[nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to childrenbetween the ages of 11 & 17 years old.

Fri May 31 21:59:47 UTC 2013

Hi all,

I completely agree with what's been said.  I had a dog in high school,
and although it worked out for me, there were certainly things that
posed a challenge to me as a teenager.  I had teachers who would tell
me what to do or not do with my dog.  That was difficult.  I also had
friends who didn't want the dog over their houses.  That happens as an
adult, but it hurts a lot more as a teenager.

Buddy is correct.  Noone wants to listen to a small, 17-year-old girl.
 I had more problems trying to keep people away from my dog than most
people.  I had trouble keeping my father from petting my dog until I
explained to him that if he kept trying to form a bond with my dog by
petting her, she would run to him across a street one day and get us
both killed.  Now I was a particularly outspoken teenager.  I bet a
lot of younger teens would just let their parents bond with the dog.

I will admit that a guide dog gave me confidence.  I think it was
something about having the special bond or successfully getting
through training.  I don't know.  But I gained so much confidence
having a dog--so much that I am now totally willing to travel with my
cane.  It's all about independence.  I was motivated to be independent
because of how awesome it was to work with a dog and experience that.

But that brings me to Julie's point.  At 17, I knew what I wanted to
do.  I had plans to go to college and study music.  Most teenagers, I
have learned, don't know these things, or if they do, they don't stick
to them.

Finally, schools are not good places for dogs to work.  There is food
all over, crowds, and not really many chances to go out and walk
places--not to mention, that kids, especially in middle school, are
mean.  I had kids bark at my dog once, and that was enough.  I can
imagine people trying to feed the dog, interact with the dog, or
anything else.  And let's not even get into if the kid was bullied...
What the bullies would do to that dog...

I think 16 is a perfectly respectable age to get a dog for some
people.  But even the guide dog schools that give their dogs to
16-year-olds are hesitant.  I think for good reason.  It's not easy.

On 5/31/13, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net> wrote:
> tracy you make a good point. Families tend to get to involved wih
> dicisions about when to use the dogs and most kids wouldn't handle that
> well.
> On 5/31/2013 7:10 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
>> I think it might keep a kid from learning cane skills really well.  I
>> used a cane from about 4th grade through my first year in college, and
>> I got where I wanted to go, though, once I got a dog, I got there
>> easier and quicker. I think we all agree that good cane skills are an
>> essential for any blind person.
>>
>> I always wonder how it works physically, to give a kid a guide dog.  A
>> person's body changes a lot between 11 years old and 18 years old.
>> People get a lot bigger, stronger, and taller.  I don't really see how
>> a dog that suits the height and strength of an 11-year-old would work
>> well with the same kid even 4 or 5 years later.
>>
>> And I wonder how it works out with the family.  When I came home with
>> my first dog, my dad especially would suggest I just leave the dog
>> home when we were going out to eat or whatever.  I was old enough to
>> say No and make it stick.  Also, I was only home for a short time
>> before heading back to college.  I think a kid might have trouble,
>> keeping the family from taking over the dog or discouraging its use.
>> 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: Friday, May 31, 2013 8:25 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide dog school that offers guide dogs to
>> childrenbetween the ages of 11 & 17 years old.
>>
>>
>>> Well, first of all, I think it gives a horrific view of blind
>>> children. It doesn't need to be like that. Second, the younger ones,
>>> I would have to say I am a little hesitant, not so much because of
>>> thekids who are having the dogs as the others. I have seen enough of
>>> how adults and others kids react to an adult's dog. I just don't feel
>>> it to be a great idea, and I sometimes think that the dog is as
>>> isolating in its own way because it can be hard to get the topic of
>>> conversation off the dog. JMO
>>>
>>> CL
>>>
>>> On May 31, 2013, at 7:04 AM, Deanna Lewis <DLewis at clovernook.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> What do you all think about this...
>>>> Deanna and Pascal
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> MIRA - The only organization in the United States dedicated to
>>>> providing
>>>> guide dogs to blind children and youth between the ages of 11-17.
>>>>
>>>> MIRA: from the Spanish "look", "to have one's sights set on", was the
>>>> nickname of a favorite guide dog trained by Eric St. Pierre, founder
>>>> of MIRA
>>>> Canada. MIRA Foundation USA takes its name from its collaboration
>>>> with MIRA
>>>> Canada, a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 upon the belief
>>>> that all
>>>> individuals, regardless of their physical challenges, should be able
>>>> to set
>>>> their sights on the same goals as those people born without handicaps.
>>>>
>>>> Today, MIRA Canada is recognized as a global leader in the breeding,
>>>> selection, and training of guide and service dogs. MIRA USA was
>>>> created in
>>>>
>>>> 2008 as a legally separate entity, but with close ties to MIRA
>>>> Canada, where
>>>> our dogs are currently trained.
>>>>
>>>> Our mission is to offer blind children in the United States between
>>>> the ages
>>>> of 11-17 the opportunity to receive guide dogs free of charge, to
>>>> provide
>>>> targeted educational outreach to promote public awareness, and, as we
>>>> continue to grow, to offer support services to the adult population
>>>> of blind
>>>> and their families.
>>>>
>>>> It is our experience that blind children, for the most part, are highly
>>>> adaptive, fiercely determined, and seek to have many of the same
>>>> opportunities as their sighted peers. Although a cane provides an
>>>> adequate
>>>> degree of mobility for the blind and severely visually impaired, there
>>>> remain some serious limitations. For example, it is impossible to
>>>> navigate
>>>> with a cane when there is no tactical information such as what is
>>>> provided
>>>> by sidewalks. A child living in a rural area is severely challenged
>>>> by this
>>>> restriction.
>>>>
>>>> Furthermore, a cane tends to be isolating, whereas a dog provides a
>>>> social
>>>> bridge to the sighted community. Not only are dogs social creatures,
>>>> they
>>>> also provide stability and a level of protection through their visual
>>>> awareness training that a cane could never replicate.
>>>>
>>>> Finally, a guide dog provides a young blind person with a greater
>>>> level of
>>>> self-reliance at an early age. Although a very young student is not
>>>> going to
>>>> be out on the streets alone with their dog, having the ability to
>>>> navigate
>>>> without holding a parent's hand is crucial to developing maturity and
>>>> confidence. The student's freedom and mobility are especially
>>>> enhanced in
>>>> the school environment with the assistance of a guide dog. Although
>>>> there is
>>>> no cure for blindness, there can be hope, and we at MIRA witness it
>>>> every
>>>> day through the service of a MIRA guide dog.
>>>>
>>>> http://www.mirausa.org/
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
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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