[nagdu] The Differences in Dogs and Canes

[Marsha Drenth]

Rebecca, 
Your below post is borderline rude. Take a step back. And please do not tell people what they feel or don't feel. Remember your reading a email, your talking to the person, nor can you gather from that emotion. 

Thank you,


Marsha drenth, NAGDU List moderator 
Sent with my IPhone 

On Jun 27, 2013, at 3:03 PM, "Star Gazer" <pickrellrebecca at gmail.com> wrote:

> Raven, 
> Since this is such an emotionally charged issue for you, I'd suggest you
> read some of the old literature about guide dogs.  I just finished reading
> My Eyes Have A Cold Nose.  I was surprised at how masculine the book was.
> It stated among other things that dogs were better then canes. 
> It's likely some of the people you encounter have picked up on this mindset.
> It's also likely your anger comes through when you use a cane. People will
> respond to that. 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
> Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2013 1:59 PM
> To: nagdu
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] The Differences in Dogs and Canes
> 
> Hi,
> If I ever said a cane was better than a dog, I wouldn't be using a dog as a
> mobility aid. Frankly, the dog is better. I don't have to hit things to find
> my way around them. Things like that are important when you use a cane for
> landmark information, but as a dog user, I don't need so much of that
> anymore. It's great that there's a tree across the sidewalk from the bus
> stop I need, and it's awesome that there is a cement flower pot outside that
> shop, but those things don't need to be noted now that my dog knows right
> where the bus stop and shop are located.
> I see constantly hitting things then having to find a way around them as
> failure, or an impediment at the very least. Why do I say this?
> Because from the sighted perspective, you're still running into things, no
> matter if you or your cane hits it. I hate running into things, so I got a
> dog. I hate hitting chairs that are pulled out as I walk through a cafe. I
> hate walking through the dining hall and hitting people's bags and
> backpacks; I hate searching for a line of people or getting through a crowd
> of people and having to hit feet.
> Maybe other cane users don't mind, or have found some great way to get
> around this stuff without using a sighted guide, but I haven't.
> Furthermore, I believe the saying "Two heads are better than one." For
> instance, let's use the classic traffic check scenario. I walk out of a
> store toward a parking lot. My dog puts the breaks on immediately. I tell
> him forward, and he continues to stand still. Come to find out, there was a
> car backing out several feet in front of us. If I had been a cane user, I
> hope I would have figured that out before coming into cruel contact with the
> car. With a cane, you can only know what you can find out through your cane,
> which is not much, or at least not enough to make decisions ahead of time
> about how to react and which way to go. With a dog, you and the dog both
> know an abundance of information about your surroundings. Some things, you
> and your dog know, some things only you know, such as this street is under
> construction, or there's an alleyway if I pass this building, and other
> things, your dog knows but hasn't communicated them to you yet, such as the
> car blocking the cross walk, or the construction barriers blocking the path,
> or the huge pile of snow six feet ahead of you.
> I have been in the all-for-canes-and-totally-against-dogs boat. Dogs get
> distracted, cost way more time and money, and need far more attention. I
> tell everyone this whenever they talk about getting their first dog, or
> about how they push so-and-so to get a dog. It is not the same. You have to
> learn to trust another being, and work with it when it gets distracted. Some
> people couldn't handle it; I get it. But that does not mean the dog isn't
> better as a mobility aid. I walk faster, and find myself more comfortable
> and confident traveling through certain environments with a dog by my side.
> I no longer have problems walking angled sidewalks and crossings, through
> deep snow, extremely noisy environments, or through lines and crowds of
> people.
> With my dog, it doesn't matter if I forgot that a trash can was in a certain
> place, or where the bus stop was exactly; he will locate things and get me
> around them perfectly. My dog is better than a cane as a mobility aid
> because he gets me where I need to go as quickly, safely, and conveniently
> as possible. We don't run into things, I don't trip, and I rarely  veer or
> get disoriented. The dog is better because I am given the larger part of the
> ability to react to my environment similar to the way that, or exactly as a
> sighted person would react.
> It does not come down to personal preference because that does not determine
> which mobility aid is better; it simply speaks for which is more preferable.
> Flat out, dogs have far more capabilities than a cane, making them a better
> mobility aid.
> --
> Raven
> 
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