[nagdu] am proud of my four-legged furry son

Sat May 11 17:22:59 UTC 2013

Hi Cindy Lou,
Yes, folks can be very judgemental about dogs that appear to be out of 
control - especially ones that bark and growl.  I am guilty of doing that as 
well.  I will just move away from the growling dog.  I do know what you feel 
about the judgement, though - I've been on the receiving end of it and it 
wasn't fun.  It is very scary when you can't see what is going on.  I've 
been there, done that.  I had a dog that growled at other dogs when she was 
in harness and she didn't know the dog.  this was the result of being 
attacked by a dog on a couple of occassions.

Many dogs, who feel vulnerable on leash, will do this out of fear.  This is 
the same thing that happens to dogs when they are tied out in a yard and 
become aggressive.  Perhapse your dog has been attacked or really frightened 
by a dog sometime in it's life?

I think it is a very reasonable choice you have made to not bring your dog 
to convention - I'd make the same choice if it were me.  Not all dogs can 
handle the convention environment and that's OK.  I've beeen to a national 
convention and it is very stressful for both us and the dogs.  I had Jacob 
then and he had a blast with meeting all the dogs!  I did make sure he had 
down time as we relaxed in our room and I had his bone with us so he could 
just chill and chew.  I didn't generally go to the bars after the last 
session of the day - I needed the break, Too!  I brought Landon to a couople 
of local conventions and he does well and wants to greet all the dogs. 
Sometimes, I have to put his head collar on him.

Lyn and Landon
"Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is like 
asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 7:45 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] am proud of my four-legged furry son

>I kind of dislike  the judgmental attitude. First of all, Pits are n ot by 
>name mean and/or evil. It is interesting what Officer Paul said about Labs, 
>or what it the lady. Second, the judgment that the owner left because they 
>knew they were in the wrong is judgmental, and that the dogs weren't 
>licensed or up-to-date on shots is something you really do not know. The 
>owner may have left to get the dogs out of the situation. That's what I 
>would have done. The judgmental is why I'm not bringing my dog to 
>convention this year. He growls/barks at dogs who are unknown to him. On 
>those occasions when he got away, nothing else transpires. Mostly, he 
>hasn't. He sounds mean though, and I get that this is frightening. However, 
>the reaction is that people assume that I don't have him under control. Not 
>so. But this year I won't subject myself to it. It was just too stressful, 
>which isn't really so good for the dog.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Cindy Lou
>
> On May 9, 2013, at 9:36 AM, Sheila Leigland <sleigland at bresnan.net> wrote:
>
>> Megan that was my first thought also. I would have no idea about whether 
>> the dogs around here have up to date shots and licenses but I wouldn't 
>> presume that they didn't.
>> On 5/9/2013 7:56 AM, Meghan Whalen wrote:
>>> I am curious how you know those dogs were not up to date on shots or 
>>> licenses. Good thing they were on leash. At least said owner did manage 
>>> to keep them from you. I understand your frustration, but it is also 
>>> unfair to assume that poorly socialized dogs are not cared for in any 
>>> way. I think that most people do mean well for their dogs. The fact that 
>>> this person was out with his or her dogs on leash means he was already a 
>>> bit better of a handler than some...at least he walks his dogs, and 
>>> hopefully in future, the dogs will be better controled or muzzled if 
>>> they cannot be contr
>>>
>>> Meghan
>>> On 5/9/2013 8:49 AM, Criminal Justice Major Extraordinaire wrote:
>>>> Hi, all,
>>>> Sub says it all.
>>>> I took Odie down to the Municipal Animal Shelter yesterday and am proud 
>>>> of my four-legged furry son.
>>>> There were a few dogs that came in and one leaving the shelter.
>>>> He remained  still each time a dog came in with its owner.
>>>> I praised him with a good boy upon patting his head and giving him a 
>>>> massage behind his ears.
>>>> The dog that left the shelter was a pit bull terior with a blue nose or 
>>>> mouth.
>>>> Thankfully, there was an animal control officer on hand if something 
>>>> were to happen which luckily, nothing did.
>>>> Now to the part of speaking with the animal control officer.
>>>> I did let her know what happened with Odie and I Sunday evening and 
>>>> despite that we weren't bit, she still considered the incident an 
>>>> attack.
>>>> She told me they plan to have animal control officer sweep the area 
>>>> more offten of where the incident happened.
>>>> I also had to mention to her that Odie and I's good friends Natalie and 
>>>> Liam were harassed at 38th and Clay and she informed me they would do 
>>>> the same thing out there as well.
>>>> Officer Paul told me due to how the animal control laws are done for 
>>>> the whole state of Colorado, not just counties and towns but the whole 
>>>> state, they can only educated the dog owners the first time as far as 
>>>> letting owners know their dog needs to be on leash at all times, but 
>>>> keeping them under control by keeping the dog closer to them.
>>>> I also let Officer Paul know how our 311 agency workers aren't being 
>>>> very helpful to those that are blind with guide/assistance dogs.
>>>> She suggested for me to get Diane Evans who I had good luck with last 
>>>> year and just yesterday.
>>>> Another suggestion was that if I wasn't able to get Dian Evans and 
>>>> wound up with an agent that decided to be a brat, request a supervisor 
>>>> and if not, then contact the police department.
>>>> Officer Paul did let me know that if Odie and I are attacked again, to 
>>>> immediately call 9 1 1 if we both end up getting injured requiring 
>>>> medical attention for both of us.
>>>> Something somewhat shocking I learned is that in the Denver County area 
>>>> amongst dog bites, labradors have been known for it.
>>>> When Officer Paul and I were talking, I expressed how majority of the 
>>>> attacks on people and dogs can be avoided if only people would take the 
>>>> time ti train their dogs properly and stay on top of them.
>>>> Going back to the owner and dogs that were responsible for charging 
>>>> Odie and I, I mentionted to animal control that I did immediately call 
>>>> the police department, letting them know that if an officer were to 
>>>> circle the area, they probably wouldn't see that owner and dogs because 
>>>> the owner knew dog gone well he was in the wrong upon his dogs not 
>>>> being licensed or having vaccinations up to date.
>>>> The owner knows if they stick around, they're going to automatically be 
>>>> fined.
>>>> The officer definitely agreed with me on that one and it's become a 
>>>> more growing trend.
>>>> Denver county Animal Control works along beside the police department 
>>>> and that if an attack occurs on a human or service dog team, they 
>>>> immediately dispatch an animal control officer out quickly.
>>>> i'm happy I did get somewhere and my hopes are that the attacks on 
>>>> humans and working dogs will cut down more.
>>>> I also wanted to let those with working dogs know there is a web site 
>>>> that you can register with in regards of dog bites.
>>>> I found it a good resource and will finish confirming to get 
>>>> newsletters from them.
>>>> The web site is:
>>>> http://www.dogbite.org
>>>> I encourage may to visit that site, but if those who have been injured 
>>>> by dogs, I can understand why he/she wouldn't be comfortable doing so.
>>>> I just thought to offer that information.
>>>> Well, guess I'll end right here.
>>>> Sorry for the long, message.
>>>> I just wanted to update everyone on how things went yesterday and that 
>>>> I made some good progress.
>>>> Bibi and son Odie
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