Two-by-Four fall, 2013
Guide Dog Users of Canada
Newsletter, Published Quarterly
To Contact Guide Dog Users of Canada, our mailing address is:
Guide Dog Users of Canada
300 Hedonics Road
Apt. 1009
Peterborough, Ontario
K9J 7T1
Email to:
Telephone/Fax: 1-877-285-9805
Website
Editor: Penny Leclair
Vice-President GDUC
Email mail to:
Your suggestions or submissions are always appreciated. Contact Penny at the address given above.
In This Issue:
Editor's Notes
President's Report
report of 2013 Annual General Meeting and Conference
Meet the New Members of Your Board
GDUC Addresses, Committees and Representatives
Resolution Passed Prompts Special Project
Purina Hall Of Fame
And the Lucky Winner of Trekker Breeze at Our AGM Was
Navy Ceal Dogs
Dogs help sniff out ovarian cancer
Assertive Action with Negative Attitudes
Thunder Storms and Dogs
Canadian Transportation Agency decision involving customer Allergies and Dogs
Dogs Are People Too
A Guide Dog’s Prayer
God Made A Dog
Prairie Dogs' Language Decoded by Scientists
Many Veterinary Bills Include 'Inappropriate' Costs
Gone To The Dogs And Loving It-A CD of Poems
Bloating In Dogs
Editor’s Notes
Penny Leclair
Guide Dog users of Canada has 70 paid members as of September 2013. Each member is important to this organization. If there is a reason why you joined, then maybe a friend who is a guide dog user may also join GDUC for the same reason you did, please tell your friends about why you are a member and how they can become a member too.
Please contact the board members if you are willing to work on any of the committees listed. GDUC can only become more known if we all do the work it takes to reach out to others. If you know of guide dog users, please give them the information to join, or if you know of a group that would like information about GDUC, or would like to have a speaker come talk about what we do, contact the board and we will try to arrange for a member of GDUC to make a presentation.
Thank you to all 70 members. Thank you everyone who supports GDUC with your life-time and annual membership. Annual Membership is due December 31, unless you paid at the annual general meeting this year, or just prior, your membership is good until December 2014.
President’s Report October 2013
A few words from your president.
Here’s a quick look back over the last year since our 2012 AGM. The board finally gained access to funds within a bank account that went unclaimed when (CAGDU), the Canadian Association of Guide Dog Users dissolved following the untimely passing of its president, Mary Spice. I'm pleased to be able to tell you that thanks to excellent record-keeping by our previous secretary, Laurie Scott, and hard work and persistence on the part of our outgoing secretary, Christine Duport Switzer, we have transferred $2,200 into GDUC accounts. 45% of that went into our Wellness Fund, another 45% went into the Mary Spice account, and *the remaining 10% went into our general account.
I also mentioned last year that your board was under the gun to come up with a response to a suite of standards being proposed by a committee composed of members of an Ottawa-based organization called Animal Services & Integrated Support Teams (ASIST, and Mehgan Search and Rescue Association (MSAR, Winnipeg). I can tell you now that consultations are almost at an end. *As GDUC’s representative on this committee, one question that I intend to place before them while they're still talking, has to do with on-line sales of assistance dog equipment, especially as it relates to dogs who haven't had the necessary training.
That subject wasn't addressed in their original proposed suite of standards, but it is a major concern expressed by Alan Conway as well as many other members of GDUC, and I think we should inquire as to where the committee stands.
You may recall that a year or so ago, the federal government department that deals with charities gave us a lengthy list of bylaws that all charities are expected to comply with if they want to maintain their charity status. Vic Pereira has been monitoring that situation to make sure that we are in compliance, and Penny will continue this