[nagdu] importance of education on guide/assistance dogs

Sat Nov 12 02:38:09 UTC 2011

Talk about a double standard, huh.
Best,
Nat and Liam Joshua

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie Martin" <jhm3c at virginia.edu>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2011 3:04 PM
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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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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