[nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams
Marion Gwizdala
blind411 at verizon.net
Tue Mar 30 11:58:15 UTC 2010
Julie,
Thus far, in my limited experience with my 100 lbs. puppy, I have not
had a problem getting him out of the aisle! Some of our buses have
wheelchair tie-downs on the floor in front of the first seat, making it
impossible for a dog to lay there. Other of our buses have a diagonal
support brace under the seat and also makes it challenging for a dog to lay
there!
Marion
----- Original Message -----
From: "Julie J" <julielj at windstream.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 10:14 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams
> Jewel,
>
> Albert is joking. Generally if there is no under space I'll put the dog
> crossways in front of me and put my legs over the dog. Or if it works
> better the dog can lay beside me. There's no rule that says the dog must
> be under. It's just courtesy for others and safety for the dog to keep
> him/her out of the way.
>
> I'm still ironing out the details with Monty. He's a bigger dog than I'm
> used to, so sometimes I have to be creative.
>
> A couple of weeks ago I was at a meeting. I told Monty to "under" which
> he did promptly. However only his front third fit under. so most of his
> middle and back end was hanging out in the breeze. We had to try three
> more times before I found something that worked. It felt like a circus
> act, but really it does get better with practice.
>
> I really love my big dog, but some days I can definitely see the benefits
> of a little petite thing. *smile*
>
> Julie
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 8:40 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams
>
>
>> Offer them a seat?
>>
>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>> CEO/Founder
>> My Blind Spot, Inc.
>> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>> New York, New York 10004
>> www.myblindspot.org
>> PH: 917-553-0347
>> Fax: 212-858-5759
>> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who
>> is
>> doing it."
>>
>>
>> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Jewel S.
>> Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 9:30 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams
>>
>> What an interesting story about a bus ride! The buses around Raleigh,
>> I have noticed, do not have much underspace. I have tried putting my
>> backpack under there, with no success, so I imagine a guide dog would
>> not fit under there, either. What to do when they have no where to go
>> under?
>>
>> ~Jewel
>>
>> On 3/29/10, Tamara Smith-Kinney <tamara.8024 at comcast.net> wrote:
>>> Albert,
>>>
>>> The buses on the routes in my old neighborhood and in the routes I would
>>> take downtown or in the surrounds had space to put the dog under right
>>> up
>>> front, so I would just find the closest seat in the honored citizen
>> section
>>> and sit down and tell her to go under, which she would do with a great
>>> display of being put upon and inconvenienced.
>>>
>>> So out here, the first time I took the bus from the MAX (light rail)
>>> station, I got on the bus, sat down in the first available seat in the
>> front
>>> section, reminded Mitzi to go under and then started checking to make
>>> sure
>>> all my stuff was with me and where it should be, that nothing unexpected
>> was
>>> in the seat or that I hadn't accidentally sat on someone... Why I check
>> for
>>> that, I do not know, but I did once come close to sitting on a tiny,
>>> tiny
>>> child in a movie theater thinking she must be a stray purse... So now
>>> for
>>> some reason, I guess I check to make sure I have not sat down on top of
>>> a
>>> tiny child. /smile/
>>>
>>> I noticed that Mitzi was not going under but was standing in the middle
>>> of
>>> the aisle kinda of dancing and giving me an odd grin, not like the one
>>> she
>>> does when she's mocking me, but I couldn't be sure. "Under," told her
>>> irritably, still feeling around absent-mindedly, having now become aware
>> of
>>> a high pitched whine beside me that caused new concern I had sat down on
>>> a
>>> small child. A woman's voice answered calmly from the other side of the
>>> child, so I gave another under command and grabbed my dog's stubborn
>>> butt
>> to
>>> shove it under the seat since she was being so obstinate...
>>>
>>> Oh. Guees what? There *was* no under. I noticed that the whining had
>>> increased and that it had something to do with a doggy. The mother
>> remained
>>> calm, explaining quietly to her child about the doggy, so I realized the
>>> tiny child was, in fact, sitting right beside me and was terrifed of my
>>> doggy, in particular. The one I couldn't put under the seat and who was
>>> stuck in the middle what seemed to be an extra-narrow aisle. /lol/
>> That's
>>> what I get for assuming the bus I get on is the same model as the ones I
>> am
>>> used to, I guess. We were coming home from a very long day's trip, and
>>> I
>>> wasn't feeling particularly in the mood for all this sudden confusing
>>> and
>>> need for problem solving. The bus was rolling now, so I didn't want to
>>> do
>> a
>>> lot of romping around in the process of finding a better place to sit,
>>> and
>>> the bus was fairly deserted, so the only person I could ask for
>> information
>>> was busy calming her child about the doggy. OMG!
