[nagdu] German guide dog system

Mon Aug 25 13:11:23 UTC 2014

Hello everyone!

I'm glad so many of you appreciated my explanation about German guide dogs. 
:-) I love to learn things about different cultures, too, and it's great to 
read so much about guide dogs in the US on here so I can understand that.

Julie, you're completely right. Access rights for guide dogs here in Germany 
are quite advanced I'd say. So you can take your dog on any train, bus or 
other public transport vehicle without problems. Normally, they're also 
allowed in any supermarket, restaurant or such. But of course, there are the 
owners of different shops who try to avoid that. Then they say since it's 
their property, a public law doesn't matter and you should leave with your 
dog. But luckily, this doesn't happen very often and so you pretty much have 
the choice to then go to another shop or café where the people are more 
open-minded.

The thing that Germans don't get guide dogs isn't true, as you already 
pointed out. But I'm really of the impression, that it is, indeed, alot 
harder to get one here than in other countries. But as I said, this is only 
a matter of health insurance companies. So I feel so blessed that I'm 
through with this fight now. I'm counting down the days until Taylor comes. 
14 by now. :)
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buddy Brannan via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "Julie McGinnity" <kaybaycar at gmail.com>; "NAGDU Mailing List,the 
National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 3:50 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] German guide dog system

> Oh the irony. Being as how guide dogs originated in Germany, at least as 
> we know them today, and at that time before the 2nd World War war-blinded 
> vets with their guide dogs had similar access rights to public transport 
> and so on, at least from what I read, that Germans “don’t get guide dogs” 
> seems pretty ironic to me.
>
> Of course, when I was there about 19 years ago, I saw exactly one blind 
> couple, but I was also not in one of the cities, like Marburg, where a lot 
> of the blind folks apparently hang out. But then, too, it seemed to me 
> that the general public had a somewhat different attitude towards me than 
> what I experience here. I can’t explain it exactly though.
>> On Aug 21, 2014, at 9:28 PM, Julie McGinnity via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
>> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Lisa,
>>
>> This is fascinating to know!  I was in Germany about 5 years ago, and
>> I was told by a few different people that Germans just didn't get
>> guide dogs.  Of course, I knew that some of them had to have guides,
>> but you helped me understand why many don't.  I was a German major as
>> an undergraduate, and I studied German for about 10 years, so your
>> post was particularly interesting to me.
>>
>> Lisa, please correct me if I am wrong, but from what I remember, the
>> access laws are pretty similar to what they here.  You can have your
>> dog on public transportation and in any other type of public
>> establishment.  I remember though that our exchange program was with a
>> gymnasium (private high school), and they would *not* allow me to be
>> there with my dog.  I do want to go back to Germany someday and maybe
>> even take my dog this time!  :)
>>
>> On 8/21/14, Mária Orovčíková <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hello Lisa and all,
>>> I live in Slovakia (Central Europe) and the guide dog training here is
>>> pretty similar like in Germany in some ways.
>>> Firstly, the health insurance, or better to say government organization 
>>> pay
>>> for guide dogs and other aids for us, blind people and people with other
>>> disabilities.
>>> As for training, we have two guide dog schools here in Slovakia, but we 
>>> do
>>> home training only which takes about two weeks. In case there are some
>>> issues after training, we can always contact the trainer and ask for 
>>> help.
>>> The school I have my guide from organizes meetups for guide dog handlers
>>> three times a year, where people waiting for their guide meet their
>>> potential guide dog partners and see them during their training.
>>> As for ownership, we get ful ownership once training is finished.
>>> If you have some more questions, just feel free to ask.
>>> With regards
>>> Maria
>>> Sent from iphone
>>>
>>> Dňa 21.8.2014, o 5:12, debby phillips via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
>>> napísal:
>>>
>>>> Hi Lisa, thank you so much for sharing about the schools in Germany. 
>>>> I'm
>>>> so glad that you have been approved and that you and Taylor go into
>>>> training soon.  I think working from home would be wonderful!    Debby
>>>>
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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
>>
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>
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