From: Pete Donahue 
Subject: Re: Seeing Eye Resolution
Hello Bryan Fellow federationists and friends,
I have no problem with a proceedure that you discribed in your post today.
I redcently learned on my brief sojourn on Buddy-l that Guide Dogs for the
Blind does the same thing.  That is the school contacts both the raiser
and the blind person who will be receiving that raiser's particuler dog
asking for permission to pass contact information between the two
partiesbefore this information is exchanged.  This gives either the raiser
or the graduate the opportunity to accept, or to decline such an
invitation rather than the school simply deciding that contact between
raiserws and graduates is unwanted, and un helpfull.  Those who want the
opportunity to have communication can have it, and those who prefer not to
get involved with their raiser or blind dog user can not have such
contact.  I see no reason why Seeing Eye and other schools who have such a
narrow pollicy could not inact a similer pollity to that of Guide Dogs for
the Blind and of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in England.  By
the way what is the situation in Canada with respect to this matter?
As for the cases of harassment you discribed, perhaps in England it might
be somewhat harder to do, but I think that if a puppy raising family has
had a reputation for constantly bothering the blind recipient of their
dogthe school could make a concious effort to place dogs raised by such
individuals, or familieswith blind persons in another state, or across
country whare the blind person would be less likely to be harassed by the
raiser.  Perhaps in a worst case scenario the school could refuse to place
guide dog puppies with these persons.
And while we're at it the situation can work the other way.  nothing is
said about graduates who constantly call or visit their raisers un
announced, or who try to have their puppy raiser help them work out
problems related to guide work.  That aspect of the training is a matter
that only the school can deal with, and blind persons obtaining dogs from
such schools need to remember.  It dosn't take an Einstein to figure that
one out.  I had a very good working relationship with Ogden's raiser and
her family.  Although we talked and wrote to each other from time to time
we never had the kind of situations occurr that you described above.  But
then after all I live in Texas and they lived in Arrizona at the Time.  I
don't know whare they are now.  I tried to contact them when I retired
Ogden but ws unable to reach them.  Itried again after we had him
euthanized as he had a very bad case of Lung Cancer to let them know that
I appreciated all that they had done to make him a successfull guide.  I
hope that they are happy hare ever they are, but at least we had the
cnhance to share in Ogden's past and his present working life.  I hope
that this can be the same for all graduates of all guide dog shoolsin this
country.  Take care and have a good evening.
Yours truly,
Peter Donahue
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