[nagdu] Fwd: 5 Reasons Why Guide Dogs Are a Terrible Idea!

[Dan Weiner]

Well of course Craig.
The orthodox party line is supposed to be that having a guide dog and using
it will make no difference to your travel capabilities--sarcastic smile.
It is apparently unfashionable to admit that your dog does anything for you,
you are supposed to say that the dog is equal to the cane or the cane to the
guide dog and the dog just does nothing for you.
So if you believe that, then all you see are the disadvantages. 

That's my take on it.
Life has many trade-offs, I use a guide dog for the benefits I derive from
it and realize that there are downsides.


Dan the man, Parker the hound



-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Craig Heaps via
nagdu
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 9:33 AM
To: Aleeha Dudley; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fwd: 5 Reasons Why Guide Dogs Are a Terrible Idea!

I have no objection to this article, except that it is narrow in scope.  It
presents one side without the balancing factors.

Everything in life is a trade off. If I commit to one woman for a liftetime,
I do so to the exclusion of romantic relationships with all the others. If I
choose one career path, I must eschew others, at least while I pursue the
one I've chosen. . If I order one item on the menu, I must avoide gluttony
and not pick other entrees to go with it.

I thought long and hard before I got a guide dog. At the beginning, I was
just as likely to choose not to have one. I recognized every one of the five
things on that list. But as I weighed the benefits for having a dog, I
decided it was worth the price of admission, as it were.

Others might come to a different conclusion. And I respect that. But just as
having a guide dog is a terrible idea, it is also a wonderful idea. The two
are not mutually exclusive. I put up with the terrible every day because I
so benefit from the wonderful.

I will make one small confession.  Even as I walked away from graduation, I
wasn't 100% sure.  I told my wife I would commit to a year and then
reevaluate. There were times in that first year that I considered delivering
Chase back to GDB. But on the whole, he was such a boost that I journeyed
on. And I'm glad I did.

A little analagous secret: raising children is a terrible idea too. But it's
also a wonderful idea. I did that one as well and have two kids, both of
whom are wonderful adults.

So I'm glad I bought into the terrible idea of having a guide dog and the
terrible idea of having children. Both have had wonderful results.

Craig and Chase, who is ... well ... wondrufl (and very occasionally,
terrible)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Aleeha Dudley via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 6:51 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Fwd: 5 Reasons Why Guide Dogs Are a Terrible Idea!


> Just curious what you all think. This article greatly upset me, 
> especially given the subject line. But I wanted to see what you guys 
> thought, as the responses on the list that I saw this on our very mixed.
>
> If you're blind, you obviously read Braille. Your hearing must 
> naturally be
>> superior to your sighted peers, and of course you have a guide dog! 
>> Right?
>>
>> Well, that last may not be as pervasive as the first and second. 
>> Someone recently told me the number of guide dog users has actually 
>> declined in my millennial generation. I have no evidence proving this 
>> one way or the other, but for the general public, to see a blind 
>> person with a guide dog feels as natural as butter and toast.
>>
>> Thing is, I'm not so sure guide dogs are right for everyone. Or, 
>> maybe I'm just projecting my own uncertainties onto the rest of the 
>> community?
>>
>> Last November I took the first step in the application process to 
>> return for a second Seeing Eye dog. It's been more than three years 
>> since I lost Gator, and even though I've gotten around just fine with 
>> a white cane, I am approaching what feels like the final years with 
>> sight, however minimal that sight might be. I admit it's unnerving if 
>> I sit still long enough to contemplate total blindness. NFB 
>> philosophy be damned, and the thought of an extra set of eyes to help 
>> me navigate the world does bring a measure of comfort. But, is it 
>> enough to go get another dog?
>>
>> In no particular order, here are reasons why a guide dog would be a 
>> terrible
>> idea:
>>
>> Read more:
>>
>> http://serotalk.com/2015/03/18/5-reasons-why-guide-dogs-are-a-terribl
>> e-idea/
>>
>> --
>> Musings of a Work in Progress:
>> www.JoeOrozco.com/
>>
>> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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