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

Julie McGinnity kaybaycar at gmail.com
Thu Apr 5 19:48:27 UTC 2012


What horrible stories!  I'm afraid now.

I think that when planning to give your dog to someone, it might be
best to observe their house and inquire as to how the dog would be
treated.  If I knew my dog would be left outside or allowed to run
free, I would  not give my dog to those people.  I am giving my dog to
my mother when she retires because I know she will be well cared for.
I know how my mother treats dogs because we had dogs growing up, and
she always treated them the way I would.  Not sure I would ever give
my dog to someone, when I've never seen them interact  with their dogs
if they have any.

Definitely take that dog back!  You're paying for hm anyway.

On 4/5/12, Lyn Gwizdak <linda.gwizdak at cox.net> wrote:
> 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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>
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-- 
Julie McG
 Lindbergh High School class of 2009, National Federation of the Blind
of Missouri recording secretary,
and proud graduate of Guiding Eyes for the Blind

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16




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