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

Thu Apr 5 21:35:03 UTC 2012

When I retired that dog to my sister-in-law, I had no reason to believe that 
my dog would be relegateed to the back yard and not allowed inside except 
for nighttime.

I saw that their animals were well cared for and I always had my dog in the 
house with me when we visited.  Iwas caught quite unawares when things 
changed after my dog was living with them but the dog was happy and well 
cared for in regard to vet care, love, and food.  She did enjoy the back 
yard and spent lots of time there to play with the other dogs during the 
time she was my guide.  So, she stayed with that family and I did see her 
often and she was OK.

But I don't think I will retire Landon there because there's too much nasty 
stuff Landon could get into and get really sick.

Well, I have two to three years to figure out things for Landon's 
retirement - he is six now and is slowing down too much for me.  I'm not 
worried about it - there's lots of people in the pet therapy group who might 
like him if I don't retire him with family.

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie McGinnity" <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 12:48 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Since we're doing the "what would you do" thing

> 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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