[nagdu] EXTERNAL: Congrats to Jeff

[Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)]

A couple points that I've been thinking over and would be curious to
know what you guys think. 
Wanting pet insurance for our guides is a misnomer. Our guides are not
pets, we have them because we need them. I'd argue that pet insurance is
not what we want if only because the terminology is misleading. 
I'd argue that a good old fashioned savings account would answer the
mail on unintended expenses. 
I'd also think that should somebody want a formal insurance policy it
should be called something other then "pet insurance" and should maybe
be run through GDUI or NAGDU. 
Pet insurance from what I understand is strange in that it will cover
say a type of surgery but not the anesthetic. Also, while the knee jerk
reaction is "Yes, of course I'd treat Fido if something happened" would
you really? My sister is a vet tech. She has the skills to take care of
animals. One of her dogs woke up paralyzed one morning. She had him have
a surgery that might have restored his ability to walk. She braught her
dog home and even with her training and skills, was unable to take care
of him. She needed to go to work, and the dog required 24/7 care. She
and her husband tried to tag team things, but that only works so long.
She was unprepared for the emotional toll involved, as well as for
caring for a paralyzed dog without the support of her coworkers, both to
help with physical tasks, but also emotional ones. While I'm not arguing
that "a blind person could never do it", I do wonder if most people
simply do not understand what they are saying when they think "Sure,
I'll take care of Fido if he gets cancer or hit by a car", or the more
veague "if something happens". 
Pet insurance won't cover time off work, or time spent going to
appointments. It won't cover expenses while you get another guide, nor
will it cover the expenses of caring for your presumably now retired
guide.   It is money that you cannot reallocate should you decide to not
treat an animal, nor can you reallocate it if your animal never needs
it. 
Pet insurance is the warm fuzzy answer, but knowing how and when to say
goodbye is also an option we al need to think about. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 1:23 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing; "the National Association of Guide Dog
Users"@panix.com; " <nagdu at nfbnet.org>"@panix.com
Subject: EXTERNAL:[nagdu] Congrats to Jeff

Hi Jeff.
Here's hoping all goes according to plan, then!  Do you anticipate being
at TSE in the early spring?  Bundle up!  And bring your rain gear.
Where do you live?

I live in northern New Jersey, just outside New York City.  Which is
part
of why I was asking about vet costs; I wonder if they're higher in my
area
than others.
Good luck in the application process.

> All of this is good for my to hear. I should be getting a dog in the
next
> few months if all goes according to plan. I'll be going to the seeing
eye.
>
> Jeff



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