[nagdu] Since we're doing the "what would you do" thing

[Margo and Arrow]

Buddy, I'd take Chet back.  doesn't sound like a good situation at all.

margo and Arrow
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>
To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 1:11 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Since we're doing the "what would you do" thing


> OK, since we're doing "What would you do", here's one I'm currently 
> dealing with. It's slightly uncomfortable, but we've already decided what 
> we're doing.
>
> You may remember that in 2010, when I got Leno, I thought that Chet may 
> not handle some other dog doing his job very well, so we were looking for 
> another home for him. Melanie's cousin took him temporarily, and that 
> seemed to be working out pretty well. So, in the interest of not messing 
> with a thing that seemed to be working, we asked if she'd just like to 
> keep Chet. Since she was then unemployed, we told her that we'd pick up 
> Chet's vet and food expenses until she got on her feet and could take them 
> over herself.
>
> Fast forward a year and a half. We're still paying Chet's vet and food 
> expenses. I'm still clipping Chet's nails when she brings him by.
>
> In the past year and a half, there are three tmes that we are aware of 
> (who knows how many we aren't) that Chet has left their unfenced yard and 
> gone visiting the neighbors. It was upon the occasion of the last of these 
> that we decided to take action. Saturday, Melanie and Alena were with her 
> cousin and one of her cousin's daughters going to a baby shower out of 
> town. The dousing got a phone call from her neighbor, and she knew that it 
> was about Chet being out and at the neighbor's house. So cousin called her 
> daughter (who was home watching the dogs), hollered at her about where 
> Chet was, and so on.
>
> Melanie's cousin has told us before that she just lets Chet out to the 
> yard to park and watches him. We're supposing the girls don't watch him as 
> closely. When Melanie told her that she really should be taking him out on 
> leash, she said that "he wasn't used to that".
>
> We've seen several other occasions when she was out with him, at our 
> house, coming into our house, and at other family gatherings, where she 
> didn't have him on a leash. Because "he's so good".
>
> However, cousin's niece told us once that she "hated Chet", because he 
> jumped up and stole a sandwich right out of her hand. He stole another 
> sandwich from where someone had left it. Cousin has told us about Chet 
> getting into her garbage at least a couple times. Because she doesn't keep 
> the garbage hidden.
>
> We're somewhat concerned about Chet's safety, and we've decided that we 
> should take him back.
>
> For a while, we thought, well, we gave Chet to her, we have nothing to say 
> about how she handles him. Except that a year and a half later, we're 
> picking up all his expenses still, and she doesn't seem to be taking even 
> minimal responsibility for his care. She wouldn't have even got him a name 
> and address tag with her information on it had we not provided one after 
> the first time he got out of their unfenced yard and we got a call from 
> her neighbor. That was last year. We got heart worm pills in February, but 
> she neglected to tell us that she had actually not had any since the 
> November or December dose (I forget exactly). Shouldn't be an issue, but 
> even that little thing wasn't done.
>
> So, while we understand that a year and a half is a long time, and the 
> girls have gotten attached to him, and he'll be mopey for a while when he 
> gets back here because the party's over and he'll have to toe the line, we 
> really don't see how we can leave him there.
>
> When we brought this all up on Tuesday, we didn't get to "We want him 
> back", because she had to leave very suddenly. However, during the whole 
> conversation, she tried to shift blame for the problems. To her girls. To 
> us (your dog (Fioa) has gotten out before, it was an accident"), grew 
> defensive ("I'm not taking an attitude like I don't give a s**t"), and 
> promised to "try harder". But she really didn't get the thrust of our 
> concerns.
>
> So, how would you have handled a situation like this?
>
> I can tell you one thing. We'll never A) give a retired guide to family 
> and B) never offer to help with expenses, ever again.
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>
>
>
>
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