[nagdu] Taking dogs to convention

Lora blindhistory at gmail.com
Sat Jul 11 16:18:35 UTC 2009


Thanks for posting this I appreciate it.

On Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 9:41 AM, Cindy Ray <cindyray at qwest.net> wrote:

> I am sure many have read this before, but I will post it here anyway. Much
> of this I had thought of before. Fisher was diagnosed with Clostridium and
> was on medication; until I read this I hadn't thought to get an all clear
> fecal sample before going to convention. I did this, and he was clear or I
> wouldn't have taken him. I was concerned about his vulnerability to other
> possible bacteria given his coming off this illness, and the vet thought it
> was probably OK. But I thought of the dog aggression, too, and whether he
> was really ready for this even though I've had him seven months, or if I was
> ready for it. I had been to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Big Tent Event
> in Atlanta just two or three weeks earlier, and Fisher and I had had an
> unfortunate event. He got a little too excited about a barking dog inthe
> park and broke away from me; someone helped me get him; I was evicted from
> the park because the guy said I didn't have my dog under control. By the
> time he said this, I did, though Fisher was right revved up by the horses
> and carriages in the streets, too, and the energy that comes from being
> cooped up all day. So I gave more thought to the pros and cons of taking
> Fisher as a result of reading this. I'm glad I did, and I'm glad I took him
> because it was fun working with him as he sailed about the hotel with his
> tail waving. I think the tips are well worth reading.
>
> Below are some tips, to help relieve stress in our dogs for convention
> goers that are also pertinent here as well, and that appeared in an
> article written by Melissa Riccobono, who at the time of this article
> was working with her dog guide, Fanta. Her article first appeared in
> the 2005 spring/summer issue of Harness Up, the publication for NAGDU.
> She revised her article for the Braille Moniter in 2006 in preparation
> for the convention. I have pasted the ten tips that appeared
> in the article for your review. Many of you may already know them, and
> already implement them when around a large crowd of dog guide users and
> their dogs. In addition to these, there also may be other tips that you
> may wish to add and share with fellow graduates on this list.
>
> I will begin this discussion with my comment on tip three. While it is
> a good idea for some people, this method of orientation may not be for
> everybody. Other alternatives include seeking assistance from hotel
> staff when you first arrive by either obtaining directions to a
> destination and exploring on your own, or using a sighted guide and
> healing your dog as you learn the layout of the hotel.
>
> Tip 1. Decide if Convention Is the Right Place for Your Dog.
>
> This seems obvious, but I encourage you to take a few minutes now to
> think about whether the national convention is the right place to take
> your dog. I
> believe you should do this especially if you've never taken your dog to
> convention before. Ask yourself the following questions.
>
> Is your dog extremely stressed in big crowds of people?
> Is your dog afraid of canes?
> Does your dog get along with other dogs, or does he or she tend to be
> aggressive toward them?
> Is your dog easily distracted by other dogs?
> How long have you and your dog been together?
> Are you confident in your ability to work well as a team?
>
> Bear in mind that convention is full of crowds of people, many of them
> swinging long white canes back and forth, as well as many other guide
> dogs. If your
> dog exhibits extreme stress in large crowds; is afraid of canes; or is
> aggressive toward, afraid of, or distracted by other dogs, convention is
> probably
> not a good place for him or her to be. In my opinion convention is also
> not likely to be a good place for a new guide dog team. I would
> recommend a team
> be together at least four months before attending a convention, but of
> course this varies from one team to another. Some teams jell after only
> a month
> or so, while others might take a year to really settle down and work
> their best together.
>
> Think about how well you and your dog work together and how stress makes
> you act and react toward your dog. If you become upset and stressed in
> crowded,
> noisy situations and you transmit these feelings to your dog, convention
> would probably be a good place to brush up on your cane skills.
>
> If you're wondering whether or not you should take your dog to national
> convention, I suggest you talk with someone who takes or has taken his
> or her dog
> to convention. Such a person can give you many more details about what
> convention is like than I can in this article. In fact, perhaps talking
> to two or
> more people would be helpful since everyone's experience is slightly
> different.
