[Travelandtourism] Guide Dogs and Animal Venues

[Margo and Arrow]

Peter, no, didn't have to wait until conventions.  I lived in new orleans 
for 9 and a half years and I took that tour.  No, what I did was to go out 
with friends into the bayous in flat boats and we were very close to 
alligators.

I had firsthand experience just aobut any time i wanted to.

margo and Arrow
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
To: "NFB Travel and Tourism Division List" <travelandtourism at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 11:56 AM
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Guide Dogs and Animal Venues


> Hello Margo and everyone,
>
>    Super! Let's see. You must have taken the Life of the Cajun Swamp Tour
> when the national conventions were held in New Orleans. During both the 
> 1991
> and 1997 conventions we did that tour. Both times we took the boat ride 
> down
> the bayou and were close to alligators and other swamp critters. In 1997 
> we
> had the chance to hold a baby alligator. When I held the alligator it nor 
> my
> then guide dog Tim became alarmed. This is surprising as Tim was very 
> feisty
> and could be a handful to handle.
>
>    I had Ogden in 1991. During that particular swamp tour we visited a
> gentlemen who I believe was involved in wildlife rescue. He took us to his
> back yard and allowed us to touch and handle some of the animals he was
> rehabbing. I had a nutria fall asleep in my arms while Ogden sat calmly by
> my side. We also handled baby raccoons, baby alligators, and some other
> creatures I can't remember in close proximity with our dogs and without
> incident.
>
> The same was true in1994 when a friend and I visited Greenfield Village
> during that national convention. We toured the farm and were able to hold
> baby chicks and pat some sheep along with witnessing a sheepdog
> demonstration. Again this  was with Ogden by my side and in close 
> proximity.
>
>    In 1987 we went to Rawhide a recreation of a western town near Phoenix.
> There livestock ran loose in the streets. Ogden decided to make friends 
> with
> some of the sheep even to kissing one of them. This setting was similar to
> what a petting zoo would be like at Animal Kingdom and other zoos and
> wildlife parks around the country. Again there was no hint of aggression 
> and
> everyone including Ogden and the sheep enjoyed themselves.
>
>    We've also been to several horse and cattle ranches and  never had any
> problems with my dogs and the ranch animals.
>
>        I've been to a number of aquariums including Sea World here in San
> Antonio and the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. Sea World has 
> birds
> that run loose in their enclosures which are very open particularly 
> Flamingo
> Cove. The Aquarium of the Americas has a tropical rain forest exhibit 
> which
> is similar to a bird aviary where guests can enter and be among 
> free-flying
> birds in addition to various fish species in tanks throughout the rain
> forest. Ogden was with me and all went without a hitch.
>
>    I've visited numerous state and county fairs with my first dog Nash and
> my second dog Ogden. I even showed chickens at several of these fairs and 
> at
> some poultry shows in Texas. Since chickens can get worked up when they 
> feel
> threatened and since I would be in the show barn for the duration of the
> event I put Nash in a room where the chickens couldn't see him or chained
> him up out side near the barn so I could check on him to be sure he was 
> all
> right.
>
>    Another animal encounter took place at Fiesta Texas quite unexpectedly.
> I stopped to ask for directions. The next thing I knew I had a maccaw
> purched on my head. He was joined by an African Grey Parrot that was 
> placed
> on my left arm. An amazon Parrot was placed on my right arm. The gentlemen
> who owned the birds then took a picture of me and gave me a copy. All that
> time Ogden sat by my side and did not attempt to go after the birds nor 
> did
> the birds become aggresssive towards him. It was quite an experience that
> demmonstrates that when handled well our dogs are not a threat to zoo
> animals, nor does its presence create a hazard for the animal collection 
> or
> other park guests.
>
> As all ready mentioned I've visited several zoos with my dogs. These 
> ranged
> from roadsize animal attractions to major zoos like the Audubon Zoo in New
> Orleans, The Detroit Zoo, and the North Carolina Zoological Gardens in
> Ashborough North Carolina. In all three cases we were not restricted from
> any area of the zoo including the petting zoo. The only thing that 
> happened
> along that line was during our visit to the zoo in North Carolina they
> requested that a ranger accompany us during our time in the park. I gladly
> said okay and we saw just about every exhibit they had. we didn't make it 
> in
> to the chimp exhibit but that was our choosing. At no time was there a
> problem between my dog and the other animals on display.
>
>    Eventually the rangers went away and left us to tour the rest of the 
> zoo
> on our own. One of them told me that they had a previous guest with a 
> guide
> dog in the zoo that wasn't well controlled. He didn't say if they asked 
> them
> to leave or what happened. I assured them with both words and my example
> that most guide dog handlers control their dogs well and should there be
> problems with a particular handler in the future they have the legal right
> to ask them to leave the  part of the zoo where the problem is occuring. 
> If
> the situation is extreme they can have the dog and/or the team removed 
> from
> the park.
>
>    In 1998 we went to Six Flags over Texas. By now I had Tim who
> accompanied me on that tour. To escape the heat we went inside a building
> where a live animal show was performing. After the show we were invited to
> touch some of the animal performers. These ranged from mice to a llama. We
> were able to handle many of the animals. Here again we were in close
> proximity and there was no sign of fear or aggression where the animals 
> and
> Tim were concerned. I've also taken several dogs in to dog and cat shows
> without incident.
>
>    I'll wind this up by sharing with you "The legend of the Eagle." In 
> 2000
> Mary, myself and another friend of ours traveled to Phoenix for a business
> conference similar to the one in St. Lewis that I spoke of previously. The
> "Save the Eagle Foundation" had an exhibit there including a live American
> Balled Eagle. And it wasn't just any eagle. It was "Challenger." 
> Challenger
> was found by hunters. Since he was injured he was almost killed. He was
> rescued by a wildlife sanctuary and was raised domestically. Since his
> injuries made him unsutable for release bak in to the wild Challenger was
> trained to perform exhibition fly-overs and was featured as entertainment
> for many big-name events. He was named Challenger in honor of the space
> shuttle Challenger and her crew.
>
>    During the conference Challenger performed a fly-in while the national
> anthem was sung on the second night of the event. A lady named Eve Selis
> sang while challenger performed. I had Tim with me during this event. I
> doubt Challenger even knew he was there. When Eve finished singing the
> national anthem Challenger swooped down and landed on her head. I'm not 
> sure
> if that was planned or if Challenger thought Eve's head was the most
> convenient purch he could find to take a rest. Hopefully Eve wore a 
> special
> head piece so Challenger could land without hurting her. Eagles are 
> raptors
> with long tallans which can pierce through to the bone. Since Eve sang for
> our Sunday morning worship service I'm sure no harm was done.
>
>    Since the incident generated some negative publicity concerning animal
> performances at live events this story wasn't widely shared until after
> Challenger died several years ago. And we were eye witnesses to this 
> event.
>
>    Like Margo and hopefully others I've had a wide variety of animal
> encounters accompanied by my guide dogs. These are the kinds of stories we
> need to collect and share with entities who question the presence of guide
> and service dogs in their venues. All the best.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
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