[blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?

Thu Jan 21 03:18:51 UTC 2010

What is frustrating is that the school in question has a poor track record 
of placing successful adult teams, and now they want to give dogs to twelve 
year olds?  They place dogs who have been returned for medical reasons with 
new handlers.  They give dogs to sixty year old women who have others play 
with and relieve their dogs for them, who cannot control their dogs and 
never walk further than from their front door to the door of a waiting car. 
They place dogs riddled with cancer with handlers, only to have the dogs die 
months later, and they are going to start placing with children?  I really 
hope not.  Now, there is a program, I don't know too much about in Montreal 
that places guides with young teens, but that is a far different situation 
in terms of the culture, the insane trafic, the public transit, and 
therefore the need is different and greater, for blind teens to have dogs in 
that situation.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue1 at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 5:10 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?


> Hello again everyone,
>
>    These are issues with fixes. One of my biggest complaints with our 
> guide
> dog programs is their failure to connect new teams with successful 
> graduates
> or guide dog handlers in the person's home community. Any guide dog 
> program
> wanting to provide dogs to blind children must insist on family 
> involvement.
> This could include required workshops for the families of children pared
> with guide dogs. Like adult guide dog users blind children and their
> families would benefit by being connected with other parents with blind
> children who use guide dogs to facilitate mentoring and help foster a 
> better
> understanding of the role of the child and the parents where
> responsibilities associated with the care and use of such dogs is 
> concerned.
> The NOPBC has promoted mentorship among its members, parents, and 
> educators
> of blind children to address other aspects of raising and educating a 
> blind
> child. Any guide dog program created to provide dogs to blind children and
> teens would do well to adopt this model and require all families to
> participate. This is another reason why I would like to see such a program
> operated by guide dog users for guide dog users and their families.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Heather" <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 12:46 PM
> 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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>
>
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