The Poodle (and Dog) Blog

Providing guide dogs to the blind

There are a number of schools providing guide dogs for the blind, supported by non-profit organizations that rely on contributions from individuals and civic groups.

The cost of training a guide dog is around $20,000.These schools supply guide dogs at no cost to the blind person who is selected to receive one.

Puppies are selectively bred for characteristics needed to become guide dogs. Then they are placed in foster homes where the families provide socialization and basic training under the supervision of the guide dog school. Usually the families pay for food, flea and tick control and incidentals while the school pays for medical care. Sometimes teenagers raise the puppies as a 4-H or other youth project.

After twelve to sixteen months in the foster home, the dogs are ready to enter doggy college to begin a selection process. Those who are suited to become guide dogs begin their serious training. Professional instructors work with them for four to six months, teaching over forty commands and “intelligent disobedience.”

Intelligent disobedience means that the dog must learn when to obey the commands of the blind person and when those commands would put the person in danger.

When the dogs are fully trained they are matched to blind people who have been selected to receive them. Together they go through a month long training period. During this time the blind person learns the commands and establishes a bond of trust and love which is vital to the success of the team.

In-home assistance as well as follow up training is provided as needed for the lifetime of the team.

Minister and wife sue guide dog owner in frivolous lawsuit

Vern Henley, a poor, elderly blind man, was thrilled to receive a guide dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs. On their first trip out alone they went to a mall where a minister’s wife, Susan Faith, was walking. She saw them coming but didn’t move because she “wanted to see if the dog would walk around me.”

The dog tugged, but Henley didn’t respond soon enough and stepped on Mrs. Faith’s toe, breaking it. When she and her lawyers learned that Henley didn’t have any money, they sued the dog owner, Southeastern Guide Dogs, for loss of income and pain and suffering. Her husband Reverend Faith joined the suit for loss of his wife’s companionship.

Southeastern Guide Dogs, a non profit organization, relies on contributions and offers its dogs at no cost to blind people.

Southeastern offered $5000 to cover medical expenses, but the Faiths and their lawyers insisted on going on with the case even after the death of Mr. Henley.

After the story was published in the local newspaper, Reverend and Mrs. Faith received many angry phone calls. They apparently decided that their course of action was not the Christian way and dropped the suit. Aware of the bad public relations, their law firm donated $1000 to Southeastern Guide Dogs.

Thanks to Todd from Royal Oak for letting me know about this story.
The complete story is at the website Whiplash, America’s most frivolous lawsuits.

I should warn you that this website is highly addictive. My favorite is the college freshman who mooned his friends from the window of his upper level dorm room. The window gave way and he fell to the ground causing serious injuries. He sued the college for not warning him that pressing buttocks against a window might cause injury when the window gave way

The real Guide Dog hero of 9/11

The story circulating on the Internet tells of Daisy, a Golden Retriever Guide Dog, whose owner worked on the 101st floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center. When the plane struck the tower, Daisy led her blind owner, his boss and about three hundred others out of the building.

Not satisfied, she ran back into the building two more times to lead people out. She suffered acute smoke inhalation, severe burns on all four paws, and a broken leg, but she had saved 967 lives. Daisy was the first civilian Canine to win the Medal of Honor of New York City.

A heroic story, but more the stuff of Hollywood than reality. There was no Daisy, no Medal of Honor of New York City.

However there was a Roselle who behaved the way Guide Dogs are trained to behave. On the morning of 9/11, Michael Hingson was working on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center. His yellow Labrador Guide Dog, Roselle, was sleeping peacefully under his desk when the building was struck by a plane under the control of terrorists.

With his well trained discipline Roselle led Michael through the noise, smoke and rubble of the office to the stairwell to begin the long decent. Once on ground level Roselle remained focused as they continued walking away from the chaos of the building.

When they were about two blocks away, Tower 2 began to collapse. To escape the ash and debris, they started running for the subway. Roselle eventually guided Michael to the home of a friend in mid-Manhattan where they stayed until the trains were running again. They were finally able to arrive home in New Jersey after seven that evening.

From Guide Dogs for the Blind

Poodle Service Dog not allowed to accompany disabled student

Fifteen year old Cooper James has been stricken by the degenerative disease, spinal muscular dystrophy, which makes normal physical activity difficult to impossible.

Kodak, his standard Poodle service dog, has made a big difference in his life by picking up dropped items, opening doors, and helping the boy to stand.

"My dog makes my life just a little bit easier," Cooper said. "I see an easier future."

But the Calgary Board of Education doesn’t seem to realize the value of the dog in helping Cooper deal with his physical disabilities. Cooper will miss the first day of school because they are not allowing his service Poodle into the classroom.

His mother, Eyvis James, is planning to take a letter to school officials from the Lions Foundations of Canada Dog Guides, where they got Kodak who has been trained as a Service dog. She also plans to file a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Connie Pratt fought a battle years ago for her own son to have a service dog with him. "It just makes me angry someone who sits behind a desk and pushes paper all day doesn't understand how important a dog is to a disabled person," Pratt said.

The story from Alberta

Read the letter from Kodak's foster parent.

UPDATE: Thursday, Sept. 7. The Calgary Board of Education reversed its position and will allow Kodak to accompany Cooper to his classroom. They had stated that the children should be protected from a dog and possible allergies.

Cooper's mother, Ayvis James argued allergic reactions shouldn't be an issue because Kodak is a standard poodle and does not shed. Plus, the dog was hand-picked for its non-aggressive behavior.

Taxi driver fined for refusing guide dog in his cab

A taxi driver, Islamuddin Bakhshi, in Calgary who refused to allow a guide dog in his cab, has been fined $300 and lost 19 days of pay when he was suspended by his company and the taxi commission.

A blind man, Glen Murphy, had arranged to have a cab pick him up from a medical appointment. When Bakhshi saw the guide dog, he refused to let them in his cab. From CBC, Edmonton

Both Canada and the United States have strict laws that permit guide dogs to go any place humans are allowed to go. The problem is that some communities don’t enforce these laws and blind people who are barred from restaurants and other buildings are often reluctant to press charges.

Let’s hope that fines, loss of income and bad publicity will set an example for other people who might try to ban guide dogs from accompanying blind people to places where they have a legal right to go.