[blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?

Albert J Rizzi albert at myblindspot.org
Thu Jan 21 00:04:30 UTC 2010


Wow, you need to take a deep breath. Being a parent is part of all of that.
did your child learn to read alone? Wipe their nose alone? Why is this any
different? I say give them what they can handle and if the parents say they
cane handle it then who are we to deny that.

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."


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-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Heather
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 1:46 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?

It is all well and good to go with your dog and your mommy to the vet's 
office, but to be the one to make all medical decissions about the dog must 
be the responsibility of the handler.  You sound very knowledgable about 
dogs, but what of the twelve year old who has to defy his parents and refuse

a vaccine and insist on a tyder, or who must tell his parents that they are 
not allowed to give it table scraps, when they keep doing that?  Do you 
really think the parents will listen?  Hell no.  I know blind adults who 
have to limit their parents' or family's interactions with their dog or move

out, because they can not respect the guide dog handler relationship.  Also,

it is so much more than feeding, it is selecting a human grade dog food,. 
It is more than brushing the dog, it is improvising a make-shift water-proof

bandage out of a scrunchy, a sock and a condom, for a severely gushing cut 
paw on the street.  It is not just picking up poop, it is being mature 
enough to notice and keep track of the consistancy and odor of stool, to be 
aware of potential illness, , or having the wherewithall to clean up an 
accident without help, in a public place.  It is not about doing simple 
obediants, it is about being able to defend your dog when ignorant people 
think you are abusing the dog for giving it a leash correction, or that it 
is misbehaving by taking you across a lawn, when the side walk is blocked. 
It is about being able to diplomatically gain access to an Indian restaurant

when the owners are upset by the dog's presence.  It is about being able to 
scream right back at an ignorant cabbie and call the police on your cell 
phone and refuse to move, while you wait for them, even when the cabbie is 
pushing on your bags and yelling at you to get out of their cab.  It is so 
much more than raising a goat for 4H, or taking your show dog through 
adjility or confirmation trials.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doreen Frappier" <dcfrappier at yahoo.com>
To: " (for parents of blind children)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:40 AM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?


I am not opposed to having responsible 12 year olds own and care for a guide

dog. I believe that children mature at different rates. For example, 4-H 
children own and care for animals (on their own) at very young ages. They 
are responsible for feeding and caring for that animal. One of my children, 
(sighted) is 13, and has been the sole trainer of a dog since she was 9 
years old. She has won many awards and competitions with her dog, including 
adult dog shows. She is responsible for feeding and caring for that dog. 
When the dog gets her check ups at the vet, she comes to the vets office. 
It's true, a young person can not take care of the expenses of a guide dog, 
but I am all for training teaching blind children to be independent as early

as possible. I think each situation is different. I am not aware of 
everything that goes into caring for and owning a guide dog, but I think 
some children are capable and should not be excluded because of
 age.

Doreen

--- On Wed, 1/20/10, Heather <craney07 at rochester.rr.com> wrote:

From: Heather <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
Subject: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 7:22 AM

I just wanted to get some feedback on this from some parents of blind 
children and teens. I, personally, was absolutely apalled to hear that a 
local guide dog school, not mentioning names *coughs* Freedom guide Dogs 
*Coughs* has preposed a program to place guide dogs with twelve year olds. 
All of the other schools in the US accept teens no younger than sixteen or 
eighteen years of age, depending on the school, but twelve? I am happy to 
note that at present, no O and M instructors, parents or twelve year olds 
have contacted the school to enquire about this program, but I am dreading 
the day. This makes a mockery of those exceptional blind teens who are, at 
sixteen or seventeen, responsible enough, committed enough and have 
demanding enough schedules to properly care for, utalize and actually need a

guide dog. At what age would you consider supporting your teen in 
researching guide dog schools? At what age would you support them actually
 submitting applications? How old would you want your teen to be before 
actually being placed with a guide dog? Do you think that you would have the

blunt honesty to deny your support of your child getting a dog guide, if 
they were not emotionally, mentally, etc capable of utalizing a guide dog, 
at that time in their life? Do you think that you could restrain yourself 
from taking care of the dog, interacting with the dog, or doing things that 
would undermine the ownership of the dog by your blind teen, acknowledging 
their sole ownership and responsibility for the dog, even if you, as their 
mother or father still have all other rule-making power in the house-hold? 
Finally, would you ever, honestly let your twelve year old apply for a guide

dog? I just felt this should be brought to the list's attention. Just me 
personally, I would not encourage my blind teen to start researching guide 
dog schools until age fourteen or fifteen, and I would not
 allow them to apply to schools until they were at least fifteen, and that 
is assuming that they are emotionally ready to deal with the demands of a 
guide dog, such as handeling an emergency vet situation, mentally able to 
care for the dog, such as, researching and selecting safe toys, effective 
medications and appropriate foods, mature enough to deal with the social 
implications, such as access issues, and that they actually had a need, not 
just a want for a guide dog, due to a challenging travel area or complex and

demanding schedule of activities and classes. Please share your thoughts.
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