[nagdu] Harness Colors
Julie J
julielj at windstream.net
Sun Jun 7 15:45:02 UTC 2009
I've also been told that the dyes or processing used to make the leather
white weakens the leather so that it wears out faster. I don't know much
about leather. I definitely think that all the cleaning necessary to keep
the white leather looking nice would wear me out.
I'm currently using a red and black harness and handle. I've used quite
a few different colors and variations of harnesses in the past few years.
My preference is red or blue. They stand out and match most of what I wear
without clashing too horribly. *smile*
Julie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ann Edie" <annedie at nycap.rr.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 9:12 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Harness Colors
> Hi, Linda and Julie,
>
> When I was discussing harness designs and colors with Dave Shabbot of
> American Leather Specialties back in 2002 when we were getting Panda's
> guide harness, he mentioned that one of the guide dog programs had once
> asked him to make white leather harnesses. He said it was the worst color
> you could choose, because the white soon becomes discolored and looks
> terrible in regular use. After a couple of years, I think he said they
> got a bit wiser and decided that white handles would be sufficient. We
> chose a black leather for Panda's harness with white stitching, and a
> black leash to match. It is quite elegant, I think, with her black and
> white coat. But it is not very visible to passers by, most of whom don't
> even realize that she is wearing a harness until they get quite close. We
> have been using her harness for 6 years now, in all types of weather, and
> it has held up wonderfully.
>
> Best,
> Ann
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Julie J" <julielj at windstream.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2009 8:19 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] More information on Taco Bell incident
>
>
>> Linda,
>>
>> Yes! I made my own harnesses.
>>
>> I think it's Norway or maybe Switserland where they use only white
>> harnesses.
>>
>> I'm facinated by the sstrangest things! ROFLOL!
>> Julie
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Linda Gwizdak" <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 11:48 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] More information on Taco Bell incident
>>
>>
>>> Hey Julie,
>>> Harnesses can also be made by the person intending to use it. I have a
>>> friend who made a beautiful white leather harness to use on her all
>>> black GSD. Very striking! But legit - she's a visually impaired guide
>>> dog user and she fashened the harness on the design of her guide dog
>>> school harness.
>>>
>>> BTW, I think our city "pooper scooper" law refers to our dogs as
>>> "seeing-eye dogs". People will call all guide dogs that just like
>>> people refer to facial tissues as "Kleenex" even if the brand is Puffs
>>> (grin!).
>>>
>>> Linda and Landon
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Julie J" <julielj at windstream.net>
>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 7:07 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] More information on Taco Bell incident
>>>
>>>
>>>> Limiting guide dogs to one or two breeds won't eliminate access issues.
>>>> I'd wager that most denial of access situations occur with labs, GSD's
>>>> and goldens. Perhaps the more uncommon breeds get more access issues
>>>> individually than the average guide dog handler, but as a group I think
>>>> the common breeds will have many more access denials than the uncommon
>>>> breeds. It simple math. Probably 95% of the guide dogs currently
>>>> working are one of the three main breeds, labs, goldens and GSD's.
>>>>
>>>> Also limiting the breeds of dogs used as guides limits the options
>>>> available to blind people. Allergies is an example that comes to mind.
>>>> Poodles, Boxers and Dobermans are breeds used for handlers who have
>>>> sensitivities to dog dander.
>>>>
>>>> People who want to misrepresent their pet as a service/guide dog don't
>>>> have to purchase a harness to do so. You can purchase a vest or patch
>>>> that says "service dog" for under $20. Guide harnesses don't have to be
>>>> purchased on the black market. they can be purchased entirely legally
>>>> from several reputable companies. If you're interested, I can
>>>> recommend a really good one!
>>>>
>>>> JMHO
>>>> Julie
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Allison Nastoff" <anastoff at wi.rr.com>
>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, June 06, 2009 5:09 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] More information on Taco Bell incident
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Reading this article, there should have been no reason for the Taco
>>>>> Bell Manager to remove the dog. If the dog had just been picked up
>>>>> from the groomer, he was definitely clean and thus would not pose a
>>>>> health hazard, and it sounds like the family was just sitting at the
>>>>> table about to eat, and the dog was not misbehaving. Correct me if I
>>>>> am wrong, but I think this is a clear case of harassment of an
>>>>> innocent blind ferson on the part of both police and the restaurant.
>>>>> I hope this woman stands her ground until laws are changed or people
>>>>> in Coppera Cove are better educated about guide dog access laws.
>>>>> I do wonder though if guide dog schools should stick with traditional
>>>>> breeds like Labs and German Shepherds. Maybe this would make it
>>>>> easier for the public to trust that a dog is, in fact a guide dog.
>>>>> Theoretically, someone could get a harness on the black market, and
>>>>> put it on their pet poodle and say he's a guide dog. The same could
>>>>> be true for someone's pet Lab of course, but I just think that
>>>>> sticking to a few standard breeds might make the guide dog access
>>>>> issue less confusing for the public. Just my opinion.
