DOGS | GUIDE DOG LIFE | THINGS PEOPLE SAY

When Someone Says ‘You’re so Lucky!’

And other off-the-cuff things people say about my guide dog

Photo by author – Cooper 2025

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People often blurt things out about my 95 lb. black lab guide dog, like: What’s your dog for? Does he bite? Or, will he do tricks?

But one of the best comments I’ve had so far is, ‘You’re so lucky.’

It catches me off guard every time. Why? The reason I need a guide dog to begin with is that I’m losing my sight, and about that, I don’t feel lucky.

But I’m not hurt by it, or most of the spur-of-the-moment things people say.

If you know Cooper from our stories and in real life, and what an attentive and bright dog he is, you’d get why people easily tell me I’m lucky.

Let me tell you about the first time someone said You’re so lucky, the time I remember best:

Cooper and I were at the checkout counter at Shoppers Drug Mart, and the young lady packing my bag paused to admire him, saying how handsome and smart he looked and how lucky I was to have him. Then she asked me why I had a service dog.

The reason is not generally obvious since I’m able to make eye contact most of the time.

So, when I said, “he’s my guide dog; he keeps me on track since I’m losing my sight,” without missing a beat, she said, “Well, that just sucks, doesn’t it?”

She was absolutely right. No mincing words or trying to think of something comforting to say. And I said, “Yes, it seriously does.”

There’s nothing to say, really; it’s how it is, and no words will change anything. But if there could be a positive side to losing one’s sight, having a guide dog would be it.

The young lady’s sentiments were honest and from the heart; I appreciated them. Having had these years with Cooper, I do consider myself lucky.

People sometimes ask if my dog is friendly and whether he bites. I understand their concern, given that he’s a large-sized pure-black dog.

My favourite examples of these questions happened some years ago at the lab, where I had an appointment for blood tests.

The lab technician had never met Cooper, and his question, is he friendly? was understandable. But when he asked how protective my dog is of me, my first thought was Why do you need to know how protective he is?

Then I saw the needle he was considering puncturing my arm with and I said, “We’re about to find out, right?”

He set the needle down real quick.

I did my best to put his mind at ease. “He’s ok,” I said. “He doesn’t see you as a threat to me, so go ahead.”

The tech picked up the needle again, but I noticed that he positioned himself between the dog’s line of sight and my arm before extracting my blood.

Cooper lay nearby, snoozing.

The tech collected the blood he needed, and when I hopped off the lab chair and grabbed Cooper’s harness, I heard the tech sigh, with relief, I’m sure.

There are advantages to having a big dog next to me, particularly if I’m in a dimly lit area. There’s a sense of freedom as well, knowing I can walk pretty much anywhere; even so, Cooper has taken folks off guard from time to time. He blends in, but usually responds to strangers with a tail wag; I suspect he views most interactions with people as all in a day’s work.

Cooper recently retired from his service as a guide dog, and my new dog is also fair-sized, about 70 pounds, and he’s a black lab as well.

I just realized I haven’t introduced him to my Medium friends yet, and I’ll do that shortly. But Cooper is snoring on his carpet next to my desk as I type this, and I’ll continue to feature him in stories and books. He’s a tough act to follow, though, personality-wise as well as the great job he’s done during his years of keeping me on track.

About the question, does your guide dog do any tricks? I answered that and a few more in this story:

[embed]8 Crazy Things People Say to Guide Dogs As described and explained by guide dog Cooperpjtimmermans.medium.com

Thanks so much for following Cooper and me during the past few years. I sincerely appreciate everyone who reads our stories.