[nagdu] Animal Advocate Calls Blind Guide Dog Users Cruel &unfi

[lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com]

Helene,
If I had to come back in my next life as a dog, I'd like to be a guide dog 
anyday!  I see so much of a pathetic life style of many pets,it's 
disgusting...dogs tied up alone for months on end alone. I don't think 
people realize that isolation is torture for dogs as it is for humans. Pet 
dogs without training so it never knows what is expected of it - 
frustrating.  I wonder why PETA doesn't look at that problem instead of 
dumping on blind people and guide dogs (grin!).  I also think PETA says 
stuff to get a rise out of people and to be plain old outrageous for fun.

I agree with you that we don't "need" guide dogs.  However, I do prefer 
travel with a guide dog over a white cane. I do have a cane and do use it on 
occassion when I feel it is more appropriate to use that rather than the 
dog. I like to use it and go for a walk while my dog is at the groomer for a 
bath.

The stuff around PETA just shows that bad attitudes die hard and it will 
take a generation or two to get rid of it.

Hope all is well with you.

Regards,

Linda and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "helene ryles" <dreamavdb at googlemail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 2:17 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Animal Advocate Calls Blind Guide Dog Users Cruel &unfi


> Ron: I'm not a great fan of those visual similator things.
> Particularly not the blind folds. You don't really get to experience
> what it is to be blind. You only expeience what it is like to be a
> newly blind person which is tough but life doesn't stay that way. You
> adapt and learn blind skills.
>
> I agree with Buddy that we don't want people to think of blindness as
> some sort of tragedy. We need to think of blindness as just another
> way of life. Wether a person chooses a dog, a cane or both is entirely
> up to them.
>
> I want no part in arguements like this: "PETA are being horrible to
> poor blind people who need there dogs. How would they like it if they
> were blind etc etc..."
>
> It reaks because:
> A: It assumes blindness as a tragedy which it isn't.
> B: It assumes we need dogs which we don't.
> C: It assumes that people who care about animals do because they don't
> have any problems of their own which is also wrong. They might have
> problems that are even worse then blindness. It does happen.
>
> We need to argue from a less emotional standpoint:
> Some blind people benifit from guide dog guardianship and the  dogs
> benifit from being guide dogs (so long as they are treated well) since
> they can be with their guardians more often then pet dogs are. Also
> keeping a dog as a guide is no more cruel then keeping a dog as a pet.
> If you just base your arguement on the worst case sinario then they
> could both be considered as unethnical. A pet ownership more so then a
> guide dog ownership.
>
> Helene.
>
> On 09/03/2009, Ron Davidson <fuzzy_1 at cox.net> wrote:
>> I  think it is wrong as well to wish for someone to go blind. I do allot 
>> of
>> classroom work with educating students of all ages about blindness and 
>> the
>> history and use of guide dogs. The best lesson I use is when we put
>> simulator glasses on the students and they have to complete certain task
>> wearing them. The glasses vary using all types of vision diseases and 
>> some
>> are total blind. The students come away with a better understanding of 
>> what
>> it is like in everyday life. I think the best thing that could be done is
>> for these people like these blow hards to take a walk in our shoes for
>> awhile and they may change their toon. Just a thought.
>>
>>
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