[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!” 
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:
 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
 Hash: SHA1

 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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 blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com Follow me on Twitter at
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 the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that
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