[Cagdu] Concerning Guide Dogs and Cagdu.doc

[Ken Volonte]

cagdu at nfbcal.comConcerning Guide Dogs and Cagdu's roll
Ken Volonte

	For about ten years and more, the California Association of Guide Dog Users have taken a conciliatory attitude with regard to guide dog schools.  All negative talk has been discouraged.  The result of this has been to make Cagdu a rather toothless division of the NFB.  I'd like a more adversarial relationship to be considered.

	What is prompting this?  There is one guide dog school in particular which has taken to threatening students rather unpleasantly.  A friend's dog died of cancer.  She wanted to know if any of the dog's sisters had this malady and asked for health notes on these dogs.  The school's response: "We don't ever foresee providing a dog that meets your satisfaction on our campus ever".  Keep in mind that her dog had just died.  Now Mary wasn't trying to cause trouble.  She was trying to alert the breeding staff of a possible problem.  

All of us are loyal to our schools, but when they mess up, it requires that we provide a necessary corrective.  It's part and parcel of being a member of NFB. The reader will note that I have not named the school.  That's because I don't want to be hit with the charge that I am being disloyal to my school.  

What is this mentality?  I'm talking about guide dogs not football teems.  Over the years, the schools have come up with some great ideas: use of the zoom groom, finger puppet tooth brushes and poultry flavored tooth paste, a kind of pier counseling; these were great ideas.  Not allowing tug-of-war, clicker training and the use of remote control chimes were just silly.  So were labradoodles and Velcro harnesses.  

When a school messes up, who better than guide dog users to tell them.  I say to you now I believe that all of the schools are breeding these dogs to be softer and softer.  The day will come when it isn't necessary for these dogs to actually guide.  They'll just have to look pretty. Since when did Rupert Murdock gain so much control over our lives?  I'm just sayin.  Every show involving dog or cat training involves clickers to the point that the general public expects, even demands that we use clickers and food rewards.  This could get a person killed, especially given the mechanical and practical constraints of using the clicker and a food pouch.        
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