[Cagdu] FW: Guide dogs attacked in Portland

Wed Feb 17 07:31:42 PST 2010

Guide dogs for blind people attacked in Portland By Lynne Terry, The
Oregonian February 16, 2010, 4:19PM Faith Cathcart/The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/02/guide_dogs_f
or_blind_people_at.html
During his training as a guide dog, Ellery, a black Lab, was attacked this
month in downtown Portland by another dog, apparently owned by a homeless
youth. Guide dog trainers have run into an increasing number of aggressive
street dogs in recent months.Crystal Lange  was training a guide dog near
Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland when her black Lab was
attacked by a street dog. 

Lange, a two-year apprentice trainer with Guide Dogs for the Blind, said she
put her body between her dog, Ellery,  and the street dog until the owner
retrieved it. 

"It was pretty frightening," Lange said. 

The attack was the second this month on a guide dog in Portland by a dog on
the street -- alarming officials with the nonprofit dog-training group,
which opened a satellite office near Southwest Yamhill Street and Third
Avenue in April. 

"We saw this train wreck coming," said Jim Dugan,  a training supervisor at
Guide Dogs for the Blind. 

Trainers have run across a number of snapping and growling dogs owned by
homeless youths since the agency opened the new office.
In September, after trainers reported several encounters, Dugan sent a
letter to Mayor Sam Adams and all the commissioners. 

"When we are preparing blind students for a life of independence and
freedom," he wrote, "their greatest fear is an unprovoked dog attack." 

He asked the mayor to "work with us to resolve this dangerous problem." 

The nonprofit did not receive a response -- from anyone. 

Roy Kaufmann,  Adams' spokesman, said his office has no record of receiving
the letter but is concerned about the issue. 

"I think this is deeply troubling," Kaufmann said. "This is an organization
that we value. It's another strong example of why we need to move forward
with a sidewalk management plan." 

A draft plan is in the works to replace the sit-lie ordinance which was
tossed out by a judge in June. 

In the meantime, officials agreed to set up a meeting with the nonprofit,
bringing together law enforcement, animal control and downtown business
leaders perhaps by the end of this week. 

Dugan said the problem could have been addressed before a dog was attacked. 

"We wrote this letter, saying 'this is our concern,' and they avoided it
until now it's on our doorstep." 

Right after the attack on Ellery, Dugan and Lange tried to file a report at
Central Precinct. Dugan was told to call emergency dispatchers, who told him
to call animal control. 

Dugan wanted an officer to respond, citing an Oregon law which treats
attacks against service animals more seriously than other animal attacks. 

"Most of the time where there's an animal-to-animal contact, it's an
animal-control issue," he said. "But it's my feeling that when it's a
service dog involved in an incident like this, it deserves a police officer
at the scene." 

Eventually Dugan, a reserve deputy with the Clackamas County Sheriff's
Office, was able to file a report after pressing a Central Precinct
sergeant. But by that time, about two hours later, the two youths, who
appeared to be homeless, had moved on with their two dogs. 

"We had expected a quick response but unfortunately that was not the case,"
Dugan said. 

Ellery was checked by a veterinarian and appears to be in good shape. But
the nonprofit is watching the dog closely. 

"Even if the dog is not horribly bitten," said Brad Hibbard, training
director for the nonprofit, "it's very easy for that dog to become
aggressive to other dogs." 

Or it could become frightened and refuse to pass other dogs on the street. 

Either case would mean a loss of $60,000 -- the cost of training a guide
dog. 

The growing number of dogs downtown creates not only problems for trainers
but also for the blind, said Cheryl Vincent, another training supervisor. 

"If a person is not able to walk down the sidewalk because of an aggressive
dog, that impedes their access," she said. "There are laws on the books that
protect guide dogs specifically from attacks. We're not interested in
changing laws, just enforcing leash and (pet) licensing laws" that already
exist. 

Officials at the nonprofit hope the city and county agree to give service
animal attacks a higher priority --without demonizing the homeless kids. 

"We want a solution, but don't want to be adversarial about it,"
Hibbard said.

-- Michael Russell and Lynne Terry

  Guide dogs for blind people attacked in Portland By Lynne Terry, The
Oregonian February 16, 2010, 4:19PM Faith Cathcart/The Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/02/guide_dogs_f
or_blind_people_at.html
During his training as a guide dog, Ellery, a black Lab, was attacked this
month in downtown Portland by another dog, apparently owned by a homeless
youth. Guide dog trainers have run into an increasing number of aggressive
street dogs in recent months.Crystal Lange  was training a guide dog near
Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland when her black Lab was
attacked by a street dog. 