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<title>Concerning Guide Dogs and Cagdu’s roll</title>
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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-left:1.0in;text-align:center;
text-indent:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span class=SpellE><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>cagdu@nfbcal.comConcerning</span></font></span>
Guide Dogs and Cagdu’s roll</p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Ken Volonte</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><span style='mso-tab-count:1'> </span>For about ten years
and more, the California Association of Guide Dog Users <span class=GramE>have</span>
taken a conciliatory attitude with regard to guide dog schools.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>All negative talk has been discouraged. <span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The result of this has been to make Cagdu a
rather toothless division of the NFB.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>I’d like a more adversarial relationship to be considered.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><span style='mso-tab-count:1'> </span>What is prompting
this?<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>There is one guide dog school in
particular which has taken to threatening students rather unpleasantly.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>A friend’s dog died of cancer.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>She wanted to know if any of the dog’s
sisters had this malady and asked for health notes on these dogs.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The school’s response: “We
don’t ever foresee providing a dog that meets your satisfaction on our campus
ever”.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Keep in mind that her dog
had just died.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Now Mary wasn’t
trying to cause trouble.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>She was trying
to alert the breeding staff of a possible problem.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>All of us are loyal to our schools, but when they mess <span
class=GramE>up,</span> it requires that we provide a necessary corrective.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>It’s part and parcel of being a member
of NFB. The reader will note that I have not named the school.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>That’s because I don’t want to be
hit with the charge that I am being disloyal to my school.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>What is this mentality?<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>I’m talking about guide dogs not football teems.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>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.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Not allowing tug-of-war, clicker training and
the use of remote control chimes were just silly.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>So were labradoodles and Velcro
harnesses.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>When a school messes up, <span class=GramE>who</span> better than guide
dog users to tell them.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I say to you now
I believe that all of the schools are breeding these dogs to be softer and
softer.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The day will come when it
isn’t necessary for these dogs to actually guide.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>They’ll just have to look pretty. Since
when did Rupert Murdock gain so much control over our lives?<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>I’m just sayin.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>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. <span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>This could get a person killed, especially
given the mechanical and practical constraints of using the clicker and a food
pouch.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span></span></font></p>
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