>>>>> Allison and Gilbert
>>>>>
>>>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>From: Wayne Merritt <wcmerritt at gmail.com
>>>>>>To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>>> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>Date sent: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 14:33:02 -0500
>>>>>>Subject: [nagdu] More information on Taco Bell incident
>>>>>
>>>>>>I did a search on Google for the woman's name and among the
>>>>> results
>>>>>>that came back was this series of posts on a forum/newsgroup
>>>>> site.
>>>>>>I've cleaned up the posts for better reading, but for more and to
>>>>> read
>>>>>>comments from others, go to this link:
>>>>>
>>>>>>http://www.topix.com/forum/city/copperas-cove-tx/T52KB3SEVEHKE3KQ
>>>>> 3
>>>>>
>>>>>>This is interesting stuff. Several times my eyes widened and I
>>>>>>thought, "Wow." See for yourself. Also, according to the below,
>>>>> Ms.
>>>>>>Ballou, the owner of the Leader Dog, was not using a
>>>>> "traditional"
>>>>>>guide dog breed, which might explain some of the manager's
>>>>> reaction.
>>>>>>It doesn't explain the behavior of the police though.
>>>>>>Wayne
>>>>>
>>>>>>***
>>>>>
>>>>>>new resident in Copperas Cove is considering legal action after
>>>>> being
>>>>>>forcefully removed from a local restaurant.
>>>>>
>>>>>>Nanette Ballou lost her sight 11 years ago due to multiple eye
>>>>>>traumas. She is assisted by Rusty, a white Berger De Picard or
>>>>> French
>>>>>>sheepdog, who was trained at Leader Dogs for the Blind in
>>>>> Rochester,
>>>>>>Mich.
>>>>>
>>>>>>While she does have limited vision in her right eye, similar to
>>>>>>looking through a straw, she can't process depth of field or see
>>>>>>anything other than what she is directly looking at. Also, any
>>>>> change
>>>>>>in lighting like moving from indoors to outdoors causes her total
>>>>>>blindness for five to 10 minutes until her eyes adjust.
>>>>>
>>>>>>"He protects me," Ballou said about Rusty. "He keeps me from
>>>>> bumping
>>>>>>into things and from tripping over curbs. But it's still scary
>>>>> to walk
>>>>>>places like parking lots where not everyone is paying attention
>>>>> and I
>>>>>>don't have any peripheral vision to rely on."
>>>>>
>>>>>>On Thursday, May 7, after picking up Rusty from the dog groomers,
>>>>>>Ballou and Rusty along with her daughter and two grandchildren
>>>>> went to
>>>>>>Taco Bell. The family placed their order, picked up their food
>>>>> and was
>>>>>>about to eat when Cynthia, a night manager, approached their
>>>>> table and
>>>>>>asked, "Is that a Seeing Eye," Ballou recalled.
>>>>>
>>>>>>"No, he's a guide dog, a Leader Dog," Ballou said to correct the
>>>>> manager.
>>>>>
>>>>>>Ballou said not all guide dogs are Seeing Eye's. It depends on
>>>>> what
>>>>>>school they go to and her dog went to the Leader Dog school.
>>>>>
>>>>>>"It's like calling an A&M student a Longhorn," she said. "I was
>>>>> trying
>>>>>>to educate her that there are more kinds of guide dogs, not just
>>>>>>Seeing Eye. But she had no part of it."
>>>>>
>>>>>>The manager told Ballou the health department would shut them
>>>>> down if
>>>>>>they saw the dog in the restaurant and then asked for
>>>>> identification
>>>>>>for the dog as a guide dog.
>>>>>
>>>>>>Ballou showed her the special harness Rusty wears identifying him
>>>>> as a
>>>>>>Leader Dog and stood her ground as she began to feel harassed.
>>>>>
>>>>>>The manager said she was going to call the cops and Ballou said,
>>>>> "Go
>>>>>>ahead, save me the call."
>>>>>
>>>>>>Six Copperas Cove police officers in three patrol cars arrived on
>>>>> the scene.
>>>>>>When the police arrived, Ballou said they did not identify
>>>>> themselves
>>>>>>and the first officer, whose name she was never given, told her
>>>>> "Lady,
>>>>>>you and the dog have to get out."
>>>>>>She told the officer Rusty is a service dog and Texas law allows
>>>>> him
>>>>>>to be with her. She showed him a law book she carries with her
>>>>> with
>>>>>>all the state and federal laws for the blind across the country,
>>>>> but
>>>>>>said the officer would not look at it.
>>>>>>She told the officer she just moved to Copperas Cove and said she
>>>>>>can't believe they don't know what the law is. She said the
>>>>> officer
>>>>>>told her "Welcome to Copperas Cove, if you don't like our laws,
>>>>>>leave."
>>>>>>She said the same officer told her, "You don't look blind"
>>>>> because she
>>>>>>was looking at him while he spoke to her. She said it is common
>>>>>>courtesy in the visual world to look at someone when they speak
>>>>> to you
>>>>>>and you don't have to be sighted to do so.
>>>>>>A second officer on scene Cpl. Shane Kieltyka did read her law
>>>>> book,
>>>>>>she said, because she believes he understood she was trying to
>>>>> diffuse
>>>>>>the situation.
