[nagdu] My response

[Applebutter Hill]

Daryl,
Well stated. I enjoyed it and agree with you.
Donna & Hunter

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Daryl Marie via
nagdu
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 4:04 PM
To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] My response

Hello,

I decided to get creative and write a response to the previous posted
article about guide dogs... and it got some attention!  The positive
responses have been overwhelming, so figured I would post.

https://blindbeader.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/all-blind-people-should-have-a-
guide-dog/

ALL Blind People should have a Guide Dog

Got your attention?

Good!

The title of this post is the first - and only - time I will tell an untruth
to my readers.  This is in response to a post entitled "5 Reasons why Guide
Dogs are a Terrible Idea."  I HATED this title, but agreed with the blog
post, at least in theory.

Recently, a blog post describing some of the "little" drawbacks of using a
guide dog made the rounds of social media and email discussion groups
frequented by the blind community.  It caused quite a stir, with varying
reaction, from full 100% support to outright disagreement.

I fall somewhere in the middle.  I think guide dog schools have a
responsibility to their students to let them know what they are getting into
- good, bad, inconvenient, wonderful.  In my experience - admittedly short
in comparison to many - this is not being done responsibly by many guide dog
schools.
The benefits of guide dogs are shown to students and sponsors, but the
process of getting to the point of a seasoned partnership is glossed over or
under-explained.
I have felt the frustrations of a first-time handler when I had a
super-distracted scavengy dog, not the Hallmark guide-doggie angel, and I
have seen it in other first-time handlers.  The frustration and
discouragement can be immense, especially when one feels alone.  That being
said, having a guide dog is NOT all doom-and-gloom and inconvenience.  I am
a good traveler, but I hate traveling in snowstorms, such as the 3 inches of
snow we're getting today, the first day of spring.  I love the challenge of
teaching my dog something new, and her absolute joyousness when she "gets
it."  I love having pedestrians ask for directions and take me seriously,
because for some reason my dog has magically given me extra IQ points or a
better sense of direction.  For me, the tradeoff is worth it.

But at the end of the day, a blind person has to make a choice for
themselves, and - with one exception - it is not mine to comment on.  My
friend Meagan has some very well-thought reasons  why a dog isn't right for
her, whether that's for right now or permanently.  Another friend admits he
would LOVE to be a guide dog handler, but recognizes that his living and
work situations are currently not conducive to working with one.  I know
others who, for complex reasons, have worked with a guide and realized that
it doesn't work for them, either returning the dog early or letting their
dog finish its working life and not returning for a successor.
Without exception, their stories are heartbreaking and emotionally complex,
because an emotional bond alone does not make a guide dog and handler a good
team.

Having a guide dog is in many ways like having a 5-year-old child with
above-average problem-solving skills.  Sometimes they are perfect little
angels; sometimes they just don't want to behave because that dropped peanut
butter sandwich or that dog halfway up the block is much more interesting;
sometimes they have valid reasons for their "misbehavior."  Recently, I have
also learned that being a guide dog handler is a bit like being a detective,
piecing together the clues about why the dog is doing XYZ - is it an
alarming behavior problem, or signalling an accompanying medical concern?
If one chooses to have a guide dog, one needs to be willing to work through
serious issues - whether alone, through peer advice, or with guidance from
their guide dog school - and if they cannot be worked through, to
acknowledge this fact.  One also has to be willing to work the dog, period,
giving the dog sufficient challenge as to keep their training sharp, and
sufficient routine as to give them stability.

I LOVE having a guide dog, inconveniences and all.  Sure, going outside in
-40 so my dog can pee is annoying, but she'll keep me safe in that snowstorm
when we have to walk home this afternoon.  Training or re-training new or
rusty behavior takes time - sometimes a little, sometimes a lot - but
nothing makes me happier than that wagging tail and upturned nose before I
get a chance to open my mouth and praise her.  Few things are scarier than
KNOWING there is something wrong and not being able to pinpoint it; few are
as comforting as knowing that, in its own doggie way, your guide is
communicating with you.

Many of my readers are friends and family of those who are visually
impaired, those who use guide dogs and those who do not.  Training with and
working a guide dog is not as simple as it has been portrayed, nor is it
constant drudgery.  Please allow your loved one to make a choice that is
right for them; whether or not you agree, few things piss off a blind person
more than the constant comments about having a dog (whether it's questions
about why one doesn't have a dog, or constant comments about the dog they
have).  For my blind/VI readers, do what keeps you safest and makes you feel
secure.  I've been where you are, whether using a cane or a dog; keep calm
and carry on!
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