[NAGDU] How are guide dogs receaved at national convention?

[Dan Weiner]

I remember coming across you several times,  at convention, David you 
and your Claire Rose were doing great, look forward to having our paths 
cross this year.


Dan




On 5/24/2017 2:22 PM, David via NAGDU wrote:
> Hello Heather,
>
> I went to my first NFB National Annual Convention last year with my 
> guide, 31 month-old Claire Rose.  We'd been together less than a 
> year.  I thought the convention went very well for both me and my 
> pup.  Of course, Claire Rose loves crowds and enjoys leading me 
> through people.  I think she looks at crowds as a way to prove her 
> stuff.  We had no unwelcome interference from dogs or people and 
> everyone seemed pretty considerate.  There are quite a few volunteers 
> helping out.  There were a number of long cane users who had no idea 
> how to use a cane, flailing left and right in wide arcs, totally 
> without restraint.  After a couple of whacks, Claire had an eye out 
> for them and she'd pull us over abruptly against a wall until we, or 
> they, passed.  She clearly enjoyed the outing and we've taken more 
> trips since then.
>
> I'm glad we went.
>
> David and Claire Rose in Clearwater, FL
> david at bakerinet.com
>
> On 5/22/2017 4:10 PM, Heather Bird via NAGDU wrote:
>> Hello, list. I am interested in any experiences that any of you can 
>> share regarding treatment of guide dogs at the NFB national 
>> conventions. I have never been to an NFB National convention. I've 
>> never been to an ACB national either. I have been to our New York 
>> state NFB convention, and that went very well, but it was much 
>> smaller, being a state convention, and from descriptions others have 
>> given me, that state convention was on the small side. I think there 
>> were a grand total of seven service dogs there, funnily enough, four 
>> of them were ` and five of which were all from the Seeing Eye. I have 
>> been given to understand that many state conventions are much, much 
>> larger than ours and that national is larger still. What I am asking, 
>> and what I am concerned about is how, generally, guide dogs are 
>> received by the membership. I've heard a few horror stories from 
>> guide dog users over the years, but as I wasn't a member of either of 
>> the two major blindness organizations at the time, it all blurred 
>> together and I can't recall now which stories were NFB national and 
>> which were ACB national, or which were from the sixties and which 
>> from the 90s on, and of course that all makes a big difference. So, I 
>> want to know from any of you who have attended convention, how did 
>> people react to you and your dog? If your dog misbehaved in a minor 
>> way and you immediately corrected the behavior and reestablished 
>> control did the other person let it go and move on, or did they get 
>> into your face or gossip about you and your dog? If another service 
>> dog handler's dog caused a problem for your dog, were the two of you 
>> able to work it out respectfully, or did things deteriorate? If 
>> someone accidentally stepped on your dog, hit them with a door or 
>> whacked them with a cane, did they apologize to you and inquire if 
>> your dog was alright, or did they blame you and curse you out? I'm 
>> sure that every one has had at least one good and at least one bad 
>> experience, but I am interested in whether the majority of the 
>> incidents were positive, or negative. When a negative incident 
>> occurred was it major or minor? More importantly, how was it 
>> resolved? Were you able to get help with moderate to major problems 
>> from your mentor, your chapter or affiliate leader or another person 
>> in authority? Were concerns over any incidents taken seriously, or 
>> brushed aside or was there victim blaming? I like to think that I am 
>> a great handler. I know that I am a good handler, and I think I can 
>> say that I am a great handler. Perfect? No, the best? again, no, but 
>> pretty darn competent and responsible. Ilsa is an excellent dog, but 
>> she is also pretty young. She will be about two and a half at the 
>> time of national. Realistically I know that she is likely to 
>> misbehave in very tiny ways, very frequently, but never or only 
>> extremely rarely in a more serious way. She is quick to sniff or wine 
>> or to start pulling my arm off, lots of energy, but she is also very 
>> quick to be corrected or re-directed, often purely verbal and she has 
>> no serious issues such as dog aggression, relieving accidents outside 
>> of illness, barking, etc. Any information, experience, feedback or 
>> wisdom that y'all can share would be very much appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks much.
>>
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