[Nyagdu] Phoney guide dogs a worrisome trend

[cheryl echevarria]

Even thought this is happening in Canada. It is also happening here in the US.
Thought I would post this, it was on the GDF List.

Phoney guide dogs a worrisome trend
By Alan Conway, Calgary Herald December 2, 2013 
Reader says people who buy phoney guide dog IDs can threaten the safety oflegitimate working dogs.
The work of guide dogs is well known and an increasing number of people areusing other assistance dogs to deal legitimately with disabilities, but theproliferation of fake equipment and identification is causing a problem.
If people have a negative experience with a dog that was not trained as aguide dog, it creates a bad precedent for the next person to come along. Thesafety of legitimate working dogs can also be threatened when untrained dogsattack them.
Easy Internet access now means that people are purchasing fake vests,harnesses and identification to allow them to take their pets into publicplaces where they would not otherwise be able to go. Some have even tried totravel internationally with their pets or to obtain discounts from theirveterinarians by making such false claims.
Guide Dog Users of Canada, a nationally registered charity that assistsguide dog users and educates the public on the benefits of guide dog use,deplores this situation because of the threat it creates to the legitimateaccess rights of blind and partially sighted guide dog teams.
There are more than a dozen guide dog training facilities across NorthAmerica, each of which provides its own harnesses, identification cards andequipment. There is never a need for a handler to purchase harnesses oridentification from anyone else.
Alan Conway
Gatineau, Que.
Alan Conway is an investigator for Guide Dog Users of Canada.
The Calgary Herald


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