[nagdu] PETA & Service Dogs

Larry D. Keeler lkeeler at comcast.net
Wed Jul 25 19:10:10 UTC 2012 

Not just PETA does that!  I corrected Holly at the church one day because 
she decided to sniff, look and generally block the door just before mass.  I 
corrected her nd my mother-in-law got really bent out of shape.  Holly did 
let the line threw though!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 2:42 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] PETA & Service Dogs


>I had a lady just really go off on me because I corrected Fisher from 
>goingunder a table in a restaurant !sniff out and eat crumbs. Pretty 
>amazing what they do.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jul 25, 2012, at 11:34 AM, "Margo and Arrow" <margo.downey at verizon.net> 
> wrote:
>
>> also, how about the times Peta and other radical animal rights groups set 
>> animals free who haven't lived in the wild and the animals die.  How 
>> about the fact that they have been known to actually kill animals.
>>
>> these groups have all the answers and don't listen to reason.
>>
>> Margo and Arrow
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Hicks" 
>> <bob at seeinghandassociation.com>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 9:23 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] PETA & Service Dogs
>>
>>
>>> Hi Marion.  Excellent job explaining our stance and that of our loving 
>>> and dedicated partners!  Yeah!  thanks
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>>
>>> Bob Hicks
>>> Access Technology Specialist
>>> Seeing Hand Association, Inc.
>>> 304-232-4810
>>> <bob at seeinghandassociation.com>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marion Gwizdala" 
>>> <blind411 at verizon.net>
>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 7:32 AM
>>> Subject: [nagdu] PETA & Service Dogs
>>>
>>>
>>>> William,
>>>>   I am of the belief that no amount of factual information can overcome 
>>>> the irrational ignorance of those who have radical beliefs. In their 
>>>> strive for "ethical treatment of animals", PETA ignores the fundamental 
>>>> fact that dogs are happiest when they have a job to do, especially the 
>>>> working breeds that are used as guide dogs. In the past, they have 
>>>> promulgated a great deal of misinformation and, in spite of our 
>>>> providing them with accurate information, hold fast to their radical 
>>>> beliefs.
>>>>   Pasted below is a response to PETA I wrote in january 2009 in 
>>>> response to some of their radical, misinformed assertions about how 
>>>> guide dogs are treated.
>>>>
>>>>   Dear Ms. Nachminovitch,
>>>>   As the President of the National Association of Guide Dog Users, a 
>>>> strong and proud division of the National Federation of the blind, I 
>>>> felt compelled
>>>> to respond to your very misinformed comments about guide dogs. The 
>>>> biggest problem we face as blind people is the misunderstanding and 
>>>> lack of information
>>>> that exists. This is true about guide dogs, as well. It is unfortunate 
>>>> that you choose to promulgate the myths that create barriers to our 
>>>> full inclusion
>>>> in society on terms of equality. It is also unfortunate that you 
>>>> compromise the integrity of People for the Ethical Treatment of animals 
>>>> by making such
>>>> foolish assertions. By doing so, you call into question the veracity of 
>>>> any valid information published by PETA.
>>>>   In an effort to set the record straight, guide dogs are not "kept in 
>>>> harness 24/7". The truth is that guide dogs are only in harness when 
>>>> they are working.
>>>>   As to your assertion that our dogs are virtually disposed of when 
>>>> they are no longer able to "serve" their handlers, the fact is that, 
>>>> more often than
>>>> not, our dogs live out their lives with their blind caretakers. As an 
>>>> example, my previous guide dog worked until he was fourteen years old 
>>>> and lived out
>>>> the remainder of his sixteen years with me. My current guide will soon 
>>>> be twelve years old and is enjoying her semi-retirement by lying under 
>>>> my dining
>>>> room table on the cold tile floor where she loves to lie.
>>>>   As for your statement that guide dogs are never given the opportunity 
>>>> to romp and play, my guide dog plays with the two other dogs in our 
>>>> household
>>>> and with the guide dogs of my blind colleagues on a regular basis.
>>>>   Petting a guide dog is discouraged while it is working, as doing so 
>>>> is a distraction to its work; however, when the harness is off, my 
>>>> family, especially
>>>> my three-year-old granddaughter, is welcome - even encouraged - to pet 
>>>> and play with my guide dog.
>>>>   PETA would also like the public to believe that guide dogs are forced 
>>>> against their wills to work for a blind person because that promotes 
>>>> its radical
>>>> agenda. The truth is that it further demonstrates PETA's ignorance of 
>>>> canine behavior. Dogs are, by nature, pack animals and each animal in a 
>>>> pack has
>>>> a job. Guide dogs enjoy their work and become excited when the harness 
>>>> is presented to them! My guide dog comes running when the harness is 
>>>> taken off its
>>>> hook by the door and slips her head into it, excited at the adventure 
>>>> to come! unlike the pet that stays at home with absolutely nothing to 
>>>> do - quite
>>>> contradictory to the nature of a dog - our animals get to spend most of 
>>>> their time with their "alpha dog"! By the way, my dog doesn't care if 
>>>> anyone else
>>>> pets her because I give her all the love and attention she could ever 
