[NAGDU] Guiding Eyes dog attacked twice, owner speaking up for all service animals

Sun Apr 29 23:31:22 UTC 2018

Cindy,

Yes, I too thought of our dogs being protective and the way that you described. However, like you said, most would not interpret our dogs protecting us as the way you described. This is just my opinion but, I think that when we as handler’s speak to the media, it is important that we stick to factual information. And if we do not, it is important to clarify certain things. For example, had this woman described what she meant by her dog protecting her, it would be OK. Instead, one comes away from reading the article believing that guide dogs also serve as guard dogs. 

What I also find interesting is that as far as we know, the handler in question or the school has not corrected this miss information about the dogs protecting us. I know the article regarding comfort pets was discussed on this list. I follow guide dogs for the blind on Facebook and they not only posted the article but promoted it. I know I didn’t comment on this issue on this list but, on guide dogs for the blind Facebook page, I did point out that there was no such thing as a comfort pet and that service dog such as guide dogs are not considered comfort pets. I also indicated that it was shoddy reporting and stated that I thought it was sad that guide dogs for the blind was promoting this misinformation given that the article was riddled with inaccuracies. But, in discussing this issue with another guy dog handler, sadly, I came to the conclusion that some of these schools will do anything for PR in order to keep the dollars  coming to help those poor blind people. Just my cynical opinion. :-)

Milissa

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 29, 2018, at 5:13 PM, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I rather felt the same way about it stating that the dog protects her. Of
> course "protects" has more than one meaning, but it is a perception many
> have that our guides are also guard dogs. The dogs in guiding do protect us
> in a way, keeping us from going down open excavations, maybe running into
> some things, going around obstacles, ut people don't usually interpret
> "protect" that way in my opinion.
> Cindy Lou Ray
> cindyray at gmail.com
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Milissa Garside via
> NAGDU
> Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2018 3:54 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Milissa Garside <mgarside2 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Guiding Eyes dog attacked twice, owner speaking up for
> all service animals
> 
> I thought this was pretty good minus the fact that it said her guide dog
> protects her. 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 29, 2018, at 4:45 PM, Ginger Kutsch via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>> 
>> Guiding Eyes dog attacked twice, owner speaking up for all service 
>> animals
>> 
>> April 25, 2018
>> 
>> http://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/guiding-eyes-dog-attacked-twic
>> e-owne
>> r-speaking-up-for-all-service-animals/1139855296
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Guiding Eyes dog, "Caffrey," his job is to be part of a team with his 
>> owner Tonya Corujo. Together, they go to a variety of places, run 
>> errands and maybe even take a trip.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> In the past few months, Caffrey was attacked by the same dog twice in 
>> and around Corujo's apartment building. Though puncture wounds to 
>> Caffrey's ears have since healed -- Corujo says he still gets anxious.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Inside their home, Corujo says Caffrey is fine, but leaving the 
>> apartment to work is a challenge since the attacks.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "When he hears or sees a dog, he gets a bit anxious and he wants to 
>> cower behind me because he just isn't sure what the dog is going to 
>> do," Corujo said. "Which is not fair to me because he's been 
>> professionally trained and he shouldn't be afraid in his own environment."
>> 
>> Guiding Eyes dogs, takes two years and can cost about $50,000.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Guiding Eyes prepares each dog to handle everyday situations and adapt 
>> easily no matter where their travels make take them.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> When Corujo and Caffrey are out, they take initiative when there is a 
>> person with another dog approaching them. Corujo puts Caffrey in a 
>> "sit" position and then lets the other person and dog pass by.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> If someone is approaching her with a young child, Corujo says she will 
>> use it as a teaching opportunity.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "I start explaining that, you know, he is a guy dog and this is what 
>> he does for me and this is how he protects me. Once I do that, I might 
>> let them pet him after that," Corujo said.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> This service dog etiquette is common, according to Ben Cawley, 
>> director of admissions for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "If you're not sure what to do, you can approach and say, 'hi', but 
>> that can be distracting to the team," Cawley explained. "Ask the 
>> handler if the dog can say, "hello," and take a break from work. They 
>> have a lot of responsibility when they're out. They worked hard and 
>> trained to be in public spaces interacting with the public."
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Cawley says Guiding Eyes graduates like Caffrey are ambassadors for 
>> the program, so it's crucial for everyone to understand their role and 
>> properly approach them when they're working.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Guiding Eyes is working with Caffrey to help him shake anxiety issues 
>> from the attacks.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "Dog attacks can cause injury but also mental stress," Cawley shared. 
>> "We will work on getting the dog comfortable with guide work and help 
>> the dog find work positive again. Sometimes we retire teams because a 
>> guide dog is stressed out and the handler can be stressed as well."
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Every day, Corujo says she is doing her part to make Caffrey's work 
>> life positive again.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> As the team continues to work together, Corujo says she hopes her 
>> message will not only help other service dogs stay safe, but encourage 
>> all pet owners to be more responsible.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Since the second attack, the a Syracuse Police Dog Control Officer 
>> handling the case tells us the dog that attacked Caffrey has been 
>> removed from the building and the owner could face a fine after being
> ticketed.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Welcoming a New Guide Dog Team to Your Community:
>> 
>> -Don't distract a working dog.
>> 
>> -Don't give the dog table food.
>> 
>> -Keep your pet on his leash. 
>> 
>> -Always ask for permission before interacting with the dog
>> 
>> -Help spot service dog fraud. If you encounter a service dog team that 
>> you believe to be fraudulent, alerting the handler, management or law 
>> enforcement can make a big difference.
>> 
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