[nabs-l] 5 Reasons Why Guide Dogs Are a Terrible Idea!
Karl Martin Adam
kmaent1 at gmail.com
Mon Mar 23 22:17:34 UTC 2015
Yes, this happened, and rightly so. The government of Hawaii is
trying to protect their environment from invasive species
including parasites found on dogs, so they require quarantine for
animals being brought into the state.
----- Original Message -----
From: James Hulme via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: Michael D Ausbun <mausbun at unr.edu>, National Association of
Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>,jsoro620 at gmail.com
Date sent: Mon, 23 Mar 2015 17:56:45 -0400
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] 5 Reasons Why Guide Dogs Are a Terrible
Idea!
As far as I know. Someone with a guide dog could not visit their
relativs
in Hawaii by going on a plane with a guide dog. The person was
traveling
from California to Hawaii. If anyone finds this news story please
fwd. me
the link off-list at jim.hulme at gmail.com
Also, Dusty's law was appealed by the state of Arizona. I do not
even have
a guide dog but I follow the national and NJ news often.
Perhaps you can find this as interesting information and shed
some light on
your thoughts.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Jimmy Hulme
jim.hulme at gmail.com
On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 2:49 PM, Michael D Ausbun via nabs-l <
nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Both the author, and a few of the responders, have outlined that
the
headline is indicative of the articles content. That is, the
blog post
outlines precisely what the title says. Moreover, the first rule
of
successful marketing, of any sort, is to shock ones audience.
Thus, in a
situation where likely greater than fifty percent of the
audience are guide
dog users, an individual ought to isolate the negative aspects,
when
marketing. It causes guide dog users to say, “Wait what!â€
then they read
the article, and often, act out in the way they did. Those who
act out
cause more people to wonder what is occurring, which causes them
to look at
it, and if they don’t act the way the previous people did,
then the author
is vindicated. In this instance, provocative rhetoric trumps
insecurities,
which probably should not even exist.
Just a little side note, as well, the author has posted things
from his
blog before. In conjunction with it being a blog, should have
been
reasonable justification for knowing that it was an opinion
piece.
________________________________________
From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Jedi
Moerke via
nabs-l [nabs-l at nfbnet.org]
Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2015 5:03 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] 5 Reasons Why Guide Dogs Are a Terrible
Idea!
It's not. I just don't understand why someone would knowingly
use a
headline like that in a community where some folks could
reasonably be
offended.
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 22, 2015, at 6:51 PM, Jamie Principato
<blackbyrdfly at gmail.com
wrote:
Why is guide dog use a topic calling for a special level of
sensitivity?
Sensitivity to what? It's a choice just like cane use is.
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 22, 2015, at 5:47 PM, Jedi Moerke via nabs-l
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
wrote:
There is something to be said for using a vocative headlines,
but there
is also something to be said for cultural awareness and
sensitivity.
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 20, 2015, at 2:16 AM, Justin Harford via nabs-l <
nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
I agree.
On Mar 19, 2015, at 8:41 PM, Brice Smith via nabs-l <
nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Did those of you who feel offended actually read the blog,
particularly the explanations under the heading, "Damn! Any
Words of
Encouragement?"
The subject line is purposely and brilliantly provocative--the
kind
that gathers almost a dozen responses in just a couple of hours.
Joe
clearly understands how to use rhetoric to make a compelling
argument,
and some of the knee-jerk reactions on this list to this post
were
disappointing.
Brice
On 3/19/15, Littlefield, Tyler via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
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Positives? You can summarize this up in 5 really fast points. I
seen
no positives and really, the negatives aren't huge drawbacks
that
were
listed.
I mean, if you want to tell people not to get a dog, you surely
can
do
better than that.
But I'll address each of these points in turn.
1. It's expensive!
It can be, yes. There are programs like GDB offers to help with
vet
bills, so the food and grooming are really all I have to pay
for.
