[nagdu] Impressions Please?

[Joy Relton]

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jenine Stanley
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 9:42 AM Janine those are all good points. I know
from observing the guest in my home that squatting isn't a problem. I just
guess I was floored by the flippant attitude. By the way, guests knew of the
relieving area and the need to clean up when using it but that any deposits
made while running free would be handled by my family. You have such a nice
way of putting things though, I'll keep those things in mind.  
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Impressions Please?


Joy, 

I understand your frustration over the woman's statement, and how you would
have handled it had you been there. I can only imagine that you would have
had a way to ask her, or get from her, why she didn't clean up. 

It's not necessarily true that all schools teach clean up techniques or if
they do, that they instill in people that this is a daily part of caring for
your dog. I know that the "big schools" teach this but do all of them
regularly expect it during class, or during any modified or home trainings?
I'd like to hear from folks from smaller schools too about whether they were
taught to clean up and were expected to be ready to do so at any time.
Sometimes if it's a newby during a home training, this can get glossed over,
or at least I've heard of that happening from several first time handlers
who were home trained by several schools doing such things. 

Also, in some cities, there are ordinances exempting blind people from clean
up after their guide dogs, if not city-wide, in certain areas. Do I agree
with such ordinances? For the most part, absolutely not. There are always
exceptions though, but at this second I'm blanking on what they might be.
<grin> 

All this said, I am troubled by the statements that if one can't clean up
after one's dog, that person should not have a dog and is probably not fit
to have one, or at least that's what's being implied. There are people, for
a number of reasons, who cannot bend down to clean up, cannot risk
encountering fecal matter, etc. Some of these people don't use good tactics
to get the necessary job done though. 

I've heard that at least one of the larger service dog schools has clean up
as a mandatory part of training. If the handler cannot physically do it, he
or she must solicit appropriate help but is ultimately responsible for
getting things cleaned up. 

Yes, it's frustrating when people just spout the good old "I don't do that"
statement, as if the butler is going to come along and take care of it. I'd
probably ask questions as follows. 

"Oh, is that because you have trouble bending down to reach it? If you don't
know how to clean up, we can show you. It's easy and only takes a few
seconds."

If there is still resistance, I'd counter with: 

"Well, we do expect people to clean up after their dogs here. We'll be happy
to help you if you absolutely can't bend down, and we'd be more than happy
to teach you how to clean up, no big deal, but otherwise we do expect you to
take care of this." 

Not sure what I'd do if the person just said no. <grin> 

I might also add to any future invitations that you have a dog relief area
and that handlers are expected to clean up after their dogs, period, end of
story. How people who cannot physically do this handle it from there is
something they should regularly be practicing. I'd be flexible enough to
allow for these physical constraints if the person self identifies and
offers to at least stay with the helper until the job is done. 

One elegant solution I saw to this was the first time someone actually was
forced to say she had to have help cleaning up. She could no longer bend and
squat to find and bag the stuff. She worked up her courage and asked the
sighted person manning this particular convention relief area to help her.
He bagged the poop and handed her the bag, giving her directions to the
trash can where she disposed of it. I thought that was a great solution as
it wasn't just handing the job over to him and she still had, if you can
call it that, the dignity of taking care of what for her had been a routine
function of her dog's care. It took a lot for her not to just be that
indignant person saying "I don't do that" and admitting why she no longer
was able to clean up. 

So, there may, and I emphasize may, be more to the guest's flippant response
than you think. You as the home owner though still have every right to
expect her to make her own arrangements for cleaning up if she physically
cannot. Letting her know it's OK, on a one-on-one basis, to self disclose
this info will help, as well as letting her know that even if she needs
help, she's ultimately responsible for the outcome. 

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com


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