[nagdu] Hawaii

[The Pawpower Pack]

Oh Jordan, I can't even begin to address all of the points in your  
message.
First of all, if you know of a self-trained dog; ie, one who has  
"trained itself," do please let me know.  If the dog had already  
trained itself, it would save me a great deal of time and hard work.
Just as an FYI, those who train their own dogs are typically referred  
to as "owner trainers," and their dogs are "owner trained" being that  
they were, in fact, trained by their owner.


Secondly, if you don't like the law as is, change it.
Dogs from programs don't currently wear harnesses that say "certified  
service dogs." and before you point out that program dogs are  
"certified" by their program, let me remind you that any  
"certification" is only as good as the paper it is printed upon.   
There is no national certification for assistance dogs.
I have seen dogs from programs, yes, even GDB, who never should have  
been issued as guides.  I have seen guide dog trainers who are so  
kennel blind that they pass their favorite dog on because they want  
this dog to graduate so badly, that they are "blind" to its faults.
If owner trainers and their dogs need to pass some certification test,  
who's going to give it?  It can't be someone from the programs because  
they won't be objective.  It's not in the best interest of programs  
for owner trainers to be out there.  I am not willing to have my dog  
"certified" by a trainer employed by a program for these same reasons.
If owner trainers have to have their dogs certified by a neutral third  
party, than all program dogs must also be certified by this self same  
neutral third party.
Who's going to pay for that?
Where are these tests going to be held?  What if you live far away  
from your nearest testing center?  What if you cannot travel to said  
testing center due to illness?

This discussion has been rehashed more times than I can count.  If  
someone can come up with a better idea which will serve everyone and  
not put undo hardships on anyone, I'd like to know about it.

Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds:
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm  
not sure about the universe."-Albert Einstein
http://www.pawpowercreations.com
pawpower4me at gmail.com
AIM: Brissysgirl