[nagdu] what do you do with your dog when you go away?

Fri Jan 21 18:41:45 UTC 2011

Hello Everyone:

Thank you for all your interesting thoughts on the topic. I'm still waiting to hear back from my school about their thoughts but I think my manager will win out. I was worried about her possibly having to go away in May around the time I'm away since her daughter is expecting their first child but she said they'd just take Bogart along in the Trailer with the other to dogs if the baby came early. I will ask my school if they have some rules or directions they give to their puppy raisers  and that might be good to help direct whoever looks after Bogart. I can explain the rules but also giving her something official might help. The short trip in February will be good to see how it goes for Bogart and for Rita. :) If he does well with them then he can stay there for the march trip and the may trip. I'll probably find a way to take him to Montreal.

Normally my life isn't quite this crazy but it's just the way schedules came down this spring.

For those who are interested, yes I do play blind ice hockey. The website for the Vancouver team, called the Eclipse, is www.vancouvereclipse.ca  the site is fairly new so I'm not sure if there are links there yet to blind hockey canada but there should be a link to courage canada  whose founder is really driving the development of a national blind ice hockey program in Canada. I've been playing for at least 25 years so am enthused about these new developments. If anyone has any hockey questions please feel free to email me off list at g.steeves at shaw.ca

Cheers
Gary

----- Original Message -----
From: Lyn Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
Date: Thursday, January 20, 2011 2:55 pm
Subject: Re: [nagdu] what do you do with your dog when you go away?
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>

> Good topic!
> 
> Personally, I wouldn't bring my dog on a vacation to any of 
> these countries for these very reasons and the hassle.  But 
> that is me and I certainly don't want to comment on other 
> people's choices in bringing their dogs or not. Ginger, we may 
> have the same grad in mind who traveled to Australia - they did 
> tell me about that extreme expense!
> 
> I forgot who brought this up in the first place.  I 
> remember him talking about playing blind hockey on one of his 
> trips - was it you, Mike Townsend? To me, I think it very 
> reasonable in leaving your dog home and comfortable rather than 
> trying to figure out what to do with the dog in a strange place 
> while you do your not-so-dog-friendly activities.
> 
> I think it is the best for each traveling person to do as he or 
> she sees as the best option for them and their own dogs - 
> there's no right or wrong way to handle internatinal travel with 
> or without your dog.  What ever choice you all make, have a 
> great and safe time in your travels!
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Lyn and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ginger Kutsch" 
> <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com>To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National 
> Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 5:06 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] what do you do with your dog when you go away?
> 
> 
> >Mark,
> >
> >Good question. Several things need to be considered when making a
> >decision about international travel with your guide dog. Even if
> >import regulations allow entry, there are also importation costs,
> >access and safety issues, the health/temperament  of the 
> dog and
> >planned activities  on the trip to think about.
> >
> >For instance, when traveling to Germany, an international health
> >certificate is required. The certificate must be acquired within
> >a certain time frame and includes a trip to your vet to have your
> >dog examined and the certificate filled out. This can cost up to
> >as high as $200 depending on what your vet charges. The
> >certificate must then be signed by your state's USDA Vet. There
> >is a fee for this plus mailing costs - generally overnight costs
> >to the USDA office and back home to you. The health certificate
> >must be translated into German so there may be an extra fee for
> >that as well - not sure on how that works. Some countries are
> >more expensive than others. One of our grads who traveled to
> >Australia reported the cost for the dog to be about $1,000 after
> >all procedures were met.
> >
> >There are also access laws to consider. Here in the US, we often
> >take our access rights for granted. Many  countries do not
> >provide all the protections we have and some countries have no
> >access laws at all. It is especially important to think about
> >potential access problems when traveling for business.
> >
> >Safety issues may include potential disease, water problems, and
> >even other dogs. When my husband and I traveled to Nassau, we had
> >to keep to the more heavily populated areas because of the number
> >of aggressive dog packs on the island.
> >
> >Anyway, all that aside, many guide dog teams successfully travel
> >all over the world with no problems. There are very few places
> >where a guide dog from the US or Canada cannot go. Since I first
> >started working with The Seeing Eye in 2003, one of the biggest
> >changes I've noticed is the increase in international travel
> >including cruises. Last year we developed an international travel
> >mentor program where grads who have traveled to various countries
> >share their experiences, upon request,  with those grads 
> planning>to make trips to the same location.
> >
> >HTH,
> >
> >Ginger
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> >On Behalf Of Mark J. Cadigan
> >Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 2:24 PM
> >To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> >Users
> >Subject: Re: [nagdu] what do you do with your dog when you go
> >away?
> >
> >If you get the proper paperwork, why would you not be able to
> >take your dog on these trips?
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "GARY STEEVES" <rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca>
> >To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
> >Users"
> ><nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> >Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 2:19 PM
> >Subject: [nagdu] what do you do with your dog when you go away?
> >
> >
> >>Hello Everyone:
> >>
> >>As many of you may recall, I'm a fairly new dog guide handler.
> >Over the
> >>next several months I must go away almost once a month. Bonn
> >germany for 5
> >>days in February, Turkey in end of march for 8 or 9 days,
> >Montreal at the
> >>end of april for 4 days and then a holiday to hawaii in May for
> >10 days.
> >>
> >>I'm curious what others do with their dogs when they can't take
> >them with
> >>them?
> >>
> >>I have several options for many of these trips. The first one
> >is that
> >>bogart stays at home and will just have to be at home alone
> >while Susan,
> >>my girlfriend is at work. Her thought is that although he will
> >be stressed
> >>with me gone and being at home alone for 8.5 hours, it will be
> >in his
> >>familiar surroundings with his toys, our guinea pigs and my
> >smells (and
> >>Susan of course0).
> >>
> >>Second option is my supervisor at work has offered to take him
> >for any/all
> >>of these trips. She has two dogs at home and her husband stays
> >home all
> >>day. He takes them out for a couple of walks a day and they
> >have a back
> >>yard. Bogart really likes her which could be both good or bad.
> >>
> >>
> >>We have another friend who also have two dogs, a whipet and an
> >older lab,
> >>with a back yard and  robert works from home most days.
> >>
> >>The last option which I am looking into now is if the local
> >guide dog
> >>school, who my dog is not from, would offer any kenneling
> >services (for a
> >>fee of course) or access to any of their puppy raisers who
> >would be
> >>intersted in looking after bogart for some of these trips for a
> >fee as
> >>well. My thought is this option, if possible, would best keep
> >bogart's
> >>training at a reasonable  level. :)
> >>
> >>Do any of you have thoughts on what you think would be best.
> >I've left a
> >>message for my trainers at my school as well to bounce these
> >options off
> >>her too but the more thoughts I have I think the more I can
> >look at pros
> >>and cons.
> >>
> >>Thanks
> >>Gary
> >>_______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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