[nagdu] They're Not the Experts

Sat Aug 29 21:04:50 UTC 2009

Haha Nice one.  The schools can tell us anything that the please, but,
unless there's someone to go rat on us, who is there to enforce it after we
leave the school? 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Marion & Martin
Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 12:47 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] They're Not the Experts

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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