[nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs

Thu Nov 10 21:51:11 UTC 2011

Yes, I understand that.  Sometimes, unknowingly, people's timing is off, 
smile.  I don't mind when we're not getting ready to cross a street or if I 
don't think the person is going to use his name.
Best,
Nat and Liam Joshua

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2011 8:47 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs

> The asking the dog's name first happens with pet dogs too. It also happens 
> with kids, "I'm Sam's mom" and the like.
>
> I don't think this is meant to be rude, more of a "Hey, I'd like to get to 
> know you, but am shy myself, or don't know what or how I should say 
> hello".
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
> Of Natalie
> Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2011 9:11 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs
>
> Hi Robert,
> I totally relate to where you're coming from.  I hate when people have no
> respect or common decency to see that I may be preoccupied and want to
> molest my dog, or ask me what my dog's name is rather than asking me mine
> first, sigh.
> Best,
> Nat and Liam Joshua
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Hooper" <hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 2:47 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs
>
>
>> Hello Bibi and others:
>>
>> I might as well use this subject line to build upon your thoughts by
>> providing some of my own. Luckily, I have experienced few annoying
>> uneducated citizen issues, but I have definitely had my share. A few days
>> ago, I was standing outside the university library, in the midst of a
>> serious conversation with my friend about something or other
>> class-related. Some individual, as he walks between us, seems to pay no
>> heed to the fact that I was preoccupied and asks "Can I pet him". My
>> response, tailored to the situation was a short, "no".
>> There was another such time when I was standing outside the library in
>> order to take a phone call and once again I was interrupted as though I
>> had nothing better to do than stand around and grant peoples' wishes to
>> molest my dog. I understand those who may be "dog" people, and I
>> enthusiastically include myself in that crowd. However, my patience is
>> very thin when it comes to people's lack of common courtesy. They don't
>> fondle the phone they see in my hand, why should they fondle my dog? They
>> don't fondle others' children, why should they fondle my dog? Somebody
>> once saw me correct my dog--this person was a bus driver. He didn't even
>> ask for an explanation, but after I had boarded, I explained to him what 
>> I
>> did and why. I am glad to educate people and inform them of the various
>> things I do and why, but I am very short with those who don't even have
>> the manners to ask before they potentially cause me to blunder into a
>> light pole with their ignorant distractions.
>> Sorry for what no-doubt seems like an abrasive rant, but I have had a 
>> long
>> day and I enjoy topics such as these.
>>
>> Robert Hooper
>> Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
>> The Ohio State University
>> 0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
>> 653 Cuyahoga Court
>> Columbus, Ohio 43210
>> (740) 856-8195
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Criminal Justice Major Extraordinaire
>> Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 2:01 PM
>> To: ";"
>> Subject: [nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs
>>
>> Hi, all,
>> Since I've posted about the situation I've been in for a while which was
>> having to fight my apartment complex so I can get a successor guide dog
>> when that time is right, I figured to get another subject line going.
>> Can't remember exactly which lists there's been a discussion on certified
>> and no certified service dogs, so here it goes.
>> *Smiles*
>> When I did some initial research on the service dog law here in Colorado,
>> I've began to realize that the law isn't publicly well-known, meaning not
>> everyone is aware of it.
>> If the protection law was more well-known or made aware of, there would 
>> be
>> lesser problems of interfierence from people and other pet owners as a
>> whole, interrupting a guide/assistance dog's job.
>> My next approach that I'll be taking is to speak with the denver Office 
>> of
>> Disability Rights Commision to express the important part of a working 
>> dog
>> in the hopes that I can also contact my senator and Governor Hickenlooper
>> here in Colorado.
>> My ultimate goal is I can try to get the service dog law to be officially
>> past so it is an actual bill for the whole state of Colorado.
>> This is not just for me, but for others too as I want to make sure they
>> don't have to put up with unnecessary harassment or problems.
>> Another good example of why I decided to write about this?
>> My friend, Amanda Dreher happened to be inside of a Chase bank here in
>> downtown Denver on the 16th Street Mall a couple days ago at an ATM
