[nagdu] Washington - Guide dog killed crossing Kennewick street

[Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)]

I wonder though if a cane user might fair better in a legal case i.e.
the dog wasn't/didn't do his job, but the person with the cane couldn't
have known about the car? 
Interesting question, and as Dan says, let's hope we all only discuss
this on a theoretical level.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Dan Weiner
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 5:50 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Washington - Guide dog killed crossing Kennewick
street

I agree with you totally, Albert.
I was bringing up that scenario because I wouldn't put it past some law
enforcement people who might not be acquainted with blind travel
techniques
to say that type of thing.
I, especially in my first months as a guide dog user, had several
crossing
against the light incidents  after  which I was told by nasty
bystanders, ,
"your dog's badly trained, he crossed you against the light, you should
get
another one".
This business of thinking that a guide dog reads traffic, this old
wives'
tale has been one of the most annoying things I've dealt with as a guide
dog
user.

Once I was talking to a police officer I know from the neighborhood
about
the White Cane Law, and he asked "well, wouldn't your dog keep you safe
and
not let you cross when a car's coming".
We all know that the answer to that one is more complicated than "yes "
or
"no" because it's you and your well-trained dog against someone behind
of
the wheel of a big metal machine.
Anyway, it took me a few minutes to really explain to this very nice
officer
that cars are required to give thee right of way and my dog's training
wouldn't make me responsible if something happened 
Because my dog didn't "do his job" in quotations.

Now, having said all of this, let's hope that all of us will only have
to
discusses this hypothetically.  Take care of yourselves, two-legged and
four-legged friends.

Dan and Carter 
-----Original M


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