[nagdu] contact with puppy raisers/walkers

Wed Dec 22 04:57:19 UTC 2010

Hi All,
I just realized that this is the NAGDU List and not the Seeing Eye one! 
LOL!!! that's what happens when you're over 60 and are on a bunch of lists!

So, the Merry Christmas and Happy New year is for all in the NAGDU family no 
matter where you got your dog from!

Cheers,

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lyn Gwizdak" <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 3:52 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] contact with puppy raisers/walkers

>I agree, Ginger.  I, too, don't really care one way or the other if I can 
>have contact with my dog's raiser.  When I went to schools where we met the 
>raiser, my dog's raisers didn't want to stay in touch with me.  Whatever.
>
> I am grateful for the work the puppy raisers do and enjoy the posts of the 
> raisers on this list.  Also, here in San Diego, we have an annual puppy 
> raiser appreciation day for the local raisers for the California schools. 
> It's a fun event and it is nice to meet people who raise our dogs and also 
> they get to meet the people who get the dogs.  So, I'm satisfied by this.
>
> What I'd like to see is a puppy photo album supplied by our dog's raiser 
> that goes back with the dog when the dog comes back to TSE for training. 
> I went to a school where the puppy rtaisers did this and it was really 
> nice to have my dog's "baby pictures".  I know that many of you can't see 
> the pictures yourselves, but they can be enjoyed by us partials, our 
> families and sighted friends.  Just a thought.  This album could be given 
> to all the grads along with our "Puppy Profiles" that we currently get 
> with our dogs. Could this be done with both pictures and puppy profile on 
> a CD disc with hard copy ones for those without computers?
>
> Merry Christmas to James and to everyone else in the Seeing Eye Family!
>
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ginger Kutsch" <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 6:07 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] contact with puppy raisers/walkers
>
>
>> All,
>>
>> There is a question about The Seeing Eye's policy regarding
>> raiser contact on the consumer satisfaction survey that graduates
>> are invited to participate in after they have been home with
>> their dogs for nine months. When I worked on the consumer
>> satisfaction committee, the majority of respondents,
>> approximately 80%, were satisfied with the current puppy raiser
>> contact policy.
>>
>> As a graduate of The Seeing Eye, I have no strong feeling one way
>> or another about puppy raiser contact. I've written a thank you
>> note to my puppy raisers for each of my three dogs and have never
>> received a response. Whether I am able to have direct
>> communication with my puppy raiser or not has no bearing on my
>> dog's ability to guide me safely and effectively. Therefore, it
>> is not part of my decision making process when I consider a
>> school.
>>
>> There are, however,  several graduates who attend The Seeing Eye
>> because there is *no contact. Whether we are all "adults" or not,
>> people are generally brought up to feel obligated in some way to
>> those people who offer us assistance, give us gifts, etc. How
>> many times have you done something simply because you feel
>> obligated?
>>
>> The fact is that, whether we call ourselves "consumers" or not,
>> when we attend a guide dog school and receive a dog, we are
>> accepting charity. Those people who raise puppies for a guide dog
>> school are performing a charitable act. If you consider the
>> definition of charity for a moment, it may give you more insight
>> on the philosophy of The Seeing Eye. Charity is defined as 1),
>> generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless;
>> And 2), something given to a person or persons in need.
>>
>> Early on, The Seeing Eye created policies that supported its
>> belief that blind people deserved respect and dignity. Now I know
>> there are some on this list that dislike the word dignity, but
>> when applied correctly, one realizes that The Seeing Eye's tag
>> line  is not saying that dogs provide independence and dignity;
>> but rather  it's saying that the organization firmly believes
>> that independence and dignity is a right that everyone deserves.
>>
>> That said, many of the policies that The Seeing Eye upholds
>> support this belief.
>>
>> 1. There is a charge for the dog. Seeing Eye does not advertise
>> that a blind person can come get a dog for free. This smacks of
>> "charity".  The fee hardly covers the true cost of the dog and
>> may only be symbolic, but it enables the organization to promote
>> its belief that blind people are not looking for a hand-out but
>> rather a hand-up.
>>
>> 2. The Seeing Eye does not accept funding, or ask its graduates
>> to seek funding, for any one individual's  specific training
>> needs. I think Buddy's post adequately explained the reason for
>> this policy.
>>
>> 3. The Seeing Eye does not facilitate puppy raiser contact. This
>> policy is in keeping with the organization's belief that blind
>> people who receive a dog from The Seeing Eye are not charity
>> cases but rather individuals who are looking to enhance their
>> lives. This policy switches the focus of puppy raising from
>> raising a dog for any one blind individual to raising the dog for
>> an organization that provides dogs for the blind. This makes the
>> organization obligated to the puppy raisers, rather than placing
>> that burden on the individual blind person.
>>
>> Years ago when graduates expressed a desire to be able to
>> personally thank their puppy raisers if they so chose, The Seeing
>> Eye responded and created a system so that graduates might do so
>> while still preserving anonymity. Since the majority of Seeing
>> Eye graduates are satisfied with the current policy on puppy
>> raiser contact, it's highly unlikely that the organization will
>> seek to change it at this point.
>>
>> Anyway, I'm not speaking on behalf of the organization, just
>> offering my two cents for what its worth!
>>
>> Ginger,
>>
>>
>>
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>
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