[Cagdu] FW: Eye Dog Foundation investigated

Mon Oct 13 17:05:43 PDT 2008

Subject: Eye Dog Foundation investigated

This organization is not currently operating as a guide dog training program
and the lives of the dogs are in danger because of the disorganization and
neglect that the organization'-s current administration is causing. 
In addition, any funds that this non-profit, tax-exempt organization are
collecting are going toward suspect purposes and donors deserve to know
this. 

Click on this link for the story and for a link to a video version of it.
The print-friendly version of the story-text is pasted below the link. 

HYPERLINK
"http://www.abc15.com/content/news/investigators/story.aspx?content_id=1c901
007-c4ff-4802-a144-ed00ccc4b7c8"http://www.abc15.-com/content/-news/investig
ato-rs/story.-aspx?content_-id=1c901007--c4ff-4802--a144-ed00ccc4b7c-8

Custody battle erupts over seeing eye dogs in Phoenix

Reported by:
Josh Bernstein

Email:
HYPERLINK "mailto:jbernstein%40abc15.com"jbernstein at abc15.-com

Produced by: Dan Siegel
Last Update: 10:04 am

A custody battle is brewing over 25 "service dogs in training" in the
Phoenix area.

The future service animals are owned by the Eye Dog Foundation for the
Blind, a California-based non-profit group that operates a training center
in Phoenix.

But a large group of volunteers, foster families that agreed to help raise
the dogs, are refusing to return them.

"I couldn't feel comfortable handing this dog back to a foundation that is
not functioning and feel good about it," Diana Anderson said.

Anderson and 24 other volunteers entered into agreements with the foundation
to provide the dogs a home and bring them to training sessions at the
foundation's
facility in South Phoenix.

The goal of the foundation is to train the dogs and then place them with the
blind.

But volunteers like Eldon Ploetz say the foundation is in shambles, that
dogs are not receiving the necessary training, and they claim not a single
dog
has been placed with a blind person in more than a year.

Ploetz and his wife have helped raise and foster Kiesha, a German shepherd.

In late September, Ploetz received a letter from the Eye Dog Foundation's
attorney stating, "DEMAND IS HEREBY MADE that you immediately return Kiesha
to
the Foundation."

The letter continues, "I understand that you have breached at least two
parts of this Agreement. You have not followed the instructions of the
staff, and
you have not attended all the Training Classes."

Other volunteers received similar letters.

But the volunteers claim the trainers are not properly certified, and the
ones that have been hired have not stayed on with the foundation.

Additionally, they say the Foundation had been shut down for weeks and they
have neglected the dogs.

"We understand they cut off the food for the dogs that were in the kennel,"
Ploetz said.

Ploetz's wife said she would rather go to jail than give the Kiesha back to
the foundation.

"They are valid concerns," said Dacoda Whittemore, a former operations
manager who worked at the foundation's training facility for only a week.

Whittemore said the dogs are "absolutely" receiving better care with the
foster families, "not just because the management isn't functioning
properly, but
there’s no staff qualified on the foundation at this point to be able to
take and care for these dogs properly."

Dexter Morin, a former trainer at the facility agreed with Whittemore,
submitting his resignation earlier this month.

Before leaving, Morin turned over several dogs to the foster families rather
than leaving them at the training facility alone.

In his resignation letter, Morin wrote, "I contacted the puppy raisers to
inform them of my concerns of leaving the dogs on the premises without the
guarantee
that they would be attended to."

Morin goes on to state, "I in good conscience turned them over to the puppy
raisers for the safe keeping of the dogs."

The Eye Dog Foundation and its attorney have declined our repeated requests
for an on-camera interview.

In a statement to ABC15, the Foundation's attorney, John D. Clark, wrote,
"The contract clearly states that each of the dogs belong to the Foundation,
and
gives no ownership rights whatsoever to any of the puppy raisers."

The letter goes on to state that "the Foundation directed each of the puppy
raisers in writing to return the Foundation's puppies to the Foundation
within
five days. It now appears that the puppy raises are refusing to comply with
the Foundation's directive."

Let us know what you think. Please post your comments below.

Statement from attorney on behalf of the Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind
The Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind is a non-profit California corporation
that was established as the name suggests, to provide guide dogs for the
blind.
It is authorized to operate in Arizona.

The Eye Dog Foundation for the Blind owns more than 25 puppies that were
placed under bailment contracts with parties who were to raise the puppies,
i.e.,
puppy raisers.

Each of the Contracts clearly states that each of the dogs belong to the
Foundation, and gives no ownership rights whatsoever to any of the puppy
raisers.
The puppy raisers merely had the right to raise these puppies.

The Contract also stipulates that the puppy raisers were required to comply
with the Foundation’s directives regarding the puppies.

Last week, the Foundation directed each of the puppy raisers in writing to
return the Foundation’s puppies to the Foundation within five days.

It now appears that the puppy raisers are refusing to comply with the
Foundation’s directive to return the Foundation’s puppies.

The puppy raisers are apparently attempting to raise a number of specious
issues to divert attention away from their clear breaches of the bailment
contracts.
None of these issues give the puppy raisers the right to deprive the
Foundation of its puppies, which the puppy raisers are apparently attempting
to do.
Copyright 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. 

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