>
> Tip 2. Treat Your Dog for Fleas and parasites before You Leave Home.
>
> So, you've decided to take your dog to convention. Now it's time to pack
> and get ready to go. I would suggest treating your dog for fleas and
> having your vet perform a fecal analysis and treating your dog for
> internal parasites to be sure your dog is free of any parasites before
> you leave for the convention.
>
> External parasites such as fleas and ticks live on your dog
> which serves as a host from which it derives sustenance by feeding on
> its blood, or the blood of other dogs. Fleas regularly jump from one
> host to another to ensure an adequate supply of nourishment. Thus if
> your dog or the dog of another person has fleas they can quickly infest
> other dogs and the environment in which the dog lives such as your hotel
> room. During this time they will lay eggs in carpeting further
> increasing the population when the flea larvy hatch several weeks after
> you and your dog return home. This creates problems and discomfort for
> other hotel guests not to mention the negative impression of guide dog
> use implanted in the minds of hotel staff and management that will make
> it more difficult for our national leadership to negotiate with hotels
> when planning for future national conventions. For this reason it is
> necessary for the hotel to treat rooms with insecticides to kill the
> incubating flea larvy after you leave for home. The chances of your dog
> causing a serious flea infestation can be eliminated by treating it for
> fleas before leaving for the convention.
>
> Like fleas ticks also live on your dog and obtain their
> nutrition by feeding on your dogs blood or the blood of other guide dogs
> attending the convention. Ticks are also known to carry serious diseases
> such as Lime's Disease, and Rockey Mountain Spotted Feevre which can
> infect other animals and humans causing serious illness, or even death!
>
> Internal parasites such as the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis
> also carry their share of diseases which can cause sickness and death to
> both animals and humans should an infestation be left untreated. They
> are passed between dogs if an uninfected dog eats the stool of an
> infected dog or other animal. The old adage applies, "An ounce of
> prevention is worth a pound of cure."
>
> Treating your dog for these parasites prior to coming to convention
> will insure that you won't bring any unpleasant little critters to the
> hotel with you. It also means you will not pass external, and internal
> parasites on to other
> dogs, the chances of your dog having an accident can be reduced as
> internal parasite infestations can increase your dogs need to eliminate
> by causing intestinal irritation, (Particularly in older dogs), and your
> dog will be protected in case someone else isn't as considerate.
> Parasite infestations can be a problem with dogs that like to scavenge
> and eat everything they can grab whether it's good for them or not.
> Consult with your veterinarian concerning this matter. Your vet may
> prescribe medication to deal with any digestive or intestinal
> irritations your dog may have during the convention. You should
> administer this medication according to your vet's directions.
>
> Tip 3. Orient Yourself to the Hotel to Make Life Easier for You and Your
> Dog
>
> OK, so you've decided to take your dog to convention, and you've treated
> your dog for fleas and parasites. Now you've arrived in a huge hotel,
> and you don't know where anything is. I recommend devoting some time to
> orient yourself to the hotel as soon as possible after arriving. I
> always bring a cane with me to convention,
> and often I heel my dog and walk around with my cane a bit. This helps
> me get a better feel for the hotel, and it helps me give Fanta clearer,
> more confident
> directions. Walking somewhere with my cane also allows me to point
> things out to Fanta. This may help her remember where something is
> later. I find that
> the more I wander around, trying to find something, the more confused
> both Fanta and I become. This doesn't help either of us. Do I still get
> lost, even
> after walking around the hotel with my cane a bit? Absolutely! That's
> unavoidable, but I believe that using my cane a little in the beginning
> is still
> helpful.
>
> Tip 4. Remember Your Dog's Needs as Well as Your Own
>
> Convention is a busy time for everyone. It's one week out of the year
> when I usually don't eat regular or healthy meals. But I always try to
> keep Fanta's
> food and water needs in the back of my mind. I suggest trying to keep
> your dog's feeding schedule as normal as possible. If that means leaving
> a meeting
> a little early or getting somewhere a little late, at least you'll have
> a happy dog who has been fed to take with you. Keeping a regular feeding
> schedule
> also helps with relieving, as I'm sure all of you know.
