[nagdu] Why, or why not?

Wed Jun 24 21:42:56 UTC 2015

					This post is excellent Alitia. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alysha via nagdu
Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2015 4:07 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Alysha
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why, or why not?

I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about the cons of having a guide dog. I
love working a dog and have no intention to go back to the cane, but I think
there are certain cons that people should consider that aren't discussed as
often. Obviously we all have to deal with annoying questions from the
public, but there are also other situations where having a dog can create
issues with other people. Say for example everyone in your office is going
out for lunch. If you want to join in, you have to find someone who is OK
with having some dog hair in their car because no matter how often you
groom, there will always be hair. What if your family or close friends
aren't dog people? I've seen this cause some very hurtful conflicts when,
for example, my friend's family asked her not to bring her very well-behaved
dog to Christmas or to her grandfather's funeral. Also, the recent thread
about Deryl's coworker who is afraid of dogs illustrated that dogs can
sometimes cause conflict and stress in the workplace. I had a similar
situation a few years ago where a coworker claimed (and I think his claims
were not completely true) that he had allergies to my dog. This meant that
my dog was restricted from certain parts of the building, and meetings were
always an issue. At work, I have a large lab space, and my dog has a bed
along one wall. A few months ago, my supervisor actually asked me if we
could buy some extra furniture to hide my dog from view because he felt that
people were looking at him instead of paying attention in meetings. Of
course, I said no! If you live with someone else, you have to trust that
they will follow the rules you set related to your dog. For example, one of
my friends family members left socks lying on the floor that his dog ate.
After a $4,000 surgery, his dog was alright, but carelessness by other
people you live with can have serious consequences. All of this can be kind
of exhausting sometimes, and there was a time when issues like these made me
think of not getting another dog. I've decided though that I won't let other
people dictate what I do in my life, and I'm not going to sacrifice the
awesomeness of having a guide dog because of other people.

Now I'd like to mention some examples of problems that can be caused by the
dog itself. Both of my guide dogs have had issues with dog distractions.
This means that every time I pass by a dog on a walk, I feel somewhat tense
and worried. I wish I could go walking and not worry about what encounters I
might have with other dogs. Also, what if your dog becomes ill or
temporarily unable to work? Last year, the night before I was about to leave
town for an important meeting, my dog began vomiting and having diarrhea. I
took him to the vet immediately, but I wasn't able to feed him a bland diet
of chicken and rice while in a hotel, and I wasn't comfortable with the
possibility of him making a mess at this meeting. I wound up finding someone
to watch him while I was away, but I don't know what I would have done if I
hadn't found someone last minute to take care of him. When I take my dog to
day long meetings or conferences, I feel like my time to network and chat is
limited because I always have to make extra time to take him outside and get
him water. Usually, the amount of time allotted for breaks at these types of
events is sufficient for only one of us, me or my dog, to take a restroom
break. Having a dog means that I will always have to worry about dog hair on
my clothes. It also requires me to think ahead and plan more. For example, I
keep some dog food at the office in case I have to unexpectedly work late, I
always carry a portable water bowl in my purse, and I have poop bags in
every bag or pocket I own. With a dog, I will never have leg room on
airplanes or in cars. When I travel, my bags are probably twice as full as
they were before I got a dog because of dog food and supplies, and when I'm
on long flights, I constantly worry in the back of my mind if my dog will be
able to hold it the entire time. Everyone says you can walk faster with a
dog, but it sometimes doesn't work out that way if your dog is bored or
uncertain. Sometimes I find myself creeping down the halls at work if my dog
isn't feeling too excited to visit the break room yet again. Working a dog
can be quite an emotional roller coaster. When you start working with the
dog, your excited, nervous, and probably frustrated as you learn to work
well as a team. When you have built a strong partnership with your dog, it's
absolutely wonderful. But you'll inevitably have to retire the dog which is
extremely difficult. So those are just a few examples of some cons of having
a guide dog apart from the extra costs, work, and public attention they
bring. I think the positives of having a guide dog outweigh the negatives,
but it's important to consider all the negatives as well.

Alysha
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of daniel via nagdu
Sent: Saturday, June 20, 2015 12:14 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: daniel
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why, or why not?

Thank you all for all the input! One thing that I've knowticed is that the
overall feeling that the public asks too many questions. I think it's
probably because I'm pretty straight forward and say what I'm thinking. So
if they do get on my nerves (unlikely) they'll know. But I do generally
enjoy educating the public so that's not an issue for me. Even though I have
had a dog (all be it shortly) in the past another thing I'm worried about is
exploring new places from time-to-time. When I got my first seeing eye Dog
the first 2 months or so back home I didn't really want to try exploring new
places without someone sighted to at least have had seen roughly the area I
would be going so I could know kinda sorta what to expect (it should be
noted that at that time I had just moved into a new apartment so I had to
learn new places). But after that initial 2 or 3 month period is when my dog
started having issues with vehicles so I tried my hardest to avoid any type
of transportation therefore I didn't really get to go new places. Anyway,
the upshot of this is this: I feel that some people really push me to only
stay on routes I know unless I have sighted assistance that can help me with
a otherwise unseen route. This just doesn't mesh with me though; I like to
get out and find something new from time-to-time, maybe go walking downtown
and find a new place to eat at (Austin has a lot of amazing restaurants). So
I'm kinda curious about what yalls thoughts are on going new places with
your dog? What do you do in this situation if maybe sighted assistance just
isn't available? I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone that has
decided that a dog just really isn't for you and the reasoning behind it. I
know that isn't related to this topic so if you want, you can email me at: 
Gutz2020 at gmail.com
Thanks a bunch,
Dan G!!!
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Star Gazer via
nagdu
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2015 6:11 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Star Gazer
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why, or why not?

				Daniel,
I'd suggest that if your previous dog shed *that* much, then she had a
medical issue, I'd guess hypothyroidism(sp?) I had a dog like this, and I
didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that I would cringe because I
heard "You need to brush that dog more" and I could have brushed her
literally all day everyday and still gotten lots of hair out. 
I did take her to the vet and they swore up and down she was healthy...
because the school wouldn't send "you home with an unhealthy dog". This was
nearly twenty years ago, and I lacked the resources to dig into what was
really going on. I still feel a little guilty about that. 
Now that we've gotten the shedding licked (sorry I had to go there) what are
your other concerns? I ask because you're not wrong for having them. I no
longer use a dog, and you aren't wrong if you decide you don't want to. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 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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