[nagdu] Perspectives on Guide Dogs

Mon Oct 20 23:15:41 UTC 2014

Hi Rachel,

I will try to answer your questions as accurately as I can. I've only
had my dog for three months so I don't have too much experience.

1. Based on your experiences, which dog breeds do you feel make the
best guide dogs and why?
I have only had one dog, a Lab/Golden cross. I have seen both positive
and negative aspects of each breed as it relates to guiding. In my
opinion, I believe that an individual dog's personality is more
important than the breed.

2. How have the dynamics in your home been changed since you got a
guide dog, especially your relationships with family and other pets?
If so, how do you keep a balance between your relationships?
When you bring a dog into your home, if is necessary to set some
boundaries with family, friends, and other pets. My friends know they
shouldn't pet or talk to my dog and have no problem with this. My
family members have proven to be slightly more difficult but my
relationships have not been effected too much. For example, my family
members know and respect the fact that they can not feed my dog
anything but tend to complain about the restriction I put on
interacting with my dog. My pet dog and guide have pretty much learned
to ignore one another. If they do not respect one another I.E. take
each others toy or growl (the pet not the guide), the offending dog is
removed or redirected. My guide dog ignores my pet rabbit when she is
in her cage but has to be put on tie-down or in another room when she
is out of her cage.

3. Do you feel that people tend to be drawn to you because of your dog
rather than your own qualities? If so, have you done anything to
change that?
I definitely receive more attention from people when I am using my
guide; however, those who are only interested in the dog move on
quickly or I end the conversation. Although I don't particularly enjoy
spending time talking to unfamiliar people, I would rather they talk
to me about my dog rather than avoid me while using my cane.

4. Have any of you ever been aware of housing or job discrimination
because of your dog? If so, please explain.
I have never faced any serious discrimination with my dog but as I
said previously, I have only had a dog for three months.

5. Where and when do you believe it is appropriate to have your dog
with you, and where and when should one leave the dog at home? For
example, is it appropriate to take your dog to a job interview?
You can bring your dog almost anywhere. Where you chose to bring your
dog depends both on your preferences and your dogs personality. It is
absolutely appropriate to bring your dog to a job interview. Leaving
your dog at home could bring up questions as to why you did so and in
my opinion, it is better to learn a potential employers reaction to
your dog sooner rather than later.

6. For those of you who are fond of sports such as running, hiking,
and the like, are you able to use your dog as a mobility aid while
participating in these activities?
I used my dog while hiking and had no problems. It may take a bit of
adjusting for both you and your dog to handle rougher terrain, but it
is definitely possible. You can use your dog to run as long as you use
an appropriate harness or only the leash. It is probably a good idea
to run in familiar areas with a limited number of obstacles since you
will have less time to react to your dog's movements.

7. Do you think it is appropriate for a mobility instructor te use a guide dog?
I don't see why it can't be done; however, I'm sure someone else can
offer you more information. As long as you know how a cane should be
used, it shouldn't be too difficult to teach someone else. Also,
obtaining a dog does not mean you can never use your cane again.

8. What are some of the emotional benefits that your guide dog has provided you?
My dog provides increased opportunity for mobility and safety because
he allows me to avoid obstacles and find objects more easily. He makes
me feel safer crossing streets and traveling through areas with
overhanging obstacles.

9. Have you ever encountered folks who had dog alergies or fear of
dogs? If so, how did you deal with that?
I've only encountered a few people with allergies or fear of dogs. The
people I have encountered with dog allergies kept a respectful
distance from my dog and didn't pet him, which worked for both of us.
Anyone with a mild dog allergy should know to keep a distance from my
dog if possible. If possible, I would try not to sit near these
people. I understand fear of dogs and will respect the personal space
of anyone with such a fear. If an individual is fearful of my dog,
they can keep their distance; however, I also will not tolerate
blatant disrespect.

10.  What are some ways of finding a balance between treating your
guide dog as a "soul mate" and simply using the guide dog as a
mobility aid? I know that some of you might have extremely intimate
relationships with your dogs and think of them on equal terms with a
child or spouse. While I see nothing wrong with this, I personally do
not want to think of my dog that way; I want it simply to be my
partner and my companion. I do not want it to get in the way of my
relationships with my human family. I also, however, want to give my
dog no less attention and love than any animal deserves. What are some
ways of developing healthy boundaries with your dog?
It is important to remember that your guide is a dog first. Yes, it is
a tool but it also has feelings and emotions which need to be
respected and attended to.

