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

Thu Apr 5 19:25:28 UTC 2012

Buddy,
I think you did the right thing in getting Chet back.  I think the first red 
flag was when the family had you pay all expenses for the dog's care.  I 
could see why you offered that sinse the lady was unemployed and couldn't 
afford the costs.  She never really wanted the dog nor the responsibility 
for it.  Too bad she couldn't be honest with you in the first place.

I had a dog I retired with a woman to be her husband's pet and they moved 
ouot of state.  They took OK care of the dog but nobody cut the toenails. 
She was using the retired dog as a guide after she sent her own guide back 
to the school but kept her harness to use on my retired dog.  They moved 
back here and someone tipped the school off to her actions and they came and 
got the harness.  She then gave me back the dog.

I gave the dog to my sister-in-law sinse her pet dog died.  She kept the dog 
in the back yard with the Beagle since my brother didn't want the Beagle in 
the house because she peed in the house all the time.  My brother wanted my 
retired guide to be outside as well - even in cold, damp weather and her 
arthritis was acting up.

I decided that their home wasn't good for my dogs and don't know if I'll 
retire Landon with them or not.  Landon needs so much more supervision that 
that other dog ever needed.  If given a chance, Landon will eat other animal 
crap and gets sick and needing vet care and medicine.  Landon has a 
sensative stomach and will get sick on stuff that other Labs can eat and 
just pass withoout any ill effects.

We do know that when our dogs retire, they don't get the same kind of care 
that we give them.  But I expect that the dog will be well cared for and 
kept safe and not allowed to get loose and roam the neighborhood.  Our dogs 
never learn to become "street savvy" like the loose dogs do.

It was kind of funny in a way with that old dog.  She got out with the 
Beagle in the lead twice to run all over town - even crossing a four-lane 
highway.  The first time, a gas staion man lured the dogs into his shop to 
find out who they belonged to.  My dog went right to the guy whereas the 
Beagle had to be lured with French fries to get her.  He called me and I 
went to get them.  Another time, they got out and wound up "in jail" at the 
vet hospital where a lady brought them to.  After that, my dog refused to go 
out on adventures with the Beagle who just went alone after that.  My dog 
stayed in the fenced yard regardless of the hole in the fence.  She had 
enough eventure to last her a lifetime! LOL!  How she wasn't killed, I'll 
never know.  She lived to the ripe old age of just under 15 when she died of 
cancer.

Lyn and Landon
----- 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 10:11 AM
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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