[nagdu] guide dog ownership and related questions

[Mardi Hadfield]

Hi every one,  Since I obtain my own dogs for training,I own my dogs. If I
were to obtain a dog from a school, ownership would be high on the list, but
maybe not at the top of the list, considering I could find a school that
would come to me and train a dog for me, a wheelchair user. Jenine and Dar,
you both raise some good questions.I have had several confrontations with
people because I corrected my dog with a leash correction. If I did not
correct the dog, she would have continued to make the same mistake,putting
me at risk. I also had a situation in which I had to go to  court on a
trumped up charge of animal abuse. This was done to me as I had made a
complaint about a clinic that was abusive to me, withholding seizure
medication and causing me to have several seizures. They were afraid they
would not get the grant money they needed to keep this clinic running if
these allegations were proven. They tried to make me look bad by saying they
saw me beating my dog at the clinic. The charges were thrown out as the
judge said she did not believe that animal abuse had occurred. The clinic
got their grant and nothing was ever done about my complaint.  My beloved
Lily is now gone, and I never abused her or any dog have owned. I love my
dogs and don't abuse or neglect any of them, but that did not stop some one
from trying to take my Lily away from me. I think a dog can be taken away
from you even if a school gives ownership. When I trained Service Dogs, I
had several clients that abused their dogs and one person abused more than
one dog.I took care of these situations in the propper manner. Animal
Controll. Retaining ownership of the dog is not going to prevent the abuse
or neglect of a dog. The animal cruelty laws only punish the people who do
this to their dogs, but do not prevent the deed.I also know of a woman who
tried to commit suicide and take her dog with her. She was saved but the dog
died from an overdose. I think they should have saved the dog and let that
woman die. She was an animal abuser and a lot of other nasty things that I
won't go into here.She also got away with a lot of illegal things, because
she was a "NUT CASE". A very nasty, cunning, mentally unbalanced person.She
fooled a lot of people, including me in the beginning. When I wised up to
her ways, she went after me. I hope I never have contact with this person
again.She can be very vicious to any one who gets in her way,be it animal or
people.Enough on that. I do believe that ownership should be given to a
person upon their graduation. I also believe that if some one is going to
abuse or neglect their dog, they will do it whether or not they own it . I
also believe that that can be dealt with under the present animal cruelty
laws. I also know that there will always be some that will get away with
abuse and neglect no matter what. Each and everyone of us, knows what our
dogs mean to us and it is up to us to see that we don't do something to
abuse the privilege we have  in owning these special and wonderful dogs.I
have always gotten the feeling from this group of people that most of us
would do anything for our dogs.I am currently going without a new pair of
shoes to make sure I have the funds to have all the tests done to find out
what Shaman is allergic to and get him the proper treatment. I would go
barefoot in the dead of winter if I had to do it for my dogs. Have a great
day,  Mardi and Nala,semi-retired and Shaman, gdit
http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/