[nagdu] National Convention--my opinion

Thu Jul 11 20:56:12 UTC 2013

Julie, what a great idea!  I would definitely love to mentor people
new to convention with their dogs and could probably help to gather up
others who would be willing to help.  Ok...  Marion, I will not
forget.

I think we should also make sure people at the information tables know
about the relief areas.  Sometimes they don't.  It might also be good
to have people policing the relief areas.  At least, that's a fantacy,
since I doubt anyone would volunteer to stand out in the heat helping
other people find the trash can and telling off those who don't pick
up.  Perhaps one day if we have enough money to pay people for this
job...

It would also be good if the sound on the trashcans actually worked
throughout the week.

I agree with Julie.  I think there should be a phone number for people
to call if they have dog related issues.  I met someone by the
elevator who was watching someone's dog because the handeler had to go
into the hospital.  So for things like that it would be good--and for
things like finding the relief area, accidents in the hotel, or
perhaps even advice on behavior issues or help finding a trainer in
those situations.

On 7/10/13, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net> wrote:
> hi, Mary I am gl
> On 7/10/2013 9:38 AM, Mary Wurtzel wrote:
>> Hello,ad that you guys did well. It's so fun when our dogs do well in
>> complicated situations.
>>
>> I thought this would be a place for me to report on our first convention.
>> First, I would also be happy to make a donation to help with the cost of
>> the
>> relief area.  However, Felix refused to go into the box.  I tried several
>> times.  I put him in, which is no small task, and he just jumped back
>> out.
>> I had to find grass.  It was hard to pickup  because the grass is so long
>> there.  Otherwise, we did a fantastic job.  I attended the NAGDU
>> meetings.
>> I just wish there would have been a way to actually socialize with other
>> guide dog users.  Maybe next year when we are a pro team we can host a
>> party, lol.
>> Mary
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert stigile
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 11:06 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Cc: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] National Convention--my opinion
>>
>> Hello Mike
>> IAM wondering if it might be possible to have a button on the
>> registration
>> process in preregistration online
>> It could be a button that people can check that they want to pay $25 or
>> not
>> check if they don't want to but I would be willing to pay 25 if I was
>> coming
>> across that on convention registration
>> Just my thought
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jul 10, 2013, at 7:28 AM, "Michael Hingson" <info at michaelhingson.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> It seems to me that during the pre registration process there should be
>>> a
>>> mechanism to pay something like $25 toward the relief area.  It could be
>>> mandatory for guide dog users, but I would rather try first a voluntary
>>> donation.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray
>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 07:15 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] National Convention--my opinion
>>>
>>> No, in the registration material for the convention, you would say, "If
>> you
>>> are bringing a guide dog, you must pay $25; maybe it could be $20 if you
>>> pre-registered. You can't count on people to come to NAGDU to pay this
>> fee.
>>> There are far more dogs than there are people who attend, which is
>>> another
>>> issue entirely. LOL.
>>>
>>> CL
>>>
>>> On Jul 10, 2013, at 8:55 AM, "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I think that part of the problem was that a lot of people didn't/don't
>>> come to NAGDU meetings, so they could pretend they didn't know there was
>>> a
>>> relieving fee.  I think it was talked about in convention literature
>> before
>>> the convention, but it still depended on people finding NAGDU to pay up.
>> It
>>> was a long time ago, but that's what I think.
>>>> With childcare, one brings the child to a certain area, so the fee can
>>>> be
>>> assessed there.  Now I'm picturing a turnstile by the relief area, so a
>>> person has to pay to get in!  Which would just make people take their
>>> dogs
>>> elsewhere.
>>>> Tracy
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- 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 10, 2013 9:06 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] National Convention--my opinion
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I think we need to do it again. I don't think it was $25 though. I was
>>> thinking it was $15. No matter. Ed and Toni asked for it as a donation,
>>> I
>>> think. I am not sure how we would get everyone to live into it, but
>>> people
>>> have to pay for childcare. No pay, no childcare. If we knew in advance
>>> of
>>> the convention we were paying it, then we need to work it into our
>> budgets.
>>>>> CL
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jul 10, 2013, at 7:47 AM, "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>> NAGDU did try charging a $25 fee some time ago, like in the early
>> '90's.
>>> It only lasted a few years, so I guess something about it wasn't
>>> working.
>>>>>> Tracy
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- 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: Tuesday, July 09, 2013 5:44 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] National Convention--my opinion
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The collection was taken up and didn't even come close to covering
>>>>>>> the
>>> cost of the relief areas. If the relief areas are $3500 to maintain, we
>>> didn't even touch it. I am not sure what we collected, and there was a
>>> collection at the exhibit hall as well. I would be surprised if we
>>> picked
>> up
>>> 1/3 of the cost in donations, but I wouldn't swear to that either. A fee