>
> If you know you're not going to get back to your room to feed your dog,
> bring the food with you when you leave your room in the morning. This
> way you can
> always feed your dog in the rest room if necessary.
>
> Convention meeting rooms can get warm. I usually carry a water bottle
> and a portable dog dish with me so that I can give Fanta water in case
> she gets thirsty
> before we return to our room. I usually look at food and water at
> convention this way. Am I hungry? How late is it? Is Fanta hungry too?
> Has she gotten
> all of her food today? Am I thirsty? Is Fanta thirsty too? How long has
> it been since she's had water?
>
> Tip 5. Relieve Your Dog Often.
>
> I cannot emphasize this tip enough. During convention your dog does a
> lot of walking. He or she is also relieving in a strange place with lots
> of distractions.
> Even if I don't think Fanta has to go, I usually take her to the
> relieving area at every opportunity. Over the years she has surprised me
> more than once
> by relieving even when I didn't think she would have to. Giving your dog
> as many opportunities as possible to relieve means you will be less
> likely to
> have an accident to clean up. Remember, both stress and activity cause
> dogs to relieve more often, so my advice is to relieve your dog even
> more than you
> ordinarily do at home.
>
> Tip 6. Clean up after Your Dog
>
> Cleaning up after your dog in the relief area is your responsibility. If
> you do, you leave the area clean for the next team who uses it, and will
> help control the spread of internal parasites among guide dogs attending
> the convention with their owners as well as discourage wildlife and
> loose pets from using these areas. The vast majority of guide dog users
> maintain a high degree of canine health, but this is not a guarantee
> where the local populations of stray pets and wildlife are concerned. I
> also find it
> useful to clean up after Fanta at convention because that enables me to
> keep track of what she does and how often.
>
> Convention is a stressful place. When Fanta has gotten an upset stomach,
> it was helpful for me to pick up after her and realize what was
> happening. I could
> then watch her carefully and pay attention even more closely to her
> relieving needs.
>
> If your dog does have an accident of any kind, do your best to clean it
> up yourself immediately. Always carrying extra plastic bags and paper
> towels for
> this purpose is a good idea. Never just walk away from a mess because
> you're embarrassed it happened and hope that no one will notice that you
> were responsible.
> If it happens late at night, when few people are about, you should
> request assistance from a member of the hotel staff. If you are faced
> with this problem
> during the day or early evening, try to find a passer-by to ask an NFB
> staff member with a two-way radio to notify the relief-area staff to
> come to your
> assistance. Alternatively someone could go to the relief area for you
> and summon help. A volunteer could also stand over the problem area,
> protecting other
> people from stepping into it while you go to find a relief worker. To
> preserve our good relationship with hotel personnel, we must always try
> to prevent
> accidents whenever possible and to deal with them within the
> organization whenever we can.
>
> Tip 7. Keep Your Dog Out of the Way.
>
> This can be tough, especially with a big dog in a relatively small
> space, but do what you can to keep your dog out of the aisle. Your dog
> will be much happier
> if he or she is not stepped on, and people who are trying to get from
> place to place will appreciate having a free space to walk. Fanta has
> actually become
> accustomed to curling up as tightly as possible at convention. When I'm
> sitting, I push her as far back under my chair as she'll go. At times
> she's even
> positioned herself sideways under my chair so that very little of her
> sticks out. Of course she has an advantage because she's a smaller lab,
> but even
> big dogs can be slid under a chair at least a little.
>
> Try also to keep your dog out of the way in your hotel room, especially
> if you're sharing the room with other people. I usually try to designate
> a corner
> for Fanta in my room out of the way as much as possible. If need be, I
> can put her on her tie down or leash in that corner and know she won't
> be stepped
> on and can relax.
>
> Tip 8. Beware of Food.
