[nagdu] Why, or why not?

Fri Jun 19 23:07:08 UTC 2015

Dealing with the public does anger me sometimes, but I don't hold it
in. Don't count on me to rep the guide dog community because I am not
the one to hold back. If somebody thinks it's okay to violate my
personal space and treat me like I don't deserve the respect they
would give any other stranger, then I can show them the same
disrespect. It's not okay to go up to anyone and touch them, their
child, or anything on their person. Me and my dog should be covered by
the same common courtesies, but we aren't. I have no problem setting
people straight.
Most times, I ignore people who ask random questions about my dog. If
you don't care about me, I don't care about you, and so I'm not
talking to you. I have ignored people on buses, in grocery stores, in
airports, doctor's offices, and so on.
As a dog lover myself, I am sometimes interested in talking to other
people about their dogs, but only if we're doing something together or
sitting near each on a bus or in a waiting room. If you're just
passing me by somewhere or randomly walk up to me, oh no. I am not
wasting any attention on you. Also, if I just got off work, I'm not in
the move for chatting it up.
If someone tries to pet my dog, I usually tell them petting is a
distraction. And if they're standing too close or already petting, I
detonate.

And about the shedding thing, poodles are an option, though you have
to be willing to work with one. If you are willing, then definitely be
choosy and request one.
For people who have a fit over shedding, I just put down a towel in
the car for my golden to lay on. But I mean, if you've got windows
down, some hair is guaranteed to blow around.
I also groom my golden each morning, but they're maximum shedders, and
shed no matter. what. You can't stop them from shedding anymore than
you can stop a person from shedding skin, or stop a plant from
shedding. It's a part of being a living thing, so get used to it.
-- 
Raven
Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
www.1am-editing.com

You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
have or what you do.

Naturally-reared guide dogs
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs

On 6/19/15, Dan Weiner via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Well this is Dan W. from Florida, the other venerable Daniel on the list
> was
> the one who asked about negatives. I'll sign as Dan W. from now on so we
> can
> distinguish everyone. I personally think the more Dans or Daniels the
> better.
>
>
> I by and large agree with you, Sandra.
> Here's how I would put it maybe from a different angle, in life we have
> trade-offs.
> If you are blind, as has been pointed out by others on the list, you have
> limited choices for navigating a world made with the majority of sighted
> people in mind--lol
> 1. don't leave the house
> 2. use a sighted guide.
> 3. use a long white cane
> 4. use a guide dog.
> 5. I don't recommend this one...but I have met a few blind or visually
> impaired people who use no mobility aid and I'm quite impressed that they
> haven't been killed yet.
>
>
> A dog is a living thing, and therefore it requires care, affection, and all
> of that stuff.
> So the trade-off is that I deal with another living thing, take care of him
> and yes that can sometimes bseem cumbersome or burdensome, but I then can
> use his  and training  my  skills such as they are--lol, to to get around
> in
> my opinion much better than I would if I used a cane.
> I can give numerous experiential examples of why I think a dog guide is
> better than a cane  and worth every minute of trouble I go to for my furry
> friend.
> If taking care of a living thing is onerous to you then you will get no
> flak
> from me if you just say "look I can't deal with this".
> Remember it's the trade off.
> Out of the five choices above that I gave, two are really the only
> practical
> ones to be in quotes independent, the cane or the guide dog.
> So, if you want to get around by yourself, you choose between those two and
> that's it, guys.
>
>
> I admire you, Sandra, for your forty years of guide dog use, you must have
> some incredible experiences to tell us about.
> Yes I know what some of our fellow listers are talking about by the
> portrayal of the guide dog as a magical panacea, but frankly, when I go to
> our Federation conventions and here cane-users who've gone through our
> Centers I feel like saying "In the name of the Father, in the name of the
> Son..."  I think it is that really anything that you get or use or discover
> that makes an impact on your life is something you tend to extol.
>
> These newbie cane users make it sound like it's a magic wand.
> And of course, when guide dog programs started out there was to my
> knowledge
> no systematic cane training available, and it's true that the cane has not
> gotten much positive publicity., which certainly  is to be regretted. ..on
> the other hand, my comments of yesterday regarding my high opinion of the
> long white cane as a mobility aid still stand--lol.
>
> Warmest regards to all:
>
> Dan W.
>
> dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of S L Johnson via
> nagdu
> Sent: Friday, June 19, 2015 3:08 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: S L Johnson
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why, or why not?
>
> Hi,
>
> Personally I don't find any negatives about having a guide dog.  There are
> so many positives that nothing is too much work in order for me to have a
> dog.  , I always ask for a golden so I have lots of hair.  I brush her
> every
> night to keep the shedding down.  It is possible your dog had a medical
> issue that contributed to her excessive shedding.  Also if she were under a
> lot of stress that could have also caused her to shed more.  Stress for
> working dogs can cause all kinds of problems.   If people don't want dog
> hair, then maybe a dog isn't for them.  If people don't want my dog hair in
> their car, then I don't go anywhere with them.  My dog is more important
> than that inconsiderate person.  I suppose you could say high vet bills
> could be a negative but, even that is worth it because the dog gives you so
> much more independence.  It is a tough question to answer because what you
> see as a negative might not mean anything to someone else who will do
> absolutely anything to have a guide dog.  As for access issues, I don't
> have
> any problems with it and feel it is just one of the responsibilities of
> having a guide dog.  It is a personal decision and only you will be able to
> weigh the positives against the negatives n the end to make your decision.
> Whatever you decide, good luck.
>
> Sandra and Eva
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: daniel via nagdu
> Sent: Friday, June 19, 2015 12:05 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: daniel
> Subject: [nagdu] Why, or why not?
>
> Hey guys, I haven't posted to the list in a while mainly because I don't
> have my dog anymore; she was terrified of cars and couldn't do work
> properly
> because of it. I know this is going to come off a bit negatively but I
> don't
> mean it that way: I feel as if, guide dog users we have a tendency to extol
> the greatness of using a guide dog, we always say how amazing it is and
> wonderful having one by our side is but I feel that the cons aren't ever
> really discussed. I retired my dog roughly a year ago and, at the time, it
> was pretty tramatic (I literally cried for like an hour at a time). I'm now
> really contemplating going back to The Seeing Eye again and am really
> honestly wondering what kind of cons or negative things yall have ran into
> while using a dog? I know there is a huuuge range of people from just
> starting out to have had a dog for the past 20 years so I feel like I can
> get some really good feedback. I know one for me was (and this may sound
> odd
> or vain) was excessive shedding. I could brush and comb Irene for 30-45
> minutes every evening and morning and yet, every time I got in a car there
> would be fur everywhere and when I vacuumed I could've probably made a
> pillow every time. I have literally never in my life seen a dog shed as
> much
> as that and am quite frankly not sure where all the fur came from off a 45
> pound dog. However, I think I could deal with it again if I were to get
> another guide dog; I would just have to get even better at managing. I have
> a few others but I'm wondering what are some for yall?
>
> Again, I really am not trying to be negative just really trying to get the
> whole story.again.
>
> I'm also (obviously) trying to decide if I want to go back again (that's a
> whole other post though, I think). I'm also not really trying to say (nor
> do
> I want yet another debate) that canes are better than dogs or vice versa.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dan.
>
>
>
> P.s: This is a sort of spinoff from "would I ever give up having a dog?"
>
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