>>>> want! Furthermore, when the weather is bad or the place i am going is 
>>>> not conducive
>>>> to my guide, she stays at home where she again, lies in her "cave" 
>>>> under the dining room table and probably romps and plays with our other 
>>>> dogs!
>>>>   In summary, PETA is fabricating lies to justify their irrational, 
>>>> radical stand. I realize that this correspondence will probably do 
>>>> little to convince
>>>> PETA of the truth nor cause them to retract their lies or alter their 
>>>> stand. they are too entrenched in their misgivings that the facts would 
>>>> only confuse
>>>> them. however, this correspondence is offered to present the facts to 
>>>> those willing to consider rational, accurate information.
>>>> Sincerely yours,
>>>> Marion Gwizdala, President
>>>> National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>> National Federation of the blind
>>>> president at nfb-nagdu.org
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Vandervest" 
>>>> <timelord09 at att.net>
>>>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 7:28 PM
>>>> Subject: [nagdu] Fw: [MSB-Alumni] Fw: Smartphone-Friendly Innovation 
>>>> HoldsPromise of Freeing Dogs From Involuntary Service
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> i just received this on another list, anybody heard of this before?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> There are none so blind as those who will not see
>>>>> William And ld Lynard
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: Steve
>>>>> To: msb-alumni
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 2:39 PM
>>>>> Subject: [MSB-Alumni] Fw: Smartphone-Friendly Innovation Holds Promise 
>>>>> of Freeing Dogs From Involuntary Service
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: Sieghard Weitzel
>>>>> To: viphone at googlegroups.com
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 2:48 AM
>>>>> Subject: Smartphone-Friendly Innovation Holds Promise of Freeing Dogs 
>>>>> From Involuntary Service
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Hello Listers,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I came across this article and am pretty shocked by it, I did not know 
>>>>> that there are people and apparently organizations out there who 
>>>>> consider guide dogs as providing an "involuntary" service which they 
>>>>> apparently consider to be animal cruelty. I don't really have the 
>>>>> connections and the time, but I hope maybe some people on this list do 
>>>>> advocacy sort of work and may look into this. The biggest joke is that 
>>>>> this research seems to be geared towards getting around inside 
>>>>> buildings which of course would be great, but apparently these folks 
>>>>> don't think much about how much a dog helps in getting around outside. 
>>>>> Here is the article (hope the mods don't object since the article 
>>>>> refers to "smartphones" and not "iPhones", but of course we all know 
>>>>> how many accessible smartphone choices we have and I assume something 
>>>>> like this, were it available, would not be a Windows Phone app!)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Smartphone-Friendly Innovation Holds Promise of Freeing Dogs From 
>>>>> Involuntary Service
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> For Immediate Release: May 14, 2012
>>>>>
>>>>> Contact: David Perle 202-483-7382
>>>>>
>>>>> St. Paul, Minn.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) science team working on smartphone 
>>>>> technology that will help blind people navigate on their own, even 
>>>>> gauging their pace and warning them far in advance of obstacles such 
>>>>> as a stairway, will present its invention at the IEEE International 
>>>>> Conference on Robotics and Automation in St. Paul on May 15 (the 
>>>>> second day of the conference). The team, headed by researchers Dr. 
>>>>> Eelke Folmer of the Player-Game-Interaction Lab and Dr. Kostas Bekris 
>>>>> of the Robotics Research Lab, has won a PETA Proggy Award for 
>>>>> Leadership in Ethical Science. PETA's Proggy Awards ("Proggy" is for 
>>>>> "progress") recognize animal-friendly achievements.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "This new technology promises not only to give blind people the 
>>>>> independence they want but also could mean that dogs will no longer be 
>>>>> bred for this type of service," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. 
>>>>> "We commend the UNR team for developing 'eyes' for the blind that are 
>>>>> both user-friendly and animal-friendly."
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The low-cost system would enable blind people to navigate around 
>>>>> buildings using nothing more than a smartphone. Its software is based 
>>>>> on the same technology that enables robots to navigate but uses the 
>>>>> person's stride length to track his or her movements. The system uses 
>>>>> two-dimensional digital maps and the smartphone's built-in components, 
>>>>> with the phone able to communicate what it "sees" using synthetic 
>>>>> speech. Upon initial use in a particular environment, the user touches 
>>>>> certain landmarks. The smartphone remembers the information and is 
>>>>> able to give the user directions on subsequent visits.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> For more information, please visit PETA.org.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" 
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google 
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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