11. As blind people, we know that using a guide dog instead of a cane
makes no difference in the independence of the person. The average
sighted person, however, is not educated in our mobility aids, and
many of them have their own preconceived ideas about why one may use a
cane or a dog. Based on your experiences, do you balieve that the
overall public perception would favor a cane user or a dog user? For
example, do you believe that you might have a greater chance getting a
certain job if you brought your dog or your cane to the interview?
Another example: Do you believe that a sighted person would be more or
less inclined to want to date a blind person with a dog or without
one?
I believe overall public perception favors dog users. I have noticed
that people view "running into something" with a cane as failure
although of course this isn't true. Seeing a dog walk right around
this same obstacle however often brings admiration of the dog's work.
Dog users are usually viewed as more independent by sighted
individuals, though cane users seem to have the opposite

Danielle and Thai

On 10/20/14, The Pawpower Pack via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Rachel,
> Interesting questions, and I'll be interested to see people's answers.
> As for me, I'm Deafblind, with balance and mobility issues. My dog goes
> everywhere I go. I left my dog one time in the last year and only because it
> was something she could not do, and because I was with a sign language
> interpreter whom I have full trust to help me and not misuse that power.
> I am starting Skatejoring or scooterjoring with my dog, and a little
> Canicross. These are dogsports people do with dogs.
> I have always been a person more comfortable around animals than other
> people, and prefered a great deal of solitude with just my animals. This was
> even before a guide dog entered my life.  I have familial and friend
> relationships, but people really exhaust me, and I recharge best in the
> quiet with just my dogs.
> My boyfriend does not have a dog, but he respects my relationships with mine
> and has never asked me to leave my dog home.  My boyfriend is Deafblind
> also.
> I have had some discrimination about my dog, but I resolved it as best as I
> could. People are sometimes afraid, but my dog doesn't get into their space
> and the way I see it, everyone has the right to go into public.  Of course
> people have the right not to have my dog in their private space, car, homes,
> etc. And I will not go if my dog is not welcome, because I do not like to be
> without my eyes and ears.
> Good luck in making the right decision for you!
>
>  Rox and the kitchen Bitches:
> Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
> Pawpower4me at gmail.com
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Oct 20, 2014, at 4:01 PM, Rachel Grider via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Hello, Everyone:
>>
>> My name is Rachel Gvider, and I just joined this list. I recently filled
>> out the online portion of an application for a guide dog at Guide Dogs for
>> the Blind, and I will be having my phone interview tomorrow. Although I am
>> about 99.5% sure that I will follow through with getting a guide dog, I
>> still have some concerns, and I thought it might be helpful to pose my
>> questions to you all. Feel free to answer any or all questions that you
>> want.
>>
>> 1. Based on your experiences, which dog breeds do you feel make the best
>> guide dogs and why?
>>
>> 2. How have the dynamics in your home been changed since you got a guide
>> dog, especially your relationships with family and other pets? If so, how
>> do you keep a balance between your relationships?
>>
>> 3. Do you feel that people tend to be drawn to you because of your dog
>> rather than your own qualities? If so, have you done anything to change
>> that?
>>
>> 4. Have any of you ever been aware of housing or job discrimination
>> because of your dog? If so, please explain.
>>
>> 5. Where and when do you believe it is appropriate to have your dog with
>> you, and where and when should one leave the dog at home? For example, is
>> it appropriate to take your dog to a job interview?
>>
>> 6. For those of you who are fond of sports such as running, hiking, and
>> the like, are you able to use your dog as a mobility aid while
>> participating in these activities?
>>
>> 7. Do you think it is appropriate for a mobility instructor te use a guide
>> dog?
>>
>> 8. What are some of the emotional benefits that your guide dog has
>> provided you?
>>
>> 9. Have you ever encountered folks who had dog alergies or fear of dogs?
>> If so, how did you deal with that?
>>
>> 10.  What are some ways of finding a balance between treating your guide
>> dog as a "soul mate" and simply using the guide dog as a mobility aid? I
>> know that some of you might have extremely intimate relationships with
>> your dogs and think of them on equal terms with a child or spouse. While I
>> see nothing wrong with this, I personally do not want to think of my dog
>> that way; I want it simply to be my partner and my companion. I do not
>> want it to get in the way of my relationships with my human family. I
>> also, however, want to give my dog no less attention and love than any
>> animal deserves. What are some ways of developing healthy boundaries with
>> your dog?
>>
>> 11. As blind people, we know that using a guide dog instead of a cane
>> makes no difference in the independence of the person. The average sighted
>> person, however, is not educated in our mobility aids, and many of them
>> have their own preconceived ideas about why one may use a cane or a dog.
>> Based on your experiences, do you balieve that the overall public
>> perception would favor a cane user or a dog user? For example, do you
>> believe that you might have a greater chance getting a certain job if you
>> brought your dog or your cane to the interview? Another example: Do you
>> believe that a sighted person would be more or less inclined to want to
>> date a blind person with a dog or without one?
>>
>> Those are all my questions for now, and I will be discussing some of them
>> with the folks at Guide Dogs as well. I balieve that in the end, any
>> doubts that I have now will be outweighed by the benefits of having a
>> guide dog. I appologize if any of you are offended by the blundness of
>> some of my question--I have deep respect for all methods in which blind
>> people use for travel, and I understand that everyone has his/her own way
>> of working with a guide dog that works for that person.
>>
>> Thank you in advance for your responces!
>>
>> Cheers!
>>
>> Rachel
>>
>> rachelgrider.com
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>
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