this too often, but it does happen occasionally. First I make sure they realize that I'm not talking about a pet, but a working dog in training. If they still say "No Dogs." I drop the matter because it's not illegal for them to turn me away. Of course you do run into those people who don't seem to quite get it. There's something in their voice when you can just tell they don't understand the words "working dog" together. My mother is always very quick to set them straight. Normally she asks, "Ok, we won't bring the puppy in training, but what if an actual blind person came in with their Guide Dog?" Just to see what they would say. This guy said, "I would say no dogs allowed." So, we told him that it was very illegal to turn away a disabled person with their working dog and if he wanted to avoid a lawsuit in the future he should look up the "Americans with Disabilities Act." I always try not to be rude when telling a store owner about this rule, but in reality it's for their own good you know? I don't want them to end up with a big lawsuit over their heads. I don't know. Has this ever happened to you guys?

Anyway, you must be wondering what Rocco did for this time. Well, my step-dad watched him for me. He said he was a very good boy. He even took him for a little walk, though he did say he pulled on the leash and picked a few things up off the ground. But those puppies know when they have someone holding onto their leash who isn't as attentive as their normal person. :) They all learn it. Other than that he said that Rocco was a perfect puppy. YAY for Rocco!!!