Seeing eye dogs -- Timothy Clark
From: Fred H Olson (fholsoncohousing.org)
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 09:09:01 -0700 (MST)
Timothy Clark <gsadix [at] earthlink.net>
is the author of the message below. 
It was posted by Fred the Cohousing-L list manager <fholson [at] cohousing.org> 
because the message included HTML ;      PLEASE do not post HTML, see
   http://csf.colorado.edu/cohousing/2001/msg01672.html
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My ex-wife is blind and I have lived with two of her guide dogs.  I am
also very very allergic to cats.  So here is my 2 cents.

Guide dogs are only guide dogs when they are wearing their harness.  Take
the harness off and you have your basic tongue wagging dog.

Guide dogs should not be played with or petted while wearing their
harness.  A little is Ok, a lot disrupts their training.

I dont think you can mix a dog allergic person and a dog even if it is a
guide dog.  People are allergic to the animal dander, most often spit.  
The animal licks itself, the saliva dries on the fun and then breaks off
into microscopic bits that become airborne.  Almost impossible to get out
of the air.

Guide dogs are chosen for intelligence and temperament.  For the most part
they are very loving animals.  Take the harness off and they will come
over to say, "Hi, how you doin. Pet me please." I guarantee that the guide
dog will work it way into your heart and become a part of the community.

The other thing is that most all blind people can use a cane, so their is
no need for the dog to go into the common house.

You should probably contact the NFB for better info.

Link to National Federation of the Blind:
http://www.nfb.org

Tim


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