[nabs-l] 5 Reasons Why Guide Dogs Are a Terrible Idea!

Fri Mar 20 01:52:29 UTC 2015

Being a guide dog user myself, I found the blog offensive and thought of how other guide dog handlers might feel. I didn't want to generalize like the blog seems to do but I felt that if I felt offended by it many other people would have too. I would have appreciated it more if somewhere in the blog post it would have been acknowledged that this was one person's opinion, and not make it seen as if though everyone possessed the same opinion. Being that I am a guide dog user and have been for three years, it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I would never change it for anything, and I don't consider going back to using a cane after I have to retire my dog. Therefore, I highly disagree with the blog post. However, I must reinstate that this is simply my opinion.
Juanita 

> On Mar 19, 2015, at 6:28 PM, minh ha via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I agree with Aleeha's sentiments one hundred percent. Over
> generalization is a huge mistake to do under any circumstances, and
> this blog post was offensive to me and other guide dog handlers on so
> many levels. If you want to write a fair and informative blog post
> about the guide dog lifestyle, then by all means, point out the
> negative aspects, but do not conveniently forget to mention the
> thousand of other more positive and beneficial impacts that a guide
> dog can have on a person's life. Yes, a guide dog is not the right
> choice for everyone and a blind person needs to think long and hard
> before getting one, but for the right reasons, a guide dog can
> completely turn someone's life around and give them the confidence in
> order to live life more productively. Honestly, your five reasons seem
> very childish, and i have to wonder if they are that important to you,
> then you should be contemplating about getting another guide dog at
> all.
> 
> Respectfully,
> Minh and my hard working little guide, Viva
> 
>> On 3/19/15, Aleeha Dudley via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Personally, I find your subject line a bit offensive, as it assumes
>> that guide dogs are a terrible idea for everyone. Being the proud
>> handler of a wonderful dog myself, and a quite independent cane
>> traveller before that, I am a bit upset as what I find to be a
>> somewhat inflammatory post. You are right; guide dogs are not for
>> everyone. They are a huge responsibility and need a lot of daily care.
>> But to say that there are five reasons why a guide dog is a terrile
>> idea seems to be going too far, especially addressing such a large
>> body of people such as that on this list. Now, having clicked the link
>> and read the blog, I know that you are making an attempt to be fair
>> and point out the disadvantages, but to not point out that this was a
>> blog post or an opinion article, can make some folks pretty mad fairly
>> quickly. Can wa choose our words and subject lines a little more
>> wisely next time?
>> Aleha and Dallas, Seeing Eye dog extrordinaire
>> 
>>> On 3/19/15, Joe via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> If you're blind, you obviously read Braille. Your hearing must naturally
>>> be
>>> superior to your sighted peers, and of course you have a guide dog!
>>> Right?
>>> 
>>> Well, that last may not be as pervasive as the first and second. Someone
>>> recently told me the number of guide dog users has actually declined in
>>> my
>>> millennial generation. I have no evidence proving this one way or the
>>> other,
>>> but for the general public, to see a blind person with a guide dog feels
>>> as
>>> natural as butter and toast.
>>> 
>>> Thing is, I'm not so sure guide dogs are right for everyone. Or, maybe
>>> I'm
>>> just projecting my own uncertainties onto the rest of the community?
>>> 
>>> Last November I took the first step in the application process to return
>>> for
>>> a second Seeing Eye dog. It's been more than three years since I lost
>>> Gator,
>>> and even though I've gotten around just fine with a white cane, I am
>>> approaching what feels like the final years with sight, however minimal
>>> that
>>> sight might be. I admit it's unnerving if I sit still long enough to
>>> contemplate total blindness. NFB philosophy be damned, and the thought of
>>> an
>>> extra set of eyes to help me navigate the world does bring a measure of
>>> comfort. But, is it enough to go get another dog?
>>> 
>>> In no particular order, here are reasons why a guide dog would be a
>>> terrible
>>> idea:
>>> 
>>> Read more:
>>> 
>>> http://serotalk.com/2015/03/18/5-reasons-why-guide-dogs-are-a-terrible-idea/
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Musings of a Work in Progress:
>>> www.JoeOrozco.com/
>>> 
>>> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Aleeha Dudley and Seeing Eye Yellow Labrador Dallas
>> Vice President, Ohio Association of Blind Students
>> Email: blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com
>> Follow me on Twitter at @blindcowgirl199
>> 
>> The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.
>> - Arabian Proverb
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
> their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
> 
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