[nfbwatlk] Service animals article out of Portland

[Mike Freeman]

Mary Ellen:

I understand your qualms.  Yet I fear that unless we do something to provide
assurance that service animals are properly trained, acclimated to society
as it now exists and do what their owners say they do, there will be a
backlash that will result in curtailment of the rights of people with
service animals that will make current discrimination look puny!

Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Mary Ellen
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 5:34 PM
To: 'NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Service animals article out of Portland

I've seen guide dogs with proper credentials behave badly.  It doesn't
happen often, but often enough that I've become convinced certification is
no guarantee. I've traveled with a guide dog that was never certified.  Paul
trained her for me.  He also trained three dogs for himself.  Altogether, he
trained six dogs.  As far as I know, they all were good working animals.  I
would hate to have a certification system so rigid that it forces blind
people to attend a guide dog school.  The schools already have a near
monopoly; strict certification rules would make it an absolute monopoly.
There's no doubt this is a complex issue.  In my view, if an animal behaves
badly, make the owner responsible.  After all, if a person behaves badly in
a public place, there are consequences.  Sadly, though, very few business
people want truly to hold a blind person accountable.  The public relations
nightmare can be ruinous, even when the business owner is correct.
  

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Kaye Kipp
Sent: January 20, 2011 12:49 PM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Service animals article out of Portland

It's my opinion that a service animal ought to have some identifiable proof
that it's a service animal.  It's too easy for anyone to just bring a pet
whatever onto public transportation or into a public facility and call it a
service animal.  And then if the animal causes harm or misbehaves, it makes
it hard for the legitimate service animal owner.

As for the guide horse, I can't picture it.  I guess when dogs were first
used for guiding, people were skeptical, so I suppose anything's possible,
but frankly, it doesn't seem very practical, and I sure don't think I'd take
one on a bus or into a restaurant.

Kaye
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nightingale, Noel" <Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov>
To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 12:34 PM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Service animals article out of Portland


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