[Nfbsf] Press Release State Board of Guide Dogs

[Eric Holm]

       |          Who:| Board President Jeff Neidich; Board Member Eric
Holm; Executive |

       |              | Officer Antonette Sorrick - State Board of Guide
Dogs for the   |

       |              | Blind; SFPD Sergeant William Herndon and Officer
John Denny,    |

       |              | Vicious and Dangerous Animals Unit; Theresa Duncan -
guide dog  |

       |              | handler whose dog was attacked by off-leash Pit
bull; Brian     |

       |              | Francis - Director of Admissions and Graduate
Services, Guide   |

       |              | Dogs for the Blind.
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       |         What:| State Board, SF law enforcement, guide dog handlers,
and guide  |

       |              | dog school personnel, discuss how the public, law
enforcement   |

       |              | and guide dog users should respond to dog attacks on
guide dogs,|

       |              | considered a crime under state law.
|

       |              |
|

       |              | Guide dogs are not pets but working partners.
|

       |              |
|

       |              | Guide dog owners  and the public should respond to
an attack by |

       |              | calling 9-1-1, rather than  Animal Control.
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       |         When:| Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 11 a.m.
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       |        Where:| San Francisco - Governor's office, 455 Golden Gate
Ave, 14th    |

       |              | Floor Conference Room
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       |   Background:| >Recent brutal dog attacks on working guide dogs
have received  |

       |              | worldwide attention; the California State Board of
Guide Dogs   |

       |              | will discuss the devastating consequences of an
attack on a     |

       |              | guide dog.
|

       |              |
|

       |              | >When a guide dog is attacked, it puts both dog and
human in    |

       |              | immediate danger. For the visually impaired relying
on the      |

       |              | services of a guide dog, sudden disorientation may
result in    |

       |              | life threatening injuries, as in the recent case in
Australia,  |

       |              | where an attack on a guide dog has left a blind man
in a coma.  |

       |              |
|

       |              | >State law requires a law enforcement response to
such an       |

       |              | attack.  Police dispatchers are urged to accept
these calls     |

       |              | rather than referring the caller to Animal Control.
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