[nagdu] They're Not the Experts

Marion & Martin swampfox1833 at verizon.net
Sat Aug 29 19:46:30 UTC 2009


Dan,
    Perhaps the reason guide dog schools tell us that the harness is 
required is because their name is on it! It may be nothing more than a 
marketing ploy! (sarcastic smile)

Marion



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Weiner" <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 11:29 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] They're Not the Experts


> Hi, Peter and all.
>
> Dan W. with His Royal Goofiness, the Carter Dog, here.
> First of all, I'm late replying on this subject, but I want to express my
> irritation and solidarity as far as what you experienced on Southwest
> Airlines.
> People come in all shapes and sizes and it disgusts me that you had to go
> through this.
>
> I'll chime in on the question of leaving a dog's harness on.
> I personally take my dog's harness off on a flight but I make sure it's
> somewhere I can get to it, usually under the seat or in the compartment on
> the seat in front of me, I don't know what that's called.
> I figure that something could come up where I might need to slip that
> harness on and make a quick exit--smile.
> Marion's spot on when he emphasizes that the equipment does not a working
> dog make.
>
> I take my dog's harness off on the flight for his comfort, but that's just
> my way of doing things that has worked for me.
>
> At dog guide school that the harness is required at all times in a public
> place and we can be thrown out without it.  This is patently false and 
> it's
> unfortunate that the schools, for some reason are giving out incorrect 
> info.
>
>
>
> Cordially,
>
> Dan W. and the Carter Dog
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Peter Donahue
> Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 10:35 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] They're Not the Experts
>
> Good morning Angie and listers,
>
>    This misses the whole point. Airline personnel are not versed in the
> alternative techniques we use to travel and have no business "Requiring" 
> us
> to surrender our dogs harness under any circumstances. I thought that was
> the whole purpose of developing a card to acquaint them with the ACAA. 
> These
> people have no business requiring us to store our canes or guide dog
> harnesses in the overhead bin or the clausit particularly when the ACAA 
> says
> we have the right to keep them at our seat or to have access to them at 
> all
> times.
>
>    I have flown on many occasions and never took my dogs harness off. Most
> of these were short flights. If we were flying to the UK or Australia that
> would be another matter all together. All of the cards in the world won't
> help us win the day if guide dog users aren't familiar with the provisions
> of the ACAA and can explain it to flight attendants and others.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Angie Matney" <angie.matney at gmail.com>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 12:31 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] Quick-release handles: was Air Charters and the extra 
> seat
>
>
> Wayne,
>
> This kind of experience is one reason I hope The Seeing Eye will consider
> ways to provide us with quick-release handles. If we can simply remove the
> harness handle, it will easily fit in the space between a window seat and
> the inside wall of the plane. This will allow both the human and dog to
> enjoy more room while they fly, while reducing the chances that a flight
> attendant would seek to remove the harness from the dog's owner.
>
> Also, some airline policies state that the dog must remain in harness at 
> all
> times. If we had a quick-release handle, we could comply with such 
> policies
> while gaining a bit more leg/dog room.
>
> I don't know how you feel about quick-release handles, but if you agree 
> with
> me, I hope you will consider relating this experience to someone at Seeing
> Eye as a reason to consider quick-release handles.
>
> Angie
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Wayne Merritt
> Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 11:15 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Air Charters and the extra seat
>
> I think he's referring to a part of airline history in the eighties
> where the airlines tried to take or in some cases took canes away from
> blind people, claiming that they were dangerous and could fly up and
> hit someone if something were to happen to the plane. Though I missed
> this part of airline history in my travels, I've still been asked a
> few times by flight attendants to give up my cane. I even explained to
> one persont that the cane was securely between my window seat and the
> inside wall of the plane; in other words, it wasn't going anywhere.
> I'm sad to say that I have been pushed into giving up my cane, with
> the flight attendant in question assuring me that she would put my
> cane in the closet at the front of the plane during the flight, but
> this has happened a very few times, thankfully.
>
> I did have one similar experience in my recent Florida travels, when
> they were trying to acccommodate my seating arrangement on one of
> those smaller express jets, where I had to give up my dog's harness. I
> chose not to make an issue of it since I was able to get a seat with
> potentially more room in the first class area, though we are still
> talking of those smaller jets. I was reminded of of the incidents of
> giving up canes though and wondered if giving up a harness was
> similar. Sadly, it does sound familiar to me. I was able to get the
> harness back when leaving the plane, but I still felt like something
> was violated by having to give up the harness. I tried to show the
> flight attendant that it was secure against the wall of the plane, but
> no dice. Thoughts?
>
> Hth,
> Wayne
>
>
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