[nagdu] Issues

[Julie McGinnity]

Oh Cindy I know what you mean.  That has to be really frustrating.  I
got my current dog while I was still in high school.  I guess since I
was very young, all kinds of people thought they knew what I should
and should not do with my dog.  My sister, teachers, and some of my
friends even told me where I should not take my dog and more.  My dog
is kind of an attention seeker, so I ask people to not pet her while
she has her harness on.  I know strangers ignore this, but my own
family(father and sister at least) wouldn't listen to me.  It took
months for them to listen.  I guess I had to prove myself to them or
something.

In my opinion, if your adult enough to take care of and work a guide
dog, you are adult enough to make decisions about that dog.  I don't
know why people refuse to respect those decisions sometimes.  In fact,
I don't know why people overlook a person's right to make those
decisions.  In some instances it all comes back to their perception of
you as a blind person.  Sorry for the novel.  I'm not sure if any of
it even made sense.

On 2/2/11, Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well, I think I'll bring up a new issue just for grins. Let's imagine you
> are going to give blood one day. Let's imagine that you are planning to give
> blood at this blood drive. OK, I don't have to imagine this because I am. I
> haven't been able to give for a couple of times because of an infected
> tooth, but that's TMI. So I am truly looking forward to it. My phone rang,
> and the lady on the other end of the line identified herself, and she was
> from the blood center. She said, "I understand you are planning to gie blood
> at the Westminster Blood Drive. Now, we understand you have a service dog.
> [I think that was her terminology.] We are going to be using a blood mobile
> and the aisles are narrow in there. We've been talking about it and
> wondering if you could leave the dog at the refreshment end so he won't get
> stepped on." Who was talking about it. Why wouldn't they assume that I had
> been using a dog long enough to know how to handle situations like that?
> Truth be told, I had had him in there when I accompanied Bob in the next to
> last time we were going to give. I don't doubt that the dog is btter off
> left in a more comfortable place, but I don't need someone explaining to me
> why that might be and asking me if I would mind to not bring him in there
> because of the narrow aisles. I have a feeling I would have thought of it on
> my own, and I did actually express my displeasure. I told her the fact that
> she assumed I wouldn't figure out the best place for my dog was rather
> annoying. She said she was sorry, she had just wanted to make it better and
> guessed she had not. Before anybody tells me I might have been more tactful,
> I would say that they would be right, but I think after you've used a dog
> six months or less, and especially after twenty-two years, you are likely to
> know how to handle the dog in a tight situation.
>
> Cindy Lou
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/kaybaycar%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Julie McG
 Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member in Opera
Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of Guiding
Eyes for the Blind

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16