>>>>>
>>>>>>"When the first officer approached me, it flustered me," she
>>>>> said.
>>>>>>"But I stood my ground."
>>>>>>Her daughter, Jennifer Warden, said when the police arrived they
>>>>>>crowded around the table
>>>>>> enlarge
>>>>>>making it difficult for them to leave like they were being told.
>>>>> One
>>>>>>of the officers also followed Warden to her car, speaking in a
>>>>>>confrontational voice while blocking her in the corner of her
>>>>> car's
>>>>>>open door, Ballou said.
>>>>>>"We felt closed in," Warden said. "There was me, a 10 year old
>>>>> and a
>>>>>>nine year old and a blind woman with her dog. How dangerous did
>>>>> we
>>>>>>look? They did everything short of calling in the SWAT and
>>>>> spreading
>>>>>>us out on the ground like an episode of COPS."
>>>>>>Her oldest child, age 10, has cerebral palsy and said the
>>>>> incident has
>>>>>>had a negative impact on her trust in the police and how disabled
>>>>>>people are treated.
>>>>>>Warden, who said the police have been called before because of
>>>>> her
>>>>>>mother's guide dog, said this is the first time they were treated
>>>>> this
>>>>>>way. All the other times the police said they were allowed to
>>>>> stay,
>>>>>>she said.
>>>>>>"They didn't do anything but make us the victim," she said about
>>>>> the police.
>>>>>>Warden said her husband is being stationed at Fort Hood, but
>>>>> after
>>>>>>this incident, said her family will look for a place to live in
>>>>> Belton
>>>>>>or Harker Heights.
>>>>>
>>>>>>"We weren't impressed at all with the attitude the people in
>>>>> Copperas
>>>>>>Cove have, especially the police department," Warden said. "If
>>>>> we're
>>>>>>not living on base we need to know we can rely on the police
>>>>>>department, and that was a big no."
>>>>>>Now Ballou, an advocate for the blind, is searching every avenue
>>>>>>available to her to make sure this does not happen again. She
>>>>> said she
>>>>>>is afraid this incident has labeled her as a troublemaker by
>>>>> everyone
>>>>>>who saw the incident.
>>>>>>"Everyone who drove by and saw me and my very identifiable dog
>>>>> doesn't
>>>>>>know what happened," she said. "In a way, I was slandered across
>>>>> the
>>>>>>community as a troublemaker. I'm very vocal about what happened
>>>>>>because I want the public to know the laws that protect my civil
>>>>>>rights were not protected by the police department or Taco Bell."
>>>>>>Ballou contacted the police department several times to speak
>>>>> with
>>>>>>Police Chief Tim Molnes, but said he wouldn't return phone calls.
>>>>>>Another officer did eventually speak with her and take a report
>>>>>>filling official charges against the Taco Bell manager for
>>>>> non-access.
>>>>>>Ballou said she could have also pressed charges for interfering
>>>>> with a
>>>>>>service animal's job and for harassment, but has not.
>>>>>>She then contacted the district attorney's office where an
>>>>> assistant
>>>>>>told her this is a civil manner and they don't handle those
>>>>> cases. She
>>>>>>told them it is not a civil manner and she said he repeated
>>>>> several
>>>>>>times "we're not going there" and then hung up.
>>>>>>She has also called City Attorney Charles Zech and left a
>>>>> message, but
>>>>>>has not heard back from him.
>>>>>>"Everyone at the city has shut me off," she said. "They are
>>>>> afraid I
>>>>>>might sue. I don't like to fight. If the police chief had made
>>>>> them
>>>>>>apologize, I probably would have dropped all of this."
>>>>>>She said she just wants to see the laws enforced. She also said
>>>>> there
>>>>>>are grants available through the ADA civil rights section of the
>>>>>>United States Justice Department for entities to have someone
>>>>> come in
>>>>>>and teach them ADA laws.
>>>>>>City Manager Andrea Gardner said "The City's policy is not to
>>>>> comment
>>>>>>on ongoing investigative matters" and would not answer questions
>>>>> about
>>>>>>the city's ADA training or this incident.
>>>>>>Lt. Danny Austin said the file on this case is still open and
>>>>> could
>>>>>>not release information without an open records request. The
>>>>> request
>>>>>>was sent to the Copperas Cove Police Department earlier this
>>>>> week. The
>>>>>>file has not yet been received. The May 7 police blotter has no
>>>>> report
>>>>>>of an incident at Taco Bell.
>>>>>>Taco Bell representative Don Barton has also been contacted by
>>>>> the
>>>>>>Leader-Press office about the incident. He said he would send a
>>>>>>prepared statement by e-mail. The statement was not received by
>>>>> press
>>>>>>time.
>>>>>>Texas law on service animals states any violations of a person's
>>>>> right
>>>>>>to use a guide dog is guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable
>>>>> by a
>>>>>>fine of not less than $300 or more than $1,000.
>>>>>>"They know they stepped over the line," Ballou said. "They are
>>>>> just
>>>>>>hoping it will go away."
>>>>>
>>>>>>_______________________________________________
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>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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