DGHA Newsletter
Winter 2019
Dear DGHA members, associates, and all who are involved or interested in dog guide mobility,
Refusal of dog guides to public places continues to be a problem. We’ve put together 4 steps to take if this unfortunate situation happens to you.
Our committee is excited to give you the details of our upcoming teleconference with guest speaker Zoren the vet sharing information on how you might attend to first aid situations for your dog when you are blind or vision impaired. Read on for some insights from a puppy raiser and some fun facts about our special furry mates.
Enjoy and share!
Annette Ferguson, Editor

Table of contents
Article 1: 4 steps to take if you and your dog guide are refused entry to a public place
Article 2: Interview with a puppy raiser
Article 3: Some interesting researched based facts about dog guides
Article 4: DGHA Teleconference on Wednesday 25th September 2019
Article 5: Last words
________________________________________________
Article 1: 4 steps to take if you and your dog guide are refused entry to a public place
No matter which form of media you read or listen too, you will be sure to come across regular stories of dog guide users being refused entry to public places like restaurants, accommodation, taxis and Ubers. Regardless of education provided by dog guide schools, advocates and handlers themselves, this problem doesn't seem to be going away. To handle a situation where you are refused entry to a public place, we've made a list of 4 steps to take:1. Stay calm. These situations can be extremely frustrating and bring up feelings of anger and helplessness. Being refused entry is very unfair and can ruin an otherwise enjoyable outing. Many of these situations can be resolved by having a calm conversation with management. 2. Educate. You should always carry your dog's ID card provided by your dog's training school. Some dog guide schools also issue little cards with a summary of their state's legislation and the fines associated with refusal of a service dog. Use these cards or make sure you have a copy of your state's legislation with you and show them to management. Refusal of a service dog often arises because a staff member is not aware of the legislation. Inform the staff, management or driver that you will call the police or relevant authority in your state. 3. Document. As soon as possible after the incident while it is still fresh in your memory, write down all the details. Include the date, time, location, business name/uber or taxi number, any staff who were involved, names of witnesses, and exactly what happened. It's important to record the facts of what was said and what the outcome was rather than your feelings or assumptions about the people involved. 4. Report. If you have not resolved the problem by speaking to management you can report any refusal incidents to the Human Rights Commission. It does not cost anything to make a complaint to the Commission. 
Your complaint needs to be put in writing. The Commission has a complaint form that you can fill in lodge by post or fax or you can make a complaint online at www.humanrights.gov.au/complaints/lodge-complaint. If you are not able to put your complaint in writing, there is help available. Phone the Human Rights Info line on 1300 656 419 (local call) TTY: 1800 620 241 (toll free). Your dog guide school may also be able to offer assistance. __________________________________________________
Article 2: Interview with a puppy raiser
Janice Dean has been a puppy raiser with Guide Dogs Victoria for over 20 years. In that time she has raised 30 puppies either for a full year or as temporary charges for shorter periods of time. 12 of these have progressed to become working guide dogs. How did you become a puppy raiser?
I first saw a promotion in a shopping centre seeking puppy raisers and was very interested but didn't do anything about it. Years later at a very difficult time in my life, just after my mother had passed and my pet Labrador was getting on in years, the local vet suggested that I’d make a great puppy raiser for Guide Dogs. That was the beginning of a wonderful journey. Having puppies around gave my old Lab a new lease on life and gave him a reason to keep living.
What is the best part of being a puppy raiser?
Raiding puppies for Guide Dogs Victoria has given me a wonderful way to serve the community. I've met so many lovely people in the guide dog and puppy raising community and formed great friendships. Having a puppy with me everywhere I go has given me and others so much joy. Puppies make people smile and interact with you in supermarkets, lifts, cafes, wherever you are, when otherwise they would just walk by. The joy of having a new puppy each year is just wonderful. It's lovely to care for something that needs you. What is the most important thing you teach the puppies who will hopefully become guide dogs? I think the most important things we teach them are to obey commands, the most important command is toileting. Ignoring other dogs and birds and any other distraction is also a high priority. Having a good recall is something they will need to have, you want to know they will listen to you and come back when you want them to, and for their own safety. What is the time commitment for a puppy raiser?
It's hard to say because you don't just set aside a time each day, you are training them in everything you do. When we are at home, when we go out, you are teaching them good manners getting into the car, to keep their focus and not sniff things or eat off the floor in the supermarket, how to sit nicely and relax while we are having coffee in a cafe. We do puppy classes every week and have visits from puppy raiser trainers every couple of months. Guide Dogs organise social days for the puppy raisers and their pups to a variety of places throughout the year. This is a chance for the dogs to see other dogs and practice their behaviour when there are other dogs around. The puppy raisers have a lot of fun on these days too!
To Janice and all of the puppy raisers out there, both SEDA an Guide Dogs, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the wonderful work you do in preparing our dog guides for their working lives. 
___________________________________________________
Article 3: Just for fun, some interesting facts about dog guides
Did you know dogs who have either a preference for using their right paw when trying to get food out of a toy, or who are ambidextrous are 64 - 68% more likely to pass their training and become successful working guide dogs? Dr Lisa Williams (nee Tomkins) is an animal scientist who conducted her postdoctoral studies with a focus on objective measures that can be used to determine the suitability of dogs for guiding work.
Trainee guide dogs were observed getting food out of a Kong toy and their paw preference were noted. There were other factors to consider, but at the end of their training period they found that of the dogs who were left handed, only 38% passed their training. Of the dogs who were ambidextrous or right handed 64 - 68% passed their training. Another interesting test conducted on potential guide dogs was an analysis of hair whorls. These spiral patterns occur at different positions on the coat of most animals and are known to be good indicators of temperament in cattle and horses. Dr Williams found that dogs with an anticlockwise whorl were 68% more likely to pass their guide dog training. Source: retrieved from https://www.arc.gov.au/news-publications/media/feature-articles/reading-dog-research-aids-guide-dog-assessments on 26 August 2019. ___________________________________________________
Article 4: DGHA Teleconference on Wednesday 25th September 2019
The DGHA committee are happy to announce the resurrection of regular teleconferences with our first one on Wednesday the 25th of September at 7.30pm Eastern Standard Time. Our guest presenter is Zoren the vet. He will start with a short talk about some common first aid situations and how you might handle these if you are blind or have low vision. He'll then be answering questions on health, maintenance and general care of dog guides. The details for attending the teleconference are as follows:
DGHA Conference Dial in number:  03 8672 0130 Enter the Participant Access code: 144870#. (Note that at the end of the six digits numerical access code you must enter the # sign on your telephone keypad). Please announce yourself once you have joined the teleconference.
____________________________________________________
Article 5 - Last words 
Join DGHA
If you are not already a member of DGHA and would like to be, please visit our website and fill in the accessible form. We welcome full memberships for dog guide handlers and associate memberships from dog guide trainers, puppy raisers and friends and family of dog guide handlers. The joining page on our website is here: http://dgha.org.au/dgha/membership/Sign up for this newsletter
If you know someone who might like to receive this newsletter, for example a new dog guide handler, a puppy raiser or your instructor, please send their email address to us (with their permission) by reply email or to dgha@dgha.org.au and we'll add them to our list. Contribute to this newsletter We also welcome your input into this newsletter. 
If you have a story, an idea, a review of a doggy product you love, please contact Annette via the dgha@dgha.org.au email address to discuss your contribution.

Dog Guide Handlers Australia
dgha@dgha.org.au
www.dgha.org.au
Twitter: @DGHAustralia via https://twitter.com/dghaustralia?lang=en
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/DogGuideHandlersAustralia/