[nagdu] Removing Harness and Leash for Security Re: flyingwithPrincess for the first time

[Meghan Whalen]

Nicole:

I do not understand why Laurie's comments regarding harness removal have 
upset you so much.  She is sharing what she was taught/told, and you are 
doing the same.

I agree with not removing the harness simply because there is that 
slight chance that the security folks will misplace it...more rediculous 
things have managed to happen.  I believe in the situation Laurie is 
referring to, the harness was actually disassembled, as in, the 
stitching was undone and the harness was reduced to straps of leather.  
I have heard of at least one situation where this occurred.

A guide without a harness can no longer guide.  What happens if a fire 
starts while your harness is being scanned and everyone runs and you 
cannot work your guide because her harness is off and somewhere you 
cannot get to?  I am not in any way saying you are in the wrong for 
doing things as you do, but I do think it is fare to understand why some 
programs explain to their consumers why it may be best to keep all of 
the dog's equipment on.

I definitely relate to the wish to not have to go through the patdown 
process with your dog, so I totally see your side of it as well, but I 
do not think any offense was intended towards your preferred method.

If security insisted I remove my guide's harness, I would refuse simply 
because then we cannot work together. I am dependent on 
someone/something else to navigate after going through security until I 
hopefully get my harness back in the same condition it was in when I 
handed it over.

Dayton and both of my previous guides have been fantastic while going 
through security, and they would behave just as well without the harness 
on, but if I needed to get somewhere in a hurry, I would have to wait 
for the harness to be returned.

I hope that makes sense.  You can come out from under your rock. Grin!

Meghan

On 1/31/2012 11:29 PM, Nicole B. Torcolini at Home wrote:
> I was told by a trainer to absolutely never remove the dogs harness, 
> collar or leash
>
> For going through security, I agree with never removing the 
> leash/collar, but I do not agree with not removing the harness. Is it 
> what people will think of the dog, what people will do to the harness, 
> or how the dog will behave without the harness? Yes, Lexia usually 
> interprets harness off as play time, but she is also smart enough to 
> know that the airport is no place for messing around.
>    As far as putting on a different collar/leash, it is possible to 
> switch collars and leashes without giving your dog full freedom. I 
> admit that this may not be a good idea for a new guide dog team, but 
> it should not be a problem for a team that has been together for a 
> long time.
>
> Also I knew of a handler and her guide  going through security after 
> 911 and the person working the security told this handler to remove 
> the dogs harness and she did and the security people took the harness 
> totally apart and after she went  through security the security people 
> gave her the harness back in pieces. Too me that's unacceptable  and 
> very wrong.
>
> And did your friend do anything about it? In that case, you fix the 
> problem by talking to the person who did it or a supervisor, not by 
> just avoiding it. Did the person take it apart to fit it in the bin or 
> to investigate it? Sometimes, no matter what we do, we cannot keep the 
> security from investigating things that way. Also, what exactly is 
> "apart"? The GDB harness that Lexia has can be put into three pieces 
> that are very easily put back together.
>
> Finally, what has disturbed me more than just what you are saying is 
> how you said it. I agree that everyone on the list has the right to 
> express his/her opinion, but no one is the "expert" on what to do and 
> what not to do. You could have put something along the lines of "I 
> would" or "In my opinion""
>
> Okay, I am going to go hide under my rock now.
>
> Nicole
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "loriandleo" 
> <loriandleo at ohiohills.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Removing Harness and Leash for Security Re: 
> flyingwithPrincess for the first time
>
>
>> Hi Nicole,
>>
>> I was told by a trainer to absolutely never remove the dogs harness, 
>> collar
>> or leash.  Also I knew of a handler and her guide  going through 
>> security
>> after 911 and the person working the security told this handler to 
>> remove
>> the dogs harness and she did and the security people took the harness
>> totally apart and after she went  through security the security 
>> people gave
>> her the harness back in pieces. Too me that's unexceptable  and very 
>> wrong.
>> Take care.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lori and theGipper
>>
>>
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>
>
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