>>>
>>> So I decided to move to the other side of the narrow aisle and a couple
>>> of
>>> seats down in case I found a place to put the dog there where she would
>> not
>>> be so terrifying. /lol/ No luck, naturally, and my long, narrow dog
>>> was
>>> still stuck in the middle of the aisle right in front of the kid.
>>>
>>> I was still considering my next move, when the kid gasped so loudly I
>> looked
>>> to make sure the terrifying doggy had not, in fact, attacked him.
>> "MOMMY!"
>>> he shrieked at the top of his lungs. "The doggy has EYES!" /rotfl/
>> "Yes,"
>>> she replied calmly. "The doggy does have eyes." I have a feeling she
>> spent
>>> a lot of time with the tiny one saying things calmly.
>>>
>>> "She's *soft*!" he exclaimed excitedly.
>>>
>>> I looked at my dog, whom I could even see a little better because of the
>>> change of light as the bus turned a corner. I remembered that she was
>>> definitely due for a trim and that, in fact, it was impossible for
>>> anyone
>> to
>>> see her nearly black poodle eyes in their nest of curly black poodle
>>> hair.
>>> Which is, I admit, very soft. I guess she had brushed his leg in
>>> passing
>>> with a curl. So now he loved her and had to pet her and, well, anyway,
>>> I
>>> gave up trying to find a proper place where she could under the seat,
>> since
>>> we were the only ones on the bus anyway.
>>>
>>> I'm not sure if any of that counts as "educating" about guide dogs to
>> allay
>>> fears, but it was really funny! The kid was no less piping and loud
>>> when
>> he
>>> was excited in love as he has been in the grips of terror. Apparently,
>>> he
>>> was just naturally excitable. /lol/
>>>
>>> I now make it a practice to always sit at least several seats back from
>> the
>>> front of any TriMet bus, just in case it's one of the ones with no
>>> "under"
>>> and with a shrieking child nearby.
>>>
>>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Albert J Rizzi
>>> Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 4:41 AM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams
>>>
>>> In new york city our seats at the very front of the bus have a great
>> hiding
>>> space for my dog. I always ask for that so he is out of the way and not
>>> at
>>> risk of getting stepped on. if there is a dseat for me fine, if not
>>> tthen
>> I
>>> ask the person sitting if my dog could crawl under and then I stand and
>>> enjoy the ride. I only had one instance where a child became fearful and
>> the
>>> mother simply moved to the back of the bus.
>>>
>>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>>> CEO/Founder
>>> My Blind Spot, Inc.
>>> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>>> New York, New York 10004
>>> www.myblindspot.org
>>> PH: 917-553-0347
>>> Fax: 212-858-5759
>>> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who
>>> is
>>> doing it."
>>>
>>>
>>> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Jewel S.
>>> Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 10:19 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: [nagdu] Accommodations specific to guide dog teams
>>>
>>> We have talked about APPS, quiet cars, and the white cane laws. All of
>>> these are important for blind people in general. I am curious now,
>>> what sorts of accommodations do guide dog teams specifically feel are
>>> important?
>>>
>>> I have seen the need for a "relief area" in airports, at hotels, and
>>> the like. What other accommodations do guide dog teams use
>>> specifically? Do you have any trouble walking in certain areas with
>>> your guide dog? What about using the restroom (do you use the large
>>> stall so your dog can come in, too?) On the bus, do you ever need to
>>> ask for an accommodation because there is no under-space? If someone
>>> on the bus doesn't like your dog being there, do you require the
>>> accommodation of being allowed to remain on, or do you just get off if
>>> they go crazy about it?
>>>
>>> I know this a broad topic, but I would love to see people's thoughts.
>>> What would you like to see? It doesn't have to be something already in
>>> place or already being fought for. What do *you* want/need?
>>>
>>> Hoping for a better conversation (and some education),
>>> Jewel
>>>
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