[nagdu] Blind Woman Says Law Enforcement Offered No Help to Her Dying Service Dog

[Cindy Ray]

I think that it is odd that the police officer did not help. I don’t think you could actually find a law suit in there. There isn’t a guarantee that the dog would have survived for one thing. For another, in 45 minutes, I would have called for a cab or to the vet to see if they had suggestions. Still, I would have thought that someone would have helped in this, and it does seem callus and unfeeling. It’s a part of the “don’t want to get involved” mentality. And yes, the are canine units. I know that when a dog here got left in a car too long, and it was a canine partner, or whatever, and it died, there was truly an outcry here. It is truly sad.

Cindy Lou Ray

On Jul 10, 2014, at 4:40 PM, Buddy Brannan via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> While I’m sure the policeman had no legal obligation to help, what about a moral obligation for, I don’t know, a human being doing something decent for another human being? Of course, I guess any of the humans in the restaurant could have stood up to help if the cop didn’t, but still. Sigh.
> 
> On Jul 10, 2014, at 5:10 PM, Timothy J. Meloy via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
>> Wow unbelievable. I'm conscionable actually. Had guides are extensions of us. Has to be grounds for a lawsuit in there somewhere.
>> T.J.
>> 
>>> On Jul 10, 2014, at 2:44 PM, Ginger Kutsch via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Blind Woman Says Law Enforcement Offered No Help to Her Dying Service Dog 
>>> 
>>> NBC 6 South Florida
>>> 
>>> http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Blind-Woman-Says-Law-Enforcement-Offered-
>>> No-Help-to-Her-Dying-Service-Dog-266498871.html
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> A blind South Florida woman said in her time of need, Miami-Dade Police and
>>> 911 turned their back on her and because of that, the service animal who
>>> took her everywhere is dead.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Nancy Alfonso said she was dining at a restaurant in Doral with another
>>> woman who also had her dog, when Alfonso's dog became violently ill. Nancy
>>> said the dog, named Kiroo, was in good health until he started vomiting
>>> inside the restaurant.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Alfonso said she was begging for help to rush the dog to the vet, which was
>>> about a mile away. However, the women said a police officer who was at the
>>> scene and a 911 operator didn't lift a finger to help.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> "He (Kiroo) needed help and inside the restaurant was the police," Alfonso
>>> said. "He (officer) came out at the door and he said, "Ah, it's a dog" and
>>> he went inside too. Nobody helped us."
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The manager at the restaurant told NBC 6 the dog was lying on the pavement
>>> and a uniformed Miami-Dade Police officer was eating inside.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> "Luz asked the police, 'You don't have a service dog with you too? What if
>>> this happened to your dog," Nancy said. "And he said we'll take to our car.
>>> And you cannot take this animal who is a guide dog for a blind person? You
>>> don't care about a blind person?"
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The manager said he called 911 and told them it was a service dog in
>>> trouble.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> "They were no help at all," Nancy said.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Nancy and her friend estimated that 45 minutes passed before a Good
>>> Samaritan drove Kiroo to the Doral Centre Animal Hospital. Unfortunately for
>>> Kiroo, it was too late.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Miami-Dade Police said there is nothing in their policy that directs an
>>> officer to transport an animal. A disability expert NBC 6 spoke to said the
>>> situation falls into a gray area and a law enforcement officer may have more
>>> of a duty to take action than the 911 operator.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> MDPD said before they can even investigate the incident further, they need
>>> to confirm that it was a MDPD officer on the scene and an official complaint
>>> about what happened would need to be filed and none of that has happened.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Nancy said she hopes her story will help prevent the incident from happening
>>> again.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> "To bring people more conscious that the dog is of course not a human being,
>>> but the dog is a service animal and we are human. We are human. Blind, but
>>> we are human," Nancy said. "And the police department also has service
>>> animals."
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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