[Nyagdu] NYAGDU Please for the Love of God, or, Dog, Post to the Darn List, Contest *smile* Results

[Heather Bird]

Hi, Ann. Was there a book about you and Panda? I think that guide horses are
a really neat concept. There are things a horse can do that a dog cannot,
and things that a dog can do that a horse cannot. Definitive pros and cons
for both. I am very glad that NAGDU stepped up to defend the rights of guide
horse handlers, because they are a viable option, and for some people, the
best option. I would love to meet you and Panda some time. I am a total and
complete guide dog geek, always wanting to know what harnesses are being
developed, what crosses are being experimented with, etc., and "meet a guide
horse and ask way too many questions of the handler" has been on my list for
a while. I feel that diversity within the arena of guide options is crucial,
so things such as supporting home training programs, encouraging schools not
to abandon their German Shepherd breeding programs, and supporting guide
horse handlers all help to ensure that we will have choices, options, and
the ability to find a program, and a guide that will work for most people
who desire to be partnered with one. Thank you so much for posting. I am
adding you to the drawing.

A point of clarification, you can join NYAGDU if you are a guide horse
handler, are between dogs, no longer work dogs, but have in the past, if you
handle another type of service dog and support the rights of guide dog
handlers, etc. My husband who is the handler of an owner trained psychiatric
service dog is a member of NYAGDU. Think of it as how sighted individuals
can join the NFB, or strait allies can join many LGBTQ organizations.

Heather Bird
"They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't
a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I
wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a
Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up." -
Martin Niemöller
In our diverse society we must never fail to speak up in the face of Human
Rights violations lest we be the next targets of such violations.

-----Original Message-----
From: Nyagdu [mailto:nyagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie via
Nyagdu
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2018 2:36 AM
To: 'New York Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Ann Edie
Subject: Re: [Nyagdu] NYAGDU Please for the Love of God, or, Dog, Post to
the Darn List, Contest *smile* Results

Hi, Heather and All,

(Sheepishly, because I'm not actually a guide *dog* user these days.) My
name is Ann Edie and I live near Albany, NY. I got my first guide dog,
Bailey, a wonderful, calm, chocolate Lab, in 1991, and was partnered with 2
successors after Bailey died at age 11. Since 2003, my partner has been
Panda, a 30-inch-tall, black and white pinto, female  miniature horse guide.
She is an amazing guide and loving companion who loves her guide work. For
fun she loves to retrieve keys, toys, brushes, and anything else she can
pick up, and she plays a game that she invented and that we call "Panda
Catch", where instead of people trying to catch her, she runs to the people
and goes around them into heel position, and we give her a tiny treat, and
then she runs off to another person and repeats....
This coming summer Panda and I will be celebrating our 15-year anniversary
of working together. I'm retired from my full-time teaching job as a teacher
of blind children. So now I have time for long walks with Panda, catching up
on reading all the novels I didn't have time for while I was working,
keeping up with the lives of my 3 grown children and 2 grandbabies, and
playing with my other horse companion, an Icelandic riding horse named
Fengur.
Although NAGDU and the NFB were pretty skeptical of the idea of miniature
horse guides in the beginning, NAGDU has come through for us by standing up
for miniature horse guide users in our quest to preserve the inclusion of
miniature horses with dogs within the definition of service animals under
the ADA regulations. So a big THANK YOU to NAGDU members, and especially to
President Marion Gwizdala, for being open-minded and for all your support!

Best,
Ann & Panda

-----Original Message-----
From: Nyagdu [mailto:nyagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Heather Bird
via Nyagdu
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2018 7:42 PM
To: Nyagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Heather Bird
Subject: [Nyagdu] NYAGDU Please for the Love of God, or, Dog, Post to the
Darn List, Contest *smile* Results

Ok, so I got a grand total of 4 responses, one from Tracy, who is not even
in NY, but we love you Tracy, One from Jessica, Hey, Jessica, where are you
from? Albert, who is admittedly not particularly affiliated with NAGDU or
NYAGDU, but of course is more than welcome on this list, and Lucy who is our
immediate past president. I make these observations to sort of give a
friendly kick in the butt to our other list members. We have one or two
people from outside of the state, a nonmember, and our immediate past
president. Come on NY, we can do better. I am not that tech savvy, but I
managed to find the subscriber list and take a look. We have 23 subscribers,
and I got 4 responses. If I get two more, I will do the name drawing, but we
should be able to at least get 6. I have four guide dog users and one
service dog handler in my chapter, and it is my goal to get all of them to
subscribe to this list and to join NYAGDU. I am going to send out an email
regarding this contest to the NAGDU list. I am also going to email the
chapter presidents and ask them to bring it up at their next chapter
meeting, and I am going to post this to New York News as well. I want to
give an On the Go Gift Certificate to someone, so, please make my day. Also,
a big thanks to Albert, Jessica, Lucy, and Tracy for posting, and for the
cute dog stories. I love the image of carrying a dog up an escalator. I am
glad the schools have realized that escalator work can, and should be done,
but holy guacamole, that is the best mental image ever. I sometimes pick up
Ilsa and carry her like a baby, and she was like a fruit loop and isn’t sure
what is going on. There’s just something about adult dogs snuggling in the
arms of a human like a seriously over grown puppy that makes me smile.
Jessica, you sound like a super busy lady, so thanks for taking the time to
post here. Albert, I’ve got researching your business on my to-do list,
because it looks interesting, and one can never have too many resources in
their tool kit. Lucy, as always, you rock, maybe Jaden would prefer a Macy’s
gift card if your name is drawn. *laughing*  thanks for posting.

 

Have a good evening all. If you know anyone who is subscribed and want to
give them a gentle nudge, that would be appreciated.

 

Heather Bird

"They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't
a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I
wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a
Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up." -
Martin Niemöller

In our diverse society we must never fail to speak up in the face of Human
Rights violations lest we be the next targets of such violations.

 

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