[nagdu] vet reports and other issues

[Charlene Ota]

I found GDB to be very condescending when I got dogs there.

First, I had a dog that was crazy! When the trainer came to do follow-up
because I called him for help, she would be absolutely perfect, not a hair
out of place literally! But the minute my apartment door shut and he walked
away she would be on the table and causing all sorts of trouble. When she
started growling at me I called and told the trainer to come get her because
I hadn't ever been bitten by a dog before and I wasn't aobut to start. He
just couldn't understand why I wanted to give her up. Later he told another
dog user who was a friend of mine that the dog did in fact bite him since I
guess the honeymoon with the trainer finally got over with, but he told my
friend there was no need for me to know. Actually, it was important for me
to know since that was my first dog and I in fact wasn't crazy like they
thought I was and it would have given me some peace of mind.

Then I got a dog with major health issues. The were piles of reports from my
veterinarian but GDB was convinced that they didn't need to see the reports.
Guess they thought I made it all up or something. I was given no help and no
support through the years I spent caring for that poor dog. The problems
were genetic as well, but no one wanted to know or understand what his
problems were so that maybe other people could be spared having to deal with
it. When I retired him when he was probably about 6, the school didn't want
the dog just told me to put him to sleep. They were very arrogant about it
all but trust me, he indeed had thyroid problems and some sort of immune
disorder and he was very sick. It's like they couldn't admit that one of
their dogs could possibly have a problem.

Then, the last time I went there for a dog I got a female golden that was
donated to the school by a breeder. She was a great dog. But after I'd had
her a couple years, she started to have some real problems. In the mornings
she wanted to go out and work but by the end of the day she didn't want to
go any more. She became very fearful of noises and would just tremble and
shake when cars would backfire and things like that. I would have to drag
her out of the building where I worked to go home. The trainer came to see
me about her and told me that I just needed to bring a ball with me and play
ball and she'd be fine. Well, the last straw was one day when I had gotten
home from work and fed her her dinner and was getting ready to take her out
to releave. She heard a car backfire and ran into her usual hiding place in
the bathroom and she was so frightened that she just laid in her urine. Now,
you tell me something wasn't seriously wrong! I called the school and had to
tell them that she was going to be retired and I wasn't sure what was the
cause of it all but I was not going to force her any more. I felt so guilty
and cruel for trying to force her for the time that I did so. She went to
live with some good friends who were so happy to have her and were looking
forward to having her for a good while. Imagine how they must have felt when
within a few months she could no longer even get up and move. Turns out that
GDB had had records showing that she had hip displasia all that time but
didn't tell me. However, they did bring out the records and show the family
what the problem was and that tells me they knew of her potentail problem
all the time but didn't think I needed to know aobut it.

Show me how little respect GDB has for the dog users when they can't even
discuss the situations and work through them. They don't even have enough
respect for us to tell us the truth.

In contrast to this sort of treatment, when I got my fourth dog, I went to
The Seeing Eye. I had a wonderful shepherd and I had him for four years but
living in Southern California at the time, he got allergies so bad and we
couldn't do much for him. As things worsened, people at Seeing Eye were very
supportive and talked through things and were very helpful and honest about
the situation and treated me with respect and dignity.

Unfortunately, emotionally, I just couldn't take it any more and was without
a dog for 20 years. I finally took the plunge and got my current dog about a
year and a half ago and I am so glad I could finally put it all behind me
and move on. Had GDB been hoest and forthright in the first place I don't
think it would have had to be so hard either, but their lack of respect and
all their denial just made it so much harder. I had to go it alone and make
the decisions about my dogs myself with no support from them. I don't think
they respect us as blind people at all. Or at least they didn't when I was
there.

Charlene 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of The Pawpower Pack
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 11:45 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] vet reports and other issues

Hello Michael,

I got my first two dogs at Guide dogs for the Blind in California.

I know they are a large program with many satisfied graduates, and my
experience probably isn't even in the majority, but it is my own.
Thanks
Rox and the Kitchen Bitches

Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"Life breaks us all, but afterwards, many of us are strongest at the broken
places." -- Ernest Hemingway
  pawpower4me at gmail.com

MSN: Brisomania at Hotmail.com
AIM: Brissysgirl Yahoo: lillebriss	

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