[nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs

Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC) REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com
Fri Nov 11 16:43:11 UTC 2011


exactly. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie Martin
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2011 5:05 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs

Another thing: it's considered rude or worse to just walk up to someone you don't know and say, "What's your name?" It's not considered rude or strange to ask someone what their dog's name is.

-j


On Nov 10, 2011, at 4:51 PM, Natalie wrote:

> 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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