[nagdu] national convention

[Jack Rupert]

While this was my first time at a national convention I must say that I was
pretty impressed with all the guide dog users.

While for the most part most dogs were on their best behavior and only did I
run into a couple situations that was of concern.

My biggest concern the whole time I was there is that while Cane users for
the most part were pretty respectable to me

and my guide dog. However there were instances where the person using the
cane just kept trying to push their way around the guide dog

thus my guide dog took some cane beatings. As I am not used to being around
that many cane users at one time it was a real challenge

for me to negotiate using my guide dog. My guide dog is trained to do many
various things for me and had no trouble getting me around

the convention center and motel. Finding the elevators, the restrooms, the
restaurants and of course the busy area. We adjusted well,

after the first couple days of being around so many cane users.

 

As I come from an area that has a large population of blind individuals I
have not had the opportunity to be in social situations

where I have experienced so many at once. As a person who is not totally
blind I have the advantage of being able to tell when

to give my dog a command to find a way hopefully without running in to the
cane user. I want membership to know that I am not writing this

as a complaint but rather as education and awareness two those of us who use
guide dogs and those of us who do not will become

better blind individuals. My guide dog is a great service to me and I know
nothing but having a guide dog as I got my first guide dog shortly

after being legally declared blind which was in 2009. Now that doesn't make
me an expert but I sure as a world no when my guide dog

is being stressed from being hit with canes.

 

In my busy schedule I did have time to attend one of the two meetings that
the national guide dog users had. My only thought and concern is

the challenge in the way that the program would be set up for blind people
being instructors for guide dogs to be used for other blind people.

I am concerned that we can find good breeders with the best stock that we
can obtain and be able to train them to meet the needs of the ever-growing

blind population. As my guide dogs have both come from the guide dog
foundation Americas that dogs, being trained by certified trainers in

a dual certified school makes me have concern that we can train dogs in the
NFB that are equal to or better than our guide dog schools that are

ready doing business. I know there are schools that charge a fee for their
dogs and then there is an ownership issue but I also know there are schools

that you can get your dog free of charge and have immediate ownership and I
think that is the most important part of having a guide dog,

is that when you leave that school that dog becomes yours and nobody can
take it away from you unless there's an abuse case.

 

I am sure that I am going to get lots of positive and negative feedback on
this post but this is the way that I feel is a guide dog user of five years.

Realizing that five years is not a very long time considering there are
people who have been using guide dogs for 15 or 20 or 25 years and I also
have paid their dues

a relationship to dog handling and ownership and everything that goes along
with the guide.

 

Before I got my first guide dog I checked into every guide dog school in
United States. I checked to see what their return rate was how their
training was done,

where they got their dogs from, where they bred in house or do they come
from a breeding farm. The length of time in school and the after care and
follow-up

from the school were also determining factors in choosing a school. In all
this research I found that the guide dog foundation/Americas that dogs
offered what I was looking for,

and I would highly recommend anyone getting a guide dog either for the first
time or a replacement one to check out what the guide dog foundation has to
offer.

 

I hope everybody had a great time at the convention and made it home safely.