[nagdu] Guide dogs attacked in Portland

[Ginger Kutsch]

Guide dogs for blind people attacked in Portland
By Lynne Terry, The Oregonian 
February 16, 2010, 4:19PM
Faith Cathcart/The Oregonian 
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/02/guide_dogs_f
or_blind_people_at.html
During his training as a guide dog, Ellery, a black Lab, was
attacked this month in downtown Portland by another dog,
apparently owned by a homeless youth. Guide dog trainers have run
into an increasing number of aggressive street dogs in recent
months.Crystal Lange  was training a guide dog near Pioneer
Courthouse Square in downtown Portland when her black Lab was
attacked by a street dog. 
 
Lange, a two-year apprentice trainer with Guide Dogs for the
Blind, said she put her body between her dog, Ellery,  and the
street dog until the owner retrieved it. 
 
"It was pretty frightening," Lange said. 
 
The attack was the second this month on a guide dog in Portland
by a dog on the street -- alarming officials with the nonprofit
dog-training group, which opened a satellite office near
Southwest Yamhill Street and Third Avenue in April. 
 
"We saw this train wreck coming," said Jim Dugan,  a training
supervisor at Guide Dogs for the Blind. 
 
Trainers have run across a number of snapping and growling dogs
owned by homeless youths since the agency opened the new office.
In September, after trainers reported several encounters, Dugan
sent a letter to Mayor Sam Adams and all the commissioners. 
 
"When we are preparing blind students for a life of independence
and freedom," he wrote, "their greatest fear is an unprovoked dog
attack." 
 
He asked the mayor to "work with us to resolve this dangerous
problem." 
 
The nonprofit did not receive a response -- from anyone. 
 
Roy Kaufmann,  Adams' spokesman, said his office has no record of
receiving the letter but is concerned about the issue. 
 
"I think this is deeply troubling," Kaufmann said. "This is an
organization that we value. It's another strong example of why we
need to move forward with a sidewalk management plan." 
 
A draft plan is in the works to replace the sit-lie ordinance
which was tossed out by a judge in June. 
 
In the meantime, officials agreed to set up a meeting with the
nonprofit, bringing together law enforcement, animal control and
downtown business leaders perhaps by the end of this week. 
 
Dugan said the problem could have been addressed before a dog was
attacked. 
 
"We wrote this letter, saying 'this is our concern,' and they
avoided it until now it's on our doorstep." 
 
Right after the attack on Ellery, Dugan and Lange tried to file a
report at Central Precinct. Dugan was told to call emergency
dispatchers, who told him to call animal control. 
 
Dugan wanted an officer to respond, citing an Oregon law which
treats attacks against service animals more seriously than other
animal attacks. 
 
"Most of the time where there's an animal-to-animal contact, it's
an animal-control issue," he said. "But it's my feeling that when
it's a service dog involved in an incident like this, it deserves
a police officer at the scene." 
 
Eventually Dugan, a reserve deputy with the Clackamas County
Sheriff's Office, was able to file a report after pressing a
Central Precinct sergeant. But by that time, about two hours
later, the two youths, who appeared to be homeless, had moved on
with their two dogs. 
 
"We had expected a quick response but unfortunately that was not
the case," Dugan said. 
 
Ellery was checked by a veterinarian and appears to be in good
shape. But the nonprofit is watching the dog closely. 
 
"Even if the dog is not horribly bitten," said Brad Hibbard,
training director for the nonprofit, "it's very easy for that dog
to become aggressive to other dogs." 
 
Or it could become frightened and refuse to pass other dogs on
the street. 
 
Either case would mean a loss of $60,000 -- the cost of training
a guide dog. 
 
The growing number of dogs downtown creates not only problems for
trainers but also for the blind, said Cheryl Vincent, another
training supervisor. 
 
"If a person is not able to walk down the sidewalk because of an
aggressive dog, that impedes their access," she said. "There are
laws on the books that protect guide dogs specifically from
attacks. We're not interested in changing laws, just enforcing
leash and (pet) licensing laws" that already exist. 
 
Officials at the nonprofit hope the city and county agree to give
service animal attacks a higher priority --without demonizing the
homeless kids. 
 
"We want a solution, but don't want to be adversarial about it,"
Hibbard said.
 
