[nagdu] Poodles

[Diane]

Dan,

You hit a nerve.

I have had my poodle guide for the past 6 weeks.  I specifically asked for
her for the following reasons:
1.	 She will not shed and therefore reduce the fur blowing around my
house by 25%
2.	She will not trigger allergic reactions in clients or strangers I
come into contact with.
3.	I personally feel more comfortable visiting hospitals, doctor's
offices and other locations knowing I will not leave a fur signature behind
me.
Does this mean I did not realize that I would have other doggie issues to
deal with?
Absolutely not.

I spend a minimum of an hour grooming her on a daily basis.
It costs me $90 a month to groom her professionally in order to maintain her
working appearance and safety.
I also have had to purchase my own harness for her since she is only 40
diminutive pounds and the Guide dog school did not have nor would they
procure an extra small harness for her.  This cost me another $500.00

I knowingly accepted the extra time and expenses of taking care of her.

Jaxi is without a doubt the smartest fastest learning of my 4 guide dogs.
Since having her in my life I can only assume that other schools do not use
Poodles as guides because they are so expensive to maintain both in monetary
and time costs.

I absolutely loved my lab guides.  Having a breed specific preference is as
personal a choice as choosing a spouse.

Your 2 cents are woefully out of bounds.
Diane

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dan Weiner via
nagdu
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 9:06 AM
To: 'Tracy Carcione'; 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide
Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Poodles

All right, Dan is going to sound unpleasant here, but remember it's my
opinion and no one else's.
When I hear someone say they want a poodle because they don't want to worry
about hair I ask myself do they really want a guide dog.
Dogs need to be taken care of, they need brushing, obedience, play, taking
out, and all that stuff.
Unless you want a dog and feel the advantages will outweigh the
disadvantages then you shouldn't have one.
And I don't criticize you if you don't want a dog, but I have always felt
that those who want this or that breed for reasons other than their style or
work or if they like that breed, for example, maybe would do themselves a
better turn not having a dog.
Honestly telling a school that you will only have a certain breed limits the
choice of dog, especially when it is a less used breed like a poodle...your
goal with getting a guide dog should be to enhance your travel making it
safer, more fun, more efficient and all that good stuff.
In short, do you really want a dog, because dogs have doggie qualities that
twill take work even if it's not a lab--smile.
And by the way, I'm not annoyed at the poodle as such I think they are great
dogs, just want you to examine your motivation.

Dan the curmudgeon
 

-----Original Message-----
From: 		 [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy
Carcione via nagdu
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2014 10:27 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] Poodles

Hi Amber.
You say you want a poodle so you don't have to deal with hair.  Poodles
don't shed, but they're definitely not low-maintenance.  They need regular
brushing and regular haircuts to keep that beautiful fur from getting
matted, or the dog turning into a big woolly sheep.  I grew up with poodles,
and I remember it taking more than a few minutes to give them a good
brushing, even if I did it every couple days.  It wasn't the quick
brush-and-comb I give my lab that takes about 5 minutes.  Of course, with my
lab, I get enough fur for a new small dog every time I vacuum.
Tracy


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