[nagdu] Guide Dog Use at national Convention

[Julie J.]

In regard to leaving the guide dog at home...I truly believe it depends on 
each individual circumstance.  Each dog is going to have it's strengths and 
weaknesses.  Usually you figure out what they are in the first few months. 
If I had a dog that was stellar at off road travel, had good initiative, 
remembered previous routes and didn't mind long meetings, that would cover 
about 97% of my needs.  If that same dog really hated loud music, like at a 
concert, I'd be perfectly happy leaving him home the extremely infrequent 
times I'd be around loud music.  I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to 
attend a concert and I wouldn't want to be fussing with an unhappy dog all 
evening either.  Leaving the dog at home keeps everyone sane and happy.

Now if I had a dog who wouldn't mind his manners around food, say in a 
restaurant for example, I'd have a larger problem because I like to eat out. 
that is something I do frequently.  Leaving him behind would be a much 
greater amount of time apart and a massive amount of inconvenience.  However 
there are people who only eat out once a year.  So for them perhaps leaving 
the dog behind when they go to a restaurant is a doable option.

Like I said in my last message, I leave Monty with the dog sitter when I 
travel for more than 3 or 4 days.  That's usually just once a year.  He's 
working nearly every other day of the year so I think he deserves a dog 
vacation as much as I need my people vacation.  It's all about finding the 
right balance for the individual person, the individual dog and that 
specific combination of person and dog.

I have a guide dog because it increases my mobility options.  I feel that a 
dog adds to my choices, not replaces the cane.  I pick what is going to work 
best for me in any given situation.  Usually that is Monty, sometimes it is 
a white cane and  sometimes it is a human guide. Just because I choose one 
of these in some particular situation does not mean I don't need or value 
the others.

If I used a guide dog 100% of the time and absolutely refused to go anywhere 
or do anything without him, I would have missed out on some amazing 
opportunities.  I would not have attended my one and only concert, I would 
not have gone to Alaska and I would not be going to wilderness survival 
school this summer.

Julie