[blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?

[Heather]

A cane will not make a mess on the floor if it is not taken out.  A cane can 
not bite someone.  A cane will not get sick if it is fed table scraps.  A 
cane will not get hungry if it is not fed.  A three year old's cane can be 
taken away for a little while if they are having a tantrum and hitting other 
children with it.  A guide dog can not be taken away temporarily from a 
tween who is having a freek out over a boy who didn't ask them out, or not 
getting a spot on the sports team of their choice.  If a cane is left 
somewhere, it can always be replaced, a leash let go in panic can equal a 
dead dog.  Just some thoughts.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Susan Harper" <sueharper at firstchurchgriswold.org>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 4:25 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Guide dogs for twelve year olds?


>     You hit on all the high points, which are being emotionally ready,
> mature enough, and able to handle the commitment of a guide dog.  Age is a
> number.  Remember only a few years ago people would be appalled if a 3 
> year
> old had a white cane and now we give them to children as soon as or sooner
> then when they begin walking.  It is not the age, it is the maturity and
> readiness.
>
>     We looked at helping dogs for our son who was a 12 year old teen with
> no arms.  We got a ways into the process.  But part of that process is
> determining readiness of both the dog and owner to be.  Our son opted out 
> of
> the program and now at 29, does not have a helping dog.  The demands on 
> his
> time were too great then and now.  Age is a number, not a measure of
> maturity.
>
> Blessings,
> Sue H.
>
> On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 8:22 AM, Heather <craney07 at rochester.rr.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> I just wanted to get some feedback on this from some parents of blind
>> children and teens.  I, personally, was absolutely apalled to hear that a
>> local guide dog school, not mentioning names *coughs* Freedom guide Dogs
>> *Coughs* has preposed a program to place guide dogs with twelve year 
>> olds.
>>  All of the other schools in the US accept teens no younger than sixteen 
>> or
>> eighteen years of age, depending on the school, but twelve?  I am happy 
>> to
>> note that at present, no O and M instructors, parents or twelve year olds
>> have contacted the school to enquire about this program, but I am 
>> dreading
>> the day.  This makes a mockery of those exceptional blind teens who are, 
>> at
>> sixteen or seventeen, responsible enough, committed enough and have
>> demanding enough schedules to properly care for, utalize and actually 
>> need a
>> guide dog.  At what age would you consider supporting your teen in
>> researching guide dog schools?  At what age would you support them 
>> actually
>> submitting applications?  How old would you want your teen to be before
>> actually being placed with a guide dog?  Do you think that you would have
>> the blunt honesty to deny your support of your child getting a dog guide, 
>> if
>> they were not emotionally, mentally, etc capable of utalizing a guide 
>> dog,
>> at that time in their life?  Do you think that you could restrain 
>> yourself
>> from taking care of the dog, interacting with the dog, or doing things 
>> that
>> would undermine the ownership of the dog by your blind teen, 
>> acknowledging
>> their sole ownership and responsibility for the dog, even if you, as 
>> their
>> mother or father still have all other rule-making power in the 
>> house-hold?
>>  Finally, would you ever, honestly let your twelve year old apply for a
>> guide dog?  I just felt this should be brought to the list's attention.
>>  Just me personally, I would not encourage my blind teen to start
>> researching guide dog schools until age fourteen or fifteen, and I would 
>> not
>> allow them to apply to schools until they were at least fifteen, and that 
>> is
>> assuming that they are emotionally ready to deal with the demands of a 
>> guide
>> dog, such as handeling an emergency vet situation, mentally able to care 
>> for
>> the dog, such as, researching and selecting safe toys, effective 
>> medications
>> and appropriate foods, mature enough to deal with the social 
>> implications,
>> such as access issues, and that they actually had a need, not just a want
>> for a guide dog, due to a challenging travel area or complex and 
>> demanding
>> schedule of activities and classes.  Please share your thoughts.
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