>> machine.
>> She had her hearing dog Louie in a sit stay position until an unknown 
>> lady
>> approached Louie, started talking to him, petting him and not bothering 
>> to
>> read his orange vest which clearly states "hearing dog, please do not
>> pet."
>> The lady didn't care and still did it anyway.
>> That caused Louie to get up and become distracted, leaving my friend
>> Amanda Dreher angry and annoyed.
>> What makes me irritated and disgusted with people is when they have the
>> nerve to ask "Is The Dog In Training?"
>> If it was true that a service dog would be in training, they would have a
>> vest that actually says such and such in training.
>> louie's vest doesn't state that he's in training, but a hearing dog.
>> I've had people ask me the same question when Odie wears his medical 
>> alert
>> service dog vest, despite that one patch says medical alert and another
>> one says please do not pet.
>> Louie was trained at International Hearing Dogs out here in Henderson,
>> Colorado and they do issue identiication cards to their clients.
>> The identification cards are the same thing which those who do use guide
>> dogs automatically get from their guide dog school of choice.
>> Truth is that I sometimes want to say to people who continuously decide 
>> to
>> behave rediculously when they ask the question I mentioned above and say,
>> "Why is that your concern?"
>> I know that would be rude of me to do so, but after a while, you feel as
>> if you've had enough.
>> One tactic I've come up with and this is something that neither guide dog
>> school have taught anyone as a whole is to put my left hand and arm over
>> Odie's head, creating a barrier to indicate I don't want people just
>> coming up out of nowhere and making attemps or even touching him withoutt
>> my permission.
>> Even back when Odie was a guide dog, I still did the same thing.
>> My husband, dale noticed when I'd do that and he told me that was my way
>> of going into defense mode and being on the ready for an unknown hand to
>> come at our four-legged furry partner.
>> Back to the law, my friend Natalie and I have been talking about it a lot
>> and I've told her directly of the next plan I have in the hopes I can get
>> the Chief of Police, Disability Rights Commission and Downtown denver
>> Partnership along with myself to work on strengthening that law.
>> I've also encouraged Natalie by letting her know she'd definitely be
>> welcomed to help me out with accomplishing this task as well.
>> It seems weird that with older states here in the US, laws are more
>> stricter and service dog protection is more well-known than here in
>> Colorado.
>> Although Colorado is yunger than some states, I do agree that there
>> shouldn't be an excuse for the law not being tougher and it can happen.
>> I'll admit that when people have tried to come up and mess with Odie, 
>> he'd
>> clearly make it known when he didn't want to be bothered, especially 
>> after
>> a long day of traveling.
>> He would display that directly on his face upon turning away from an
>> individual or moving around to let them know they need to back off and
>> leave.
>> So, I'll be doing some more research to get in contact with Senator
>> Michael Bennett so I can speak with him directly and try to give him and
>> others the information I've found.
>> All right...
>> Another confession time here and this one has nothing to do with special
>> treatment.
>> Earlier this year during the time I had encountered my second seizure
>> (technically the third one) on june 16, 2011 ten or eleven hours apart
>> after the first one, Dale wanted to get Odie into the medical alert
>> service dog vest before we went downstairs to the waiting ambulance.
>> Both fire department and paramedics told us there was no time to get the
>> vest on and just quickly slip on a leash and collar with identification
>> tags.
>> Luckily, denver Health Medical knows Odie very well and since I worked
>> hard on keeping him in tackt to be sure he stayed well-behaved, they 
>> still
>> knew that he was a working dog, even withoutt his vest on.
>> The security guards and staff on the hospital grounds gave us no trouble
>> nor did they say a word about Odie being there in the buildings with my
>> husband as they had to go over to the pharmacy to grab my seizure meds
>> while I remained in the emergency room.
>>
>> Because of that type of circumstance, I know there will be listers who
>> might feel that was special treatment, but truth is that there was no
>> special treatment involved or brought upon by the fire department or
>> paramedics in that situation.
>> It was more they were concerned that if I didn't get the medical
>> treatment, the convulsive grandmal seizure would have killed me right on
>> the spot.
>> Yes, Odie for the most part does have his medical alert vest on when he
>> goes with Dale or I.
>> Just my thoughts on this one.
>> Bibi and Odie
>> the happy spirited bounty labra wolf
>>
>>
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