[Nfbf-l] Southeastern Guide Dog's Future Uncertain after attack in bradington

[lball42 at tampabay.rr.com]

I guess I am missing the point sherril how
w is the Southeastern Guide dogs future uncertain. is this just a play on words which the damn media is so good at 
---- Sherrill O'Brien via Nfbf-l <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org> wrote: 
> Hello to all,
> 
> I wanted to pass along this disturbing article about an attack on a guide
> dog in Bradington. Unfortunately, as usual, the police seem unaware that
> Florida has a specific statute, FS413.081, which addresses attacks on
> service dogs. I will be contacting the dog's owner today to let him know
> about this statute and offer FLAGDU's assistance if he so wishes.
> Thankfully the guide dog was not seriously injured physically, but as the
> article states, time will tell whether she has been traumatized by this
> frightening thing which happened to her.
> I'll keep you posted.
> The story is pasted here following my signature, and the link to it is at
> the end. Of course, just when you think the article is pretty well written,
> the mushy stuff gets thrown in!
> 
> Sherrill O'Brien, President
> Florida Association of Guide Dog Users
> 
> January 8, 2016 11:51 PM 
> Southeastern guide dog's future uncertain after attack in Bradenton 
> 
> By AMARIS CASTILLO acastillo at bradenton.com
> BRADENTON -- Richard Draper remembers seeing only a white flash in the
> second his guide dog, Andie, was attacked.
> 
> It was Monday afternoon and the Bradenton resident, who is legally blind
> with a little distorted vision, was walking along the 4000 block of Southern
> Parkway
> with Andie when a witness said three dogs attacked the female guide dog.
> 
> Draper, 58, recounted the horrific incident from his living room two days
> later beside his wife, Sonia Draper. Andie, who was given to Draper 2 1/2
> years
> ago by the nonprofit organization Southeastern Guide Dogs, suffered puncture
> wounds in the attack.
> 
> Head resting on her paws, Andie lay peacefully by Draper's feet. Her future
> as a guide dog is now uncertain, and only time will tell if she will be able
> to work again.
> "I've been lost," Draper said about no longer having his "eyes" with him.
> "Andie is like my radar."
> 
> According to a Manatee County Animal Services activity card, two dogs came
> out of Manuel Welborn's garage and went after Andie.
> 
> "Draper was not bitten, however his guide dog Andie, a female Lab, did have
> blood spots under her neck," the document states.
> 
> Draper remembers yelling at the first dog to stop. He soon found himself in
> the median during the scuffle, halfway across the street from Robert H.
> Prine
> Elementary School.
> 
> "I'm trying to kick this dog and I'm trying to kick at it and he keeps
> lunging at Andie," Draper said. "I'm kicking and then another dog grabbed my
> leg."
> 
> Robert Hodgin, who lives in the neighborhood, was walking his golden
> retriever when he heard the commotion between Draper, Andie, and three dogs
> he described
> as pitbulls.
> 
> "One dog grabbed his pants, the other grabbed his dog in the throat and the
> other was snapping at him," Hodgin said.
> 
> The 71-year-old said he jumped in to give Draper some relief.
> 
> "It was so quick. You don't know whether you should have been involved or
> not, but I felt sorry for him," Hodgin said. "I didn't want my dog to be
> attacked,
> but I ran up there anyway and got in the middle."
> 
> One of the dogs finally let go after he kicked it in the side several times,
> Hodgin said.
> 
> Welborn, the owner of the dogs, then came out, according to Hodgins.
> 
> "He's giving us heck for being mean to his dog," Hodgins said. "They were
> like wolves. Once they got a hold of him, they wouldn't let go."
> 
> In the activity card issued by MCAS, a Bradenton police officer who
> responded to the scene reported there were only two dogs. But Hodgin said
> there were
> three and, according to the MCAS document, Welborn admitted to having a
> third dog but said she was not involved in the attack.
> 
> An Animal Services officer cited Welborn for dog at large causing injury.
> 
> "It was just a big misunderstanding," Welborn said briefly when reached by
> phone Thursday afternoon.
> 
> A second attempt to reach him for further comment was unsuccessful.
> 
> Draper expressed anger at the responding police officer, who Draper accused
> of handling the situation like a "regular dog bite case." He added that the
> guide dog's training alone is worth $60,000.
> 
> "Andie is my husband's eyes, period," Sonia said.
> 
> Since the incident, Sonia said it's been strange to see Richard navigating
> with his cane.
> 
> The couple later spoke to Bradenton Police Sgt. Joseph Kelly about the
> incident.
> 
> "He did speak with the couple and the issue has been referred to the
> officer's direct supervisor, which is Lt. Jeremy Giddens, who is going to
> look into
> the issue," said Bradenton Police Captain William Fowler. "We recognize that
> there are specific types of working dogs and that seeing eye dogs is a
> specific
> type of working dog. As far as having any formal training with them, we have
> none."
> 
> Officers, Fowler added, generally don't deal with guide dogs.
> 
> This is the third reported attack on a Southeastern guide dog nationwide,
> according to Suzy Wilburn, the organization's director of Admissions and
> Graduate
> Services. The other two incidents happened in North Carolina and South
> Carolina.
> 
> "We have to give Andie time enough to heal first and put the harness back on
> her and see if she's willing to work again," Wilburn said. "Sometimes we
> have
> dogs that are traumatized from events like this, and they connect it to
> having the harness on and being in a working mode, and then they decide that
> working
> is what caused this trauma to them and they refuse to work."
> 
> Andie, Wilburn said, may recover from this but she needs time. Wilburn said
> the organization will check in with Draper in a week or so to see how Andie
> is faring. If she doesn't seem withdrawn, Wilburn said the organization will
> then send a trainer to the Draper home to work with her.
> 
> "I think this situation brings to light that a lot of education needs to be
> done for what a guide dog is and how important they are," Wilburn said.
> "Pets
> are one thing, but this is different. A guide dog is somebody's lifeline to
> freedom."
> 
> The Drapers hope this story helps the community-at-large to understand the
> importance of a guide dog in the life of a person with a disability.
> 
> "There's a lot of ignorance, a lot of misunderstanding," Sonia said.
> 
> In a way, Andie is a magnet to Draper. At one point, she jumped onto the
> couch and nestled on his lap.
> 
> From the moment Draper gets up in the morning, she follows him everywhere.
> Andie serves as his eyes, leading Draper and never failing to follow the
> server
> to their table whenever they go to any restaurant.
> 
> "She's with me all the time," Draper said as he pet Andie. "She keeps me
> safe."
> 
> Amaris Castillo, law enforcement/island reporter, can be reached at
> 941-745-7051. Follow her on Twitter @AmarisCastillo.
> 
> http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/article53682568.html
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Nfbf-l mailing list
> Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Nfbf-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/lball42%40tampabay.rr.com