Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!crdgw1!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!William.Wilson From: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (William Wilson) Newsgroups: misc.handicap Subject: Re: GUIDE DOGS Message-ID: <14035@bunker.UUCP> Date: 12 Sep 90 18:38:26 GMT Sender: wtm@bunker.UUCP Reply-To: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org Distribution: misc Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA Lines: 59 Approved: wtm@bunker.UUCP Index Number: 10272 [This is from the Blink Talk Conference] DK> well, i sure sparked some interest here. hope i didn't offend DK> anyone but obviously, you did a good job of reading between the DK> lines. it's a little upsetting to have great handsom dogs like DK> myself who are physically suffering. Dan, LIsten, I couldn't agree with you more! In fact, I'll tell you what...it isn't even easy having used the same dog for over 11 years and watching his health slip either! I do have to tell you a little story now though, and just because you mentioned that guide dog users groups in California and in NYC were the ones that made some negative comments about Seeing Eye. There is a guide dog users group that just formed in Winter Park, Florida, or somewheres near there, and they too have been known to put the rap on Seeing Eye. Now then, this group consists primarily of dogs and users trained at Southeastern Guide Dogs, and I am willing to bet both the California and NYC users groups have similarly stacked memberships. My whole entry into this conversation, despite Vixen's assuming it was to slam San Raphael or any of the guide dog schools, was merely to defend Seeing Eye, as it has, to my experience, always been the victim of the other schools students insults! I just ain't never heard a Leader Dog user beating up on a Southeastern trained dog, or a Pilot dog user getting down on a Guide Dog Foundation dog, but I have heard all of these throwing insults at Seeing Eye dogs! The way I figure it, there can only be two reasons for this: 1. Seeing Eye dogs really are the pits, and they ought to all be guarding junk yards somewhere, or 2. Seeing Eye is seen by these other guide dog school's graduates as having too good a reputation, and that this somehow detracts from their own school! Well, all I can say is, there were 4 guide dog users at my apartment today, they made it here from 3 different areas of the city, they all had Seeing Eye dogs, two of who were about 3 years old, one was 5 years old, and one is almost 14 years old. All except the last is in excellent physical shape, and actually, he ain't that bad considering his age, all were excellently behaved, and all, except the elder statesman Strider who is retired, are excellent workers! In a similar fashion, when we have our monthly Visually Impaired Pittsburgh Area Computer Enthusiasts meetings, we generally have 5 guide dog users show up, ranging in age from just over two to way up there, and again, these are all healthy dogs, all well behaved, and obviously all good workers. Oh yeah, and they all just happen to be Seeing Eye dogs too! Dan, I've heard the stories too, but that just ain't the way it appears to me, ya know? Willie ... Like a bat out of Bellevue! -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!William.Wilson Internet: William.Wilson@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org