[nagdu] Soul Searching

Sun Jul 8 23:28:53 UTC 2012

Well, I'm not sure this premise is entirely fair. People with canes are stressed at convention, too, and some aren't sure of themselves. They often are struggling to find where they are trying to go, trying to prove they can get there, and filled with their own certain doubts and fears. I wouldn't want to be really hasty about accusations of their not accepting us; I don't think that is particularly true. Convention is wonderfully fun, but it also has its difficulties. When we have relatively new dogs, we may be even more stressed, so we all have to try to be patient with one another. I guess the lesson I took away from this besides all of the others mentioned is that I want to make sure I am being kind to those who I think might be exhibiting rudeness when they may simply be exhibiting frustrations similar to my Cindy Lou
own.

On Jul 8, 2012, at 1:02 PM, Juanita Herrera wrote:

> Marsha,
> I ran into many folks with canes who were rude to me because I had a
> guide dog. In fact,a few times Anise got hit by canes, but she is so
> naive that she didn't even know what was going on. She just kept right
> on doing her thing. It upset me very much that people would do rude
> things like that just because we have dogs. I agree that something
> should be done or said to inform others of that. We are all
> blind/visually impaired, and we are all there because we believe in
> equality for all. If the cane users who don't accept us are going to
> continue being rude to their own kind then they don't honestly believe
> in equality for all.
> Juanita and Anise
> 
> On 7/8/12, Marsha Drenth <marsha.drenth at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi cindy, I am sorry to hear about the troubles with your pup at convention.
>> I guess what bothers me even more than the trouble, is that another handler
>> would be rude to you about your pups troubles. I heard others at convention
>> being rude to guide dog handlers. People who use canes, have no tolerance
>> for us or our dogs. Its very sad. But I also ran into handlers who were not
>> aware of what their dogs were doing, who would get stepped on, ran into, or
>> hit. Perhaps that is something we as a division need to dicuss at our next
>> convention, is tolerance of guides and the handlers. We still have alot of
>> NFB members who think that by us using a dog, we are not independent, or we
>> are lower in rank than them because we choose to use a dog. We as nagdu must
>> change that attitude or thinking.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> just my two cents
>> 
>> Marsha drenthSent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On Jul 7, 2012, at 10:25 PM, Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Some of those who judged me were, in fact, other handlers. However, one
>>> particularly vocal one may have had some experiences that had created
>>> fears for her beyond what my dog was doing. But, Bibi, thanks. I do
>>> appreciate your kind words.
>>> 
>>> CL
>>> 
>>> On Jul 7, 2012, at 10:15 PM, Criminal Justice Major wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Hi, Cindy,
>>>> Despite the rough parts during convention, I'm glad you had fun though.
>>>> Perhaps the reasoning for Fischer's growling or barking may be a sign of
>>>> stress and probably being too enclosed.
>>>> I remember one time during an ACB/GDUI convention four years ago in
>>>> Louisville, KY, I came across a guide dog team where the handler seemed
>>>> friendly and she was good for keeping on her dog.
>>>> Once we all got into an elevator, her dog started growling and despite
>>>> hard corrections and quiet, nothing worked.
>>>> She seeked help and advice from a GDF instructor.
>>>> I recommended her to do that since they were the ones who trained her
>>>> guide dog and they would know what's best.
>>>> I was honest with the handler, explaining that I was sensing her dog was
>>>> enclosed and didn't like the feeling of being cornered.
>>>> Here comes the real truth.
>>>> One thing I, wish, is people who aren't dog handlers would stop judging a
>>>> handler unless they see both the team working at all times.
>>>> Just because a dog may bark or growl doesn't make a blind or other
>>>> individuals with disabilities bad handlers, especially given that they
>>>> are trying to really work hard with their dog.
>>>> Yes, a dog's bark can be scary, if you're not expecting it.
>>>> For those who were trying to claim that you're not controlling your dog,
>>>> how about they stop, put themselves in ours or the dog's shoes to see how
>>>> they feel when they stress out.
>>>> i'm only saying this because I've had moments where I've just had to stop
>>>> and think about Odie's feelings on how or what he feels.
>>>> Once I started doing that among talking to him, it helped the two of us
>>>> more.
>>>> Also, please don't blame yourself for this happening as you had no idea
>>>> how your partner was going to react and it's possible that he just may
>>>> not like huge amount of activities like crowds and being enclosed by too
>>>> many other dogs.
>>>> When you do place a call to TSE, I do hope they will be able to help you
>>>> out and be honest with sharing your feelings.
>>>> The more you're able to communicate, the better it will go for all
>>>> involved.
>>>> Please keep us posted on how it all goes and if there's anything I can do
>>>> to help or offer suggestions or advice, feel free to write me off list
>>>> at:
>>>> orleans24 at comcast.net
>>>> Again, you're not a bad handler and things like this can happen to
>>>> experienced users too.
>>>> Bibi
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>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
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> 
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