[nagdu] contact with puppy raisers/walkers

[Buddy Brannan]

Oh goody! Another hot button issue! Yay!!!! 

I completely understand the reasons for the TSE puppy raiser contact policy. I understand the historic significance, and also the other reason, i.e. you're raising a dog for the school, not for a specific person, doing something for the greater good as it were, a wider cause than one specific individual. And that's all fantastic, and I agree with the motives and the reasoning. Do I wish that the policy would be modified? Certainly; I'd love to have contact with Leon's raisers. Will I lose sleep over it that I don't? Not especially. While I understand not actively facilitating contact, the practice of editing letters between the parties is something I have issues with, even though I understand why. I think, basically, it's one thing to not encourage contact, but quite another to block it between consenting parties. Assuming of course both parties are consenting. It's certainly not as easy an issue as we might like to believe.

I had contact with my first dog's raiser, from a school that isn't the Seeing Eye. The Ripkens are wonderful people, and we still stay in touch some even today, over 13 years later. Many relationships are like this. Not all, though; there are cases such as Jenine has mentioned. There are others where raisers in one way or another interfere with the team. Conversely, I'm aware of cases where handlers inappropriately relate to their dog's raisers, some in the ways Jenine has outlined, other times inappropriately imposing upon the raiser in some way. So it's definitely not always great, either. Does that mean that the schools need to chaperone these relationships because some might e inappropriate? Again, this isn't nearly so easy and clear cut as some would have it.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Dec 14, 2010, at 4:59 PM, Jenine Stanley wrote:

> Although GDF does allow contact with puppy raisers/walker, I do feel the
> need to defend TSE's no-contact policy. It has nothing, absolutely nothing,
> to do with you being an adult. It's about the principle of anonymous giving,
> selfless giving. 
> 
> I've been in a workshop where a puppy raiser actually said "I raised these
> dogs. I'm entitled to pet them whenever I want. You people are too mean to
> them, never write back and don't deserve them." 
> 
> The man who said this totally embarrassed his family and does not represent
> all puppy raisers/walkers, but his opinion, or variations thereof, are out
> there and make up the wide reasons people do raise puppies. 
> 
> Also, not everything your dog does now is a result of things it did as a
> puppy or was illegally allowed to do. I've heard from puppy walkers who were
> crushed when hearing about their dogs' behavior as guides and were berated
> by the handlers for allowing X, Y or Z when they did no such thing. 
> 
> I think those who have issue with TSE's puppy contact policy should read in
> the literature exactly why it was established. It screams respect for the
> adult nature of blind people. 
> 
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.com
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/buddy%40brannan.name