-- Michael Russell and Lynne Terry
 
  Guide dogs for blind people attacked in Portland
By Lynne Terry, The Oregonian 
February 16, 2010, 4:19PM
Faith Cathcart/The Oregonian 
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/02/guide_dogs_f
or_blind_people_at.html
During his training as a guide dog, Ellery, a black Lab, was
attacked this month in downtown Portland by another dog,
apparently owned by a homeless youth. Guide dog trainers have run
into an increasing number of aggressive street dogs in recent
months.Crystal Lange  was training a guide dog near Pioneer
Courthouse Square in downtown Portland when her black Lab was
attacked by a street dog. 
 
Lange, a two-year apprentice trainer with Guide Dogs for the
Blind, said she put her body between her dog, Ellery,  and the
street dog until the owner retrieved it. 
 
"It was pretty frightening," Lange said. 
 
The attack was the second this month on a guide dog in Portland
by a dog on the street -- alarming officials with the nonprofit
dog-training group, which opened a satellite office near
Southwest Yamhill Street and Third Avenue in April. 
 
"We saw this train wreck coming," said Jim Dugan,  a training
supervisor at Guide Dogs for the Blind. 
 
Trainers have run across a number of snapping and growling dogs
owned by homeless youths since the agency opened the new office.
In September, after trainers reported several encounters, Dugan
sent a letter to Mayor Sam Adams and all the commissioners. 
 
"When we are preparing blind students for a life of independence
and freedom," he wrote, "their greatest fear is an unprovoked dog
attack." 
 
He asked the mayor to "work with us to resolve this dangerous
problem." 
 
The nonprofit did not receive a response -- from anyone. 
 
Roy Kaufmann,  Adams' spokesman, said his office has no record of
receiving the letter but is concerned about the issue. 
 
"I think this is deeply troubling," Kaufmann said. "This is an
organization that we value. It's another strong example of why we
need to move forward with a sidewalk management plan." 
 
A draft plan is in the works to replace the sit-lie ordinance
which was tossed out by a judge in June. 
 
In the meantime, officials agreed to set up a meeting with the
nonprofit, bringing together law enforcement, animal control and
downtown business leaders perhaps by the end of this week. 
 
Dugan said the problem could have been addressed before a dog was
attacked. 
 
"We wrote this letter, saying 'this is our concern,' and they
avoided it until now it's on our doorstep." 
 
Right after the attack on Ellery, Dugan and Lange tried to file a
report at Central Precinct. Dugan was told to call emergency
dispatchers, who told him to call animal control. 
 
Dugan wanted an officer to respond, citing an Oregon law which
treats attacks against service animals more seriously than other
animal attacks. 
 
"Most of the time where there's an animal-to-animal contact, it's
an animal-control issue," he said. "But it's my feeling that when
it's a service dog involved in an incident like this, it deserves
a police officer at the scene." 
 
Eventually Dugan, a reserve deputy with the Clackamas County
Sheriff's Office, was able to file a report after pressing a
Central Precinct sergeant. But by that time, about two hours
later, the two youths, who appeared to be homeless, had moved on
with their two dogs. 
 
"We had expected a quick response but unfortunately that was not
the case," Dugan said. 
 
Ellery was checked by a veterinarian and appears to be in good
shape. But the nonprofit is watching the dog closely. 
 
"Even if the dog is not horribly bitten," said Brad Hibbard,
training director for the nonprofit, "it's very easy for that dog
to become aggressive to other dogs." 
 
Or it could become frightened and refuse to pass other dogs on
the street. 
 
Either case would mean a loss of $60,000 -- the cost of training
a guide dog. 
 
The growing number of dogs downtown creates not only problems for
trainers but also for the blind, said Cheryl Vincent, another
training supervisor. 
 
"If a person is not able to walk down the sidewalk because of an
aggressive dog, that impedes their access," she said. "There are
laws on the books that protect guide dogs specifically from
attacks. We're not interested in changing laws, just enforcing
leash and (pet) licensing laws" that already exist. 
 
Officials at the nonprofit hope the city and county agree to give
service animal attacks a higher priority --without demonizing the
homeless kids. 
 
"We want a solution, but don't want to be adversarial about it,"
Hibbard said.
 
-- Michael Russell and Lynne Terry
 
  
 


Ginger Bennett Kutsch
Morristown, NJ