>
> Convention is a place where many people raise money by selling candy
> bars, peanuts, crackers, and many other snacks. People also bring food
> into general
> sessions with them to eat if they get hungry. Inevitably food drops on
> the floor, which is at the least distracting and at the worst dangerous
> for your
> dog, especially if chocolate is involved. Keep track of what your dog is
> doing when you walk. If he or she is sniffing or has stopped to pick
> something
> up, investigate right away. When you're sitting in meetings, make sure
> to hold onto your dog's leash at all times and keep track of what he or
> she is doing.
>
> I learned this the hard way. I once gave Fanta's leash to a friend for a
> few minutes, got up, and ran an errand using my cane. When I came back,
> my friend
> told me apologetically that Fanta had turned herself around, crawled on
> her stomach completely underneath my chair to the row behind me, and
> eaten a muffin
> that someone had in a bag under her chair. This was very embarrassing
> because I felt really bad that my dog had eaten someone's breakfast. I
> offered to
> buy the person a new muffin, but she wouldn't let me. Luckily she was a
> dog lover and didn't seem too bothered by the whole thing. But I was
> embarrassed.
> I was also worried that Fanta would get sick from the muffin. This
> experience taught me to be more careful of whom I leave Fanta with or
> whether to leave
> her at all. Am I saying that Fanta would not have gotten the muffin if I
> had been there? No. I might have let my guard down and stopped paying
> attention,
> so it might have happened anyway. But, let me tell you, this lesson has
> taught me to pay attention to where Fanta is during meetings. If I can
> help it,
> I never want her to get a muffin or any other unintended food again.
>
> One more word about food. If you're fundraising yourself or sharing a
> room with someone who's fundraising, make sure that whatever you're
> selling is kept
> out of your dog's reach. This is only common sense, but it's easy to
> forget about putting food out of reach when you're unpacking and
> thinking of a million
> other things. And the person you share a room with may not be used to
> dogs, so a gentle reminder from you to keep food in a drawer or on a
> high closet
> shelf won't hurt.
>
> Tip 9. Give Your Dog Breaks.
>
> Convention is a stressful place for dogs and people alike. Make sure you
> give your dog breaks from the hustle and bustle whenever possible. Even
> fifteen
> minutes in your room off leash or on tie down can be very helpful for
> relieving your dog's stress level. Make sure you pack some type of toy
> for your dog
> to chew or play with during these breaks. Fanta loves her bone and her
> Kong, and I make sure they are both in my convention suitcase. Don't
> leave your
> dog alone, however, when you are giving him or her a break. Dogs left
> alone, especially those who may be under some stress already, are more
> likely to
> chew, bark, whine, etc. Also hotel housekeeping staff will often refuse
> to clean a room with an unattended dog inside. So, if you really feel
> your dog
> needs a break and you can't take a break yourself, try to find someone
> you know and trust who wouldn't mind keeping your dog in a quiet place
> for a while.
>
> Tip 10. Listen to What Your Dog Is Telling You.
>
> One of the best things about dogs is their ability to communicate. This
> is very helpful during guide work and makes me feel great when Fanta
> says she loves
> me. This communication is especially important at convention. Listen to
> what your dog is telling you. As much as possible try to be patient with
> your dog
> as he or she navigates big crowds. If he or she seems hesitant, don't
> just urge or correct him or her forward without checking whether or not
> your dog
> wants you to avoid something. This can be challenging, especially if
> you're lost or in a hurry to get somewhere, but it will make convention
> easier for
> both of you.
>
> In meetings make sure you pay attention to your dog's behavior. Is he or
> she panting, whining, or restless? Is this normal behavior? If not, pay
> attention
> to that behavior. Does your dog need to relieve? Is he or she thirsty?
> Does he or she need a break? Be a detective and try to figure out and
> take care
> of your dog's needs. It will make him or her, you, and those around you
> more comfortable.
>
> As I say, these ten tips are common sense, but I appreciate your taking
> the time to read to the end of this article anyway. I appreciate the
> fact that you
> care so much about your dogs that you will do all you can to give them a
> positive convention experience, and I hope to meet many of you in
> Dallas.
>
>
> Cindy Lou Ray
> Each day is a new adventure
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-- 
Lora and Trice



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