One Wagga man is reminding the public to respect the boundaries of working dogs.
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Joel Jensen is legally blind and gets around with the support of his guide dog, Nicci, who has been by his side since July last year.
"I get a lot of people coming up to pat her even without asking," he said.
Mr Jensen said it was surprising to see how few people knew the rules of interacting with Nicci.
"A lot of people don't actually know you aren't allowed to pat her when she has her harness on, despite what you might think," he said.
The Albury branch of Guide Dogs NSW, which includes Wagga, has 36 guide dog handlers in the region.
Team manager of the Albury office, Bethia Sullivan, said people need to resist what may seem like a harmless pat.
"It's important to remember not to pat, distract or feed a dog when it is working, which is signified by a harness or coat on the dog," she said.
"We know it's hard and we all want to go up and give them a pat, but there's a lot of work that goes into the dog to be able to do their job so little things can often undo a lot of the hard work that went in to getting the dog to that point."
Ms Sullivan said aside from confusing the dog, it can be dangerous for the person too.
"If the dog is distracted it can be dangerous for the person with them in many situations, for instance when crossing a road and failing to alert their handler of oncoming traffic," she said.
The public are also being reminded to keep other dogs on a leash around guide dogs, and to alert the handler to your presence as well as giving them space.