[nagdu] always taking the dog was guide dogs

Tue Mar 9 13:50:43 UTC 2010

Hi Linda -
I'm so bad at replying to emails, even if I do read them :). Yay for finding
more community members on the rainbow side of life! And yay for building
community around you - that's super, intensely important. I just met a guy
who seems nice who is a recent grad of the sped-up GDB program and I keep
meaning to email him. Poor guy is overwhelmed with his 18 month old dog and
I don't blame him.
I'm hoping GDB gets over this accelerated track real soon and goes back to a
longer training and longer class times option.
In related news to this topic, I've taken Drum to the mall on super-crowded
days and...he pees. Granted he's tried to pee on very ugly poly-chiffon or
poly-blend pants (white) which I can't blame him for, but the two times this
has happened it's been real embarassing and I've been cleaning pee off the
floor of a store I go to regularly. Luckily the store has ugly clothes and
I've stopped patroning it and the people who work there love dogs and think
it's endearing (?) but either way, my temperamental beast is ...a beast.
Jeanette

On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 5:37 PM, Linda Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net> wrote:

> Hey, Jeanette,
> Long time no hear from! (grin!)
>
> Yeah, there are just some activities that having a dog with you is quite
> problematic! I used to take my dog canuing - a long time ago with a very
> calm yellow Lab.  She happily sat in the center of the boat.
>
> We do need to consider the impact of an activity on our dog's wellbeing. Or
> maybe, we just don't feel like bringing our dog. I will do this sometimes so
> my dog will be good at home alone for short periods of time.  I won't bring
> him to a bar - the rare times I go to one. It's too loud and dark and people
> wouldn't ever know he was there to avoid stepping on him.
>
> BTW, I've met a nice blind transwoman who lives in our county.  Been
> getting her out of the house and into the blind community. She is losing her
> vision due to glaucoma and needs the support.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeanette Beal" <bealjk at gmail.com>
>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <
> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 12:34 PM
>
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] always taking the dog was guide dogs
>
>
>  I am so torn on this issue. While I got my dog for independence there are
>> places where he's just not going to do well; roller derby, boating.
>> Instead
>> I leave him at home for the few hours I'll be gone. This causes some
>> problems with arranging plans and sometimes AB people get frustrated but
>> thems the breaks. I think in particular if someone is partially sighted
>> (like myself) AB or sighted friends/partners forget just how important a
>> guide dog is; they see the dog as a member of the family and of course "a
>> working dog" whatever that ends up being interpreted as, but not as your
>> eyes and ears on the road.
>> I think I've left Drum at home a total of  4 times since I got him 2 years
>> ago and each time was more out of concern for his safety than mine. That's
>> a
>> harsh reality for me to type, but I have to take care of him too.
>> And he would *die* if I ever made him go to Mardi Gras. Actually he'd
>> probably pee on everything. He's a temperamental pee-er.
>> Jeanette
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 2:39 PM, Linda Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  Rox,
>>> Does your dog also perform hearing dog tasks while you're out and about?
>>> I
>>> think it is safeer for you to have your dog with you at all times.
>>>
>>> Oh, didn't know about the doggie prade connected with Marti Gras. Wow!
>>> And
>>> the Super Bowl parade as well?  I saw that on the news.
>>>
>>> Lyn and Landon
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "The Pawpower Pack" <
>>> pawpower4me at gmail.com>
>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 6:30 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] always taking the dog was guide dogs
>>>
>>>
>>>  Julie and Buddy are right; bringing, or not bringing the dog is a very
>>>
>>>> personal choice.
>>>>
>>>> I am Deafblind with other "invisible" disabilities.  I always have a
>>>> dog.
>>>> If I can't take her some where, such as to a private home, then I don't
>>>> go.
>>>>  My dogs  have gone to all kinds of places and because I train my own
>>>> dog it
>>>> is easy for me to spend lots of time preparing for, and training my dog
>>>> in,
>>>> these types of environments.  I live in New Orleans and I was in the
>>>> French
>>>> quarter the morning of the Super bowl.  It was a zoo because it was also
>>>> the
>>>> Barkus parade-- the dog parade for Mardi Gras.  It was chaos. My dog
>>>> just
>>>> handled it as if it were any other day.  It is physically impossible for
>>>> me
>>>> to be independent without a dog or  another person by my side and since
>>>> I
>>>> like my dog better than I like most people, and since she does a better
>>>> job
>>>> for me than anyone else could, she always goes with me. I realize this
>>>> choice puts me in the minority but it's just the way I have to do things
>>>> to
>>>> keep my independence and my sanity.
>>>>
>>>> Rox
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jeanette Beal
>> MS.Ed Assistive Technology
>> Independent Consultant
>> Boston, MA 02115
>> bealjk at gmail.com
>> http://twitter.com/bealjk
>> http://bealjk.tumblr.com/
>>
>> "Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire" - Marge
>> Piercy
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>
>
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-- 
Jeanette Beal
MS.Ed Assistive Technology
Independent Consultant
Boston, MA 02115
bealjk at gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bealjk
http://bealjk.tumblr.com/

"Talent is an invention like phlogiston after the fact of fire" - Marge
Piercy