[Flagdu] NAGDU Responds to Petition to Ban Online Sale of ServiceAnimal Gear

[Jody W Ianuzzi]

As an owner trainer this subject is very interesting 

I purchased a leather harness from Bridgeport Equipment. I also got a nylon working dog  harness from leerburg Kennel which I added a handle to. 

JODY
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!" Thomas Jefferson

On Aug 19, 2013, at 6:03 PM, "Sherrill O'Brien" <sherrill.obrien at verizon.net> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to follow up on this important issue. As president of FLAGDU,
> I am certainly in agreement with our NAGDU president. I would urge you to go
> to NAGDU's Harness Up blog and read what Marion has to say in response to
> the petition of Canine Companions for Independence, which would seek to ban
> the sale of service animal gear. I admit that it is a natural reaction to at
> first think banning service dog gear would help make this fraud go away. But
> we need to be thoughtful and careful when proceeding so we don't diminish
> our rights in the process. It is my opinion that legitimate service dog
> handlers should not have to show identification everywhere we go. We could
> certainly work on legeslation to  put in place criminal penalties for
> falsely asserting that a dog is a service animal. Actually, when a person
> commits this fraud, they are not only pretending that their dog is a service
> animal, they are also pretending to have a disability. After all, the first
> question an employee or staff member can ask: is   the dog a service animal
> required because of a disability? So it is fraudulent that the person is
> passing him or herself off as having a disability. This is most assuredly a
> criminal offense, so it makes sense to work toward adding this into our
> Florida access laws
> 
> 
> On a personal note, I've been wanting to purchase a lightweight and washable
> nylon harness for Fallon. It would be wonderful to use when we go to the
> beach, as I wouldn't be worried about getting saltwater on it. I should have
> the right to purchase such a harness, and not be penalized because some
> choose to break the law.
> 
> 
> So take a look at Marion's response if you haven't done so, and I'd love to
> see a thoughtful discussion on this matter.
> 
> Warm regards
> Sherrill
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Flagdu [mailto:flagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]On Behalf Of National
> Association of Guide Dog Users
> Sent: Monday, August 19, 2013 1:41 PM
> To: 'Florida Association of Guide Dog Users'; 'NAGDU Mailing List, the
> National Association of Guide Dog Users'; New Jersey Association of
> Guide Dog Users; 'New York Association of Guide Dog Users';
> nagdu-leaders at nfbnet.org; 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> Subject: [Flagdu] NAGDU Responds to Petition to Ban Online Sale of
> ServiceAnimal Gear
> 
> 
> Dear All,
> 
>                A  petition has been recently circulated from Canine
> Companions for Independence (CCI) that seems to have the support of other
> service animal training programs. This petition is asking the U.S.
> Department of Justice to ban the online sale of service animal gear in an
> effort to stem the proliferation of the use of what the writer is calling
> "fake service animal gear". The National Association of Guide dog Users Inc.
> (NAGDU), A STRONG AND PROUD DIVISION OF THE National Federation of the
> Blind, has written an official response to this petition. We would like to
> encourage those interested in this issue to read our response and make
> comments on our online blog. You can read our comment by visiting our
> Wordpress blog at
> 
> 
> 
> http://harnessup.wordpress.com
> 
> 
> 
> Fraternally yours,
> 
> 
> 
> Marion Gwizdala, President
> 
> National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc.
> 
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
> (813) 626-2789 (Office)
> 
> 888-NAGDU411 (Hotline
> 
> President at nagdu.org
> 
> www.nagdu.org
> 
> 
> 
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