>>> would hold us all equally responsible. I would think that some
>> arrangements
>>> could be made on a case by case basis if such a fee was too much for
>>> someone, but it would need to be something that was done privately and
>>> without the knowledge of the rest of us.
>>>>>>> CL
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Jul 9, 2013, at 4:42 PM, d m gina <dmgina at samobile.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> A collection was made in the meeting.
>>>>>>>> Glad nagdu helps with this as well.
>>>>>>>> I need to find the meeting for Wednesday, I went to another event
>> that
>>> interested me.
>>>>>>>> Can you send it again?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Original message:
>>>>>>>>> I think we should all have to pay a fee same as people whose
>> children
>>> come to childcare. I understand that that is some different, but the dog
>>> relief, like the childcare, is a cost incurred for those who have the
>>> dogs
>>> or children there. I think we need to truly fund it by charging for it.
>> Even
>>> though I did not bring Fisher, I would be willing to pay a fee for it.
>>>>>>>>> CL
>>>>>>>>> On Jul 9, 2013, at 3:57 PM, dcreapeau at gmail.com wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> I agree, that would be nice. If we had to fundraise for it, I for
>>> one would be glad to do what I can.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>>>>> On Jul 9, 2013, at 2:55 PM, "Margo and Arrow"
>>> <margo.downey at verizon.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Hi, Danielle.  I know what you mean by the topics you raised.
>>>>>>>>>>> A C B uses a company or two whose only job is to deal with
>>>>>>>>>>> relief
>>> areas.
>>>>>>>>>>> I'd like for Nagdu to figure out how to do the same thing.  I
>>>>>>>>>>> apprecaite the work our national Center does to ensure adequate
>>>>>>>>>>> relief areas, but, I'd like to see a company who does this type
>>>>>>>>>>> of
>>> work do this type of work for us.
>>>>>>>>>>> Margo and Arrow
>>>>>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>>>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>> Danielle
>>> A.
>>>>>>>>>>> Creapeau
>>>>>>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2013 3:47 PM
>>>>>>>>>>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>>>>> Subject: [nagdu] National Convention--my opinion
>>>>>>>>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>>>>>>>>> It was awesome meeting some of you at convention last week.
>>>>>>>>>>> Valla and I didn't attend Monday night's NAGDU meeting because
>>>>>>>>>>> she got snapped at by not
>>>>>>>>>>> 1 but 2 dogs. I'm the first to admit that she did distract on
>>>>>>>>>>> these other dogs but I corrected and we were almost past them
>>>>>>>>>>> when they jumped out from under their handlers' chairs and
>>>>>>>>>>> tried to come at her. Needless to say, she was way too wound up
>>>>>>>>>>> to
>>> go anywhere after that.
>>>>>>>>>>> Anyway, I noticed a lot of things during the week that shocked
>>>>>>>>>>> me, made me think and made me very happy. First of all, I'll
>>>>>>>>>>> say that this was my first convention so I don't know if some
>>>>>>>>>>> of these things are commonplace at convention or not. I was
>>>>>>>>>>> sort of shocked by the size of the park area for the dogs. It
>>>>>>>>>>> was about the size of a single parking space and from what I
>>>>>>>>>>> understand, there were a couple hundred dogs in attendance. I
>>>>>>>>>>> felt that this was way too small of a space for all those dogs.
>>>>>>>>>>> Not to mention that it's filled with sand which gets pretty
>>>>>>>>>>> sludgy with waste and rain water. Valla wouldn't set foot in
>>>>>>>>>>> the box and I didn't blame her. As I understand it, the White
>>>>>>>>>>> Cane fund takes care of the park areas and I also am aware that
>>>>>>>>>>> it costs money to set up these relief areas. Is there anything
>>>>>>>>>>> that we as a division can be doing to make the area bigger or
>>>>>>>>>>> cleaner? Furthermore, as the week went on, I noticed a lot of
>>>>>>>>>>> accidents near the escalators that were just left behind for
>>>>>>>>>>> someone else to clean up. Valla had her accidents as well; I'm
>>>>>>>>>>> not saying that they don't happen but I thought we were
>>>>>>>>>>> supposed to try to clean them up and tell someone from the hotel
>>> staff about it. I know that these were near escalators but I feel like
>>> that's no excuse. If you're at the bottom of the escalator when it
>> happens,
>>> step aside and let people through but don't just walk away.
>>>>>>>>>>> That being said, I'm sure there were plenty of handlers who did
>>>>>>>>>>> stand by the messes and did their best to clean them up.
>>>>>>>>>>> I was really surprised by the amount of people who were on
>>>>>>>>>>> phones, eating, talking or goofing off while working their dogs
>>>>>>>>>>> too. again, not trying to imply that these things don't happen
>>>>>>>>>>> but it was frustrating when someone else was too busy doing
>>>>>>>>>>> something else while his or her dog distracted on other people
>>>>>>>>>>> or
>>> dogs.
>>>>>>>>>>> I did, however, meet a whole bunch of people who genuinely
>>>>>>>>>>> inspired me with the bonds they have with their dogs and the
>>>>>>>>>>> way they worked as a team. Valla and I just met in October of
>>>>>>>>>>> 2012 so we're still feeling each other out. It was just amazing
>>>>>>>>>>> to
>>> see teams that flow together so beautifully.
>>>>>>>>>>> anyway, that's just my take on the week. Hope everyone's having
>>>>>>>>>>> a good Tuesday.
>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>>>>>> %40verizon.ne
>>>>>>>>>>> t
>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> --Dar
>>>>>>>> skype: dmgina23
>>>>>>>> FB: dmgina
>>>>>>>> www.twitter.com/dmgina
>>>>>>>> every saint has a past
>>>>>>>> every sinner has a future
>>>>>>>>
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-- 
Julie McG
National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
"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