[nagdu] harnesses

Thu Nov 11 04:42:27 UTC 2010

Hey Jef,

Not exactly, no. 

If a harness has a handle that isn't easily detachable (and by "easily", I mean "without tools"), then that handle stays on the harness. Wow, thank you Captain Obvious. This means, though, that if you need to get your dog into a very small space, such as between seats in a car for instance, or under an airplane seat, or (given the right sort of dog) in the front of a car, there are lots of places for the handle to get stuck, dig into your shins, and be otherwise terribly inconvenient. Of course, one can, in such cases, remove the harness completely, but it seems to me that detaching two points on a harness handle is a lot easier than unbuckling a harness, slipping it over a dog's head, and finding a place to store the whole thing, as opposed to just laying the handle down, sticking it in a seat pocket (yeah, it'll stick up, but less bulky), or what have you. 

Case in point: Chet, my previous guide, was small. He was a short, stocky dog, with a small head and a short tail and, front to back, not long t all. Because I kept stepping in front of his front feet in class, I was given a longer harness handle. This was fantastic, except for one tiny detail. The hanress handle stuck off Chet's butt by a good half to 3/4 of an inch or so. The net result of this is that, when Chet lay down, the handle, sticking off his hind end, would pop up a bit more and get stuck under the card dashboard, or the airplane seat, or hit people's legs. After a bit of such abuse, the corners of the grip started to unravel at the seams. Yeah, my harness was starting to look a bit worse for wear, well used certainly, but also a little ratty at the corners. And that bugged me. 

This doesn't seem to be quite the problem with Leno as it as with Chet, but there's time yet, and I still want to get him a Paw Power harness. I tried him on Chet's, but the handle's too long and it doesn't feel quite right. So he'll need his own. Next year, I hope. Until then, I'll put up with a nonremovable handle.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY

On Nov 10, 2010, at 11:23 PM, Jeffrey Young wrote:

> This may sound like a stupid question, but I haven't got my dog yet so I don't fully understand everything that goes on?
> Why does one need a harness with a detatchible handle? Is this kind of like how some people prefer folding canes to rigid ones?
> 
> Thanks
> Jeff Young
> On Nov 10, 2010, at 3:52 PM, Tamara Smith-Kinney wrote:
> 
>> Yeeks!  I'm glad it was only the one seizure and that you stuck to your
>> guns.  The sport harness is terrific for hiking!
>> 
>> So I find myself wondering at the reasons for your program's policy about
>> harnesses...  Not that it matters to me, I just find it curious.
>> 
>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of GARY STEEVES
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 11:01 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harnesses
>> 
>> 
>> Hello Everyone:
>> 
>> I'm going to ask a question which will undoubtably get some people's
>> response. :) I asked my school about using another harness since I am
>> thinking about using the paw power sports harness on Bogart when we do some
>> summer hiking. After doing a hike with him this summer I think a lighter
>> harness designed for that type of action might work better. I asked my
>> school if  they had a policy about using other harnesses on Bogart and, not
>> surprisingly to me, they do have a policy forbidding the use of other
>> harnesses on their graduates. They are also a school that maintains
>> ownership of the dog which is a bit annoying but I doubt, since I am a
>> pretty strong advocate for what I need, will be an issue. For example,
>> Bogart had some sort of ceizure only 2 weeks after we got home from
>> training. Luckily the trainer was with us on a visit so she witnessed what
>> happend. If I had been an insecure person and didn't say that I want to keep
>> bogart since who knows if this will happen again, they would have taken him
>> back to the school with  them that day. I think this would have happened
>> with most schools since they were concerned what I would do if he had
>> another incident and I was by myself but I was able to assure them I knew
>> how to handle the situation and always have a cane with me in case something
>> was to happen to bogart anyways. They respect my abilities and that was the
>> end of the conversation.
>> 
>> Oops, sort of side tracked. Does any other school have a similar harness
>> policy? Yeah, I know, what they don't know won't hurt them so I certainly
>> won't hesitate from buying a sport harness if I think it is what is best for
>> bogart and myself based on our activities.
>> 
>> Thanks
>> Gary
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
>> Date: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 7:36 am
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] harnesses
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> 
>>> My brother has a GDB dog, and a detachable harness handle, and 
>>> it does not
>>> come flying off while he's working the dog.  Surely, if 
>>> that happened
>>> often, GDB would not issue them.
>>> I don't think GDB would sell a non-grad a harness.  It has 
>>> their name on
>>> it, after all.  Like asking Dodge to sell you their 
>>> trademark thingy to
>>> stick on your Chevy.
>>> 
>>> I haven't bought one, but I rather thought that the Pawpower harnesses
>>> would cost similar to what a school would charge a non-grad, if 
>>> you could
>>> get them to sell you one at all.
>>> Tracy
>>> 
>>>> Hi Listers,
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I know we have discussed this subject a lot on here, so 
>>> forgive me for
>>>> bringing it up again. So I called SE yesterday to see if they 
>>> would even
>>>> think of developing a harness for a grad, who needs a 
>>> removable handle.
>>>> And
>>>> they said they have tried, but can't make one that the handle 
>>> does not
>>>> deattach while working the dog. So here is my dilemma. With me 
>>> in cars,
>>>> and
>>>> on the go just much more in general. I am in desperate need of 
>>> a harness
>>>> that has a removable handle. I have seen the new GDB harness, 
>>> with the
>>>> quick
>>>> release handles. Does anyone have one? And have you noticed if 
>>> the handle
>>>> deattaches while working the dog? And is it possible for me, a 
>>> guide dog
>>>> user to get my hands on a GDB harness? My first pup was from 
>>> GDB, but when
>>>> I
>>>> retired her, they took back the harness. But that was not an 
>>> harness with
>>>> the quick release handle either. Didn't know if anyone else 
>>> has a dog from
>>>> one school, but uses a harness from a different school. Do the 
>>> schools> frown
>>>> upon this? Exchanging of harness and dogs? If this doesn't 
>>> work, I am
>>>> seriously thinking of purchasing a PawPowers harness.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks for letting me ask questions,
>>>> 
>>>> Marsha
>>>> 
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> 
> 
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