[nagdu] Canada: MVSH denies blind senior to reside with guide dog

Nicole Torcolini ntorcolini at wavecable.com
Fri Feb 21 02:06:04 UTC 2014


"We can look after the individual. He doesn't need the dog 24 hours a day
because that's what our staff is there for," said Beattie.

Okay, this is what really bothered me. The man is going there to get help
with things with which he actually needs help. If there are still things
that he can do independently with the help of his dog, then why should he be
forced to depend on others? I see this more and more with people who are
becoming elderly. They need some help, but they don't need to be cared for
like babies. Often, they end up not getting the help that they need because
they can't get what they need without being over helped.

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ginger Kutsch
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 7:05 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] Canada: MVSH denies blind senior to reside with guide dog

Canada: MVSH denies blind senior to reside with guide dog 

Tuesday, Feb 18, 2014 

http://www.sundreroundup.ca/article/20140218/SUN0801/302189976/-1/sun0801/mv
sh-denies-blind-senior-to-reside-with-guide-dogBY PATRICIA RILEY 

 

 

An 82-year-old blind resident of Sundre has been denied a request for his
guide dog to reside with him at the Foothills Lodge, after he applied to
rent a unit there in recent weeks.

 

Jack Mortimer doesn't go anywhere without his guide dog, a black lab named
Rufus, who he has owned for 10 years. The dog is a certified Seeing Eye dog
trained through the International Guide Dog Federation.

 

"If I drop something on the floor I have to rub my hand around on the floor
to find it," said Mortimer, adding he can only see a few feet in front of
him.

 

Mortimer applied for a room at the lodge, owned and operated by Mountain
View Seniors' Housing (MVSH), because he is in need of assistance at his
age.

 

MVSH officials say there is currently no policy in place to allow guide dogs
to reside in any of their buildings but they will be looking into it. But
for now, the ruling stands.

 

"Currently we have no policy about Seeing Eye dogs. We do have a policy
about pets.at this time we don't have a policy on any other animals other
than pets," said Sam Smalldon, MVSH chief administrative officer.

 

"We're not ignoring it. We just don't have a policy at the moment and before
we say yes we need to make sure we know we have a policy."

 

According to Cheryl Chichak, public affairs officer with Alberta Human
Services, as long as the guide dog is trained by a school that is certified
by the International Guide Dog Federation, the dog should be able to reside
anywhere.

 

She said a person who violates the Alberta Blind Persons' Rights Act could
be fined up to $3,000.

 

Section 5 (2) of the act reads as follows:

 

"No person, directly or indirectly, alone or with another, by himself or
herself or by the interposition of another, shall (a) deny to any person
occupancy of any self-contained dwelling unit, or (b) discriminate against
any person with respect to any term or condition of occupancy of any
self-contained dwelling unit, for the reason that the person is a blind
person keeping or customarily accompanied by a guide dog."

 

Mortimer and his neighbour Betty Thomas went to the lodge roughly three
weeks ago to apply for a unit there.

 

About a week later, Mortimer received a letter from Michele Langmead,
admissions counsellor at Foothills Lodge, stating that Mortimer was
accepted, but not Rufus.

 

"If you wish to make alternate living arrangements for the care of your dog
then you would be able to move into the lodge when a suite becomes
available. Your dog would be able to visit you at the lodge for short
periods of time as long as you were able to manage his care during his
visits," the letter states.

 

Thomas, who is also 82, has been helping Mortimer with meals and other
necessities, but is also having a hard time at her age. They both currently
reside at Pioneer Place.

 

"Everything seemed to be fine when we went over there. We told the girl,
Michele -- she wrote the letter -- that he was a guide dog and that Jack
would be bringing him in with him. And she never said anything. She didn't
say he wasn't allowed to be in there at all," said Thomas.

 

"It was really strange. I couldn't even have believed that she wrote that
letter. It just shocked both of us right out of our minds when we got that
letter because it was just really upsetting," she said.

 

"He has never been anywhere without that dog for all those years."

 

She added that Mortimer is becoming forgetful, and Rufus has arthritis and
requires medicine.

 

"Now I take Jack his medicine because he forgets that he's taken them," she
said.

 

"Jack goes for walks with him every day and that dog knows Sundre. Even when
he is taking him for walks he will push Jack's legs so that he will get off
the ice and off the snow.

 

"He has started to want to sleep on Jack's bed. He is such a wonderful dog.
He sleeps right on the bed, up on his pillow. And if Jack has to get up in
the night the dog is right up there. He goes with him to the bathroom and
everywhere with him."

 

She said she would never reside at the Foothills Lodge after this incident.

 

"My dog, heaven sakes, I mean he is part of my life," said Mortimer.

 

"It just gives you an unwanted feeling. And I wouldn't go there now for one
million dollars.

 

"I just couldn't face it. I don't understand. Life goes on I guess. And
there will always be people like that out there trying to hurt you and take
advantage of you it seems."

 

MVSH board chair Bruce Beattie said staff members at the lodge would care
for Mortimer, and Rufus would be able to visit him there.

 

"We can look after the individual. He doesn't need the dog 24 hours a day
because that's what our staff is there for," said Beattie.

 

"In the past we've had issues with people who have had live-in pets and they
have created some problems with the lodges."

 

He said the issue is going to be brought to a board meeting to establish a
policy regarding guide dogs.

 

"We haven't dealt with that because we simply haven't had a request prior to
this," he said.

 

"But we know there is evidence that there are certainly positive issues for
seniors, well for anybody for that matter, to have a pet around."

 

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