[nabs-l] Guide Dog or Cane? Which do u recommend and why?

[Lillie Pennington]

I  should have clarified that. I meant more along the lines of advocacy, meaning in the sense of telling others that they can not pet the dog while it is working, that sort of thing, along with advocating for the dogs rights if say you are told you cannnot bring the dog someplace where ADA says it can be done. Although this does not happen today as much as it used to, these situations still arise and you need to be able to make your case in a clear, firm but respectful way. There was probably a better term for the social skills thing. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 1, 2013, at 11:55 AM, minh ha <minh.ha927 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I agree that social interaction should not be the only motivating
> factor in a person getting a dog, but what does social skills have to
> do with anything? If I was a reclusive person that doesn't like to
> interact with other people, as long as I have the necessary travel
> skills, then it really doesn't matter whether or not I have the
> ability to socialize.
> 
> Minh
> 
>> On 10/31/13, Lillie Pennington <lilliepennington at fuse.net> wrote:
>> Hi. I have similar views of Kurt, although it is a personal choice. However,
>> another point that I do not think anyone has brouht up is the use of the dog
>> in social situations. Yes, the dog may attract conversation. However, this
>> should not be the main motivator in getting the dog, and the dog should not
>> blatantly be used for these purposes. I thinnk there needs to be a good
>> amount of social skills, as well as travel skills, but that is just ;my
>> personal opinion.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Oct 31, 2013, at 9:03 PM, Kirt <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Haley, I am the cane user and, while I have not ever experienced a guy
>>> dog, i'm pretty convinced that I'll stick with my cane for the rest of my
>>> life unless something drastic happens to change my mind. It just works
>>> very well for me… And, you know that saying about if it ain't broke then
>>> why fix it? That being said, I don't think either method of travel is
>>> inherently better than the other, it's entirely a matter of personal
>>> preference and style. That being said, I would strongly suggest that you
>>> have good travel skills and are competent with the cane before you even
>>> consider getting a dog. Again, canes x are not superior to dogs in and of
>>> themselves… but the majority of people I know get dogs do it because their
>>> travel skills are not up to par and, like it or not, I dog probably won't
>>> fix that problem. I would strongly encourage you to get quality training
>>> with the structured discovery travel method and then decide what works