That
and toys, which we probably spend way to much money on. More
money
than I would usually spend? Certainly, but it's nowhere near a
lot
(and I'm a student living on a budget). It's also well worth the
money.
2. It's inconvenient!
Yes, taking your dog out must be such hard work. Wait, I do it
every
day, what am i talking about? It's not fun when you're sick and
yes,
finding a trash can be kind of tough. That's why O'Mally and
Minh's
viva know "find the trash." That's also when social skills come
into
play. "Excuse me mam, do you see a trashcan nearby?" Works every
time.
If you're at an unfamiliar hotel, you just ask at the front desk
and
they're usually pretty cool about it. Airports also have
relieving
areas. Unless you travel twice a week, a couple hours of
slightly
less
leg room (and I'm fairly tall) is really not that big of a deal.
3. It's time-consuming!
Yes, having a dog does take time. You'd think this would be
inherently
obvious, but it was needed to be pointed out here. You don't
need to
go for 12 mile runs, O'mally and I have left today to relieve
and
that
was pretty much it. I played with him and listened to a book and
sat
with him on the floor for a bit. He's totally happy and hasn't
demolished anything.
4. It's unwelcomed attention!
I find it kind of funny you're talking about being covert and
not
making a name for yourself with complaints when the NFB files
more
lawsuits than I can keep up with. But beyond that, I've never
been
turned down from eating because I have a dog. Cabs, certainly;
we all
have. If an establishment turns me down, I'll make sure that
people
know they did it and they're not treating me equally. Just
because
I'm
blind doesn't mean I should sit in the corner and hope that
things
get
better; I want to educate people. I've had a lot of really
amazing
people come up and talk to me and ask questions about my guide.
It
certainly does get a bit trying at times, but in no way is it a
huge
problem. I am sorry however if you're not the center of the
topics
and
people do ask about your dog. It happens.
5. It can be dirty work!
Best not ever get sick by yourself then, or have kids, or
anything
else. Yes, it can be tough. If you're squeamish maybe it's not
for
you. Cleaning up doggy vomit really isn't the best part of my
day,
but
you do it. mostly because these dogs do so much for you and if
O'mally
is sick I'm worried about him and just want him to get better.
You do
it because you love your dog.
"If you were contemplating a dog, came across this post and felt
discouraged, you should not get a dog. It's a lot of work. It's
a lot
of responsibility.
It's constant care and attention and a commitment to keep up the
dog's
level of training. No one will fault you for being mature enough
to
walk away."
So let me sum this up: expensive; inconvenient; time-consuming;
unwelcome attention; messy work. Yeah, I'd say you probably
shouldn't
have a dog. Please though, do try to at least provide
constructive
and
good information on both sides of this issue. The issues you
raised
were incredibly self-centered, rude, generalizing and really
didn't
convey any issues beyond negative criticism.
My guide does amazing work each and every day. when I pick up
his
harness, he's by my side, tail wagging ready to work for me. He
only
asks that I give him love, attention and take care of him with
vet
visits, grooming and toys. Given the amount of travel that he
has
enabled me to do (I am and was proficient with a cane), I think
it
only fitting that I pay for his food, give him attention, clean
up
after him when he's sick and treat him well. My guide loves me,
no
questions asked. while I somewhat understand these points, I
think
anyone who has actually had a guide would really agree that they
are
huge issues that should prevent you from getting one.
At first, this looked like a trolling post; it still feels like
a
trolling post.
Be well,
Ty
On 3/19/2015 10:20 PM, Justin Harford via nabs-l wrote:
At first, this looked like a trolling post, but after I actually
read the article, I enjoyed it.
It is a very frank and honest examination of the positives and
negatives of one individual's experience with a guide dog, and
clearly reads as the opinion of one person.
Regards Justin
On Mar 19, 2015, at 6:52 PM, Juanita Herrera via nabs-l
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
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-ter
rible-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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Take care,
Ty
twitter: @sorressean
web:http://tysdomain.com
pubkey: http://tysdomain.com/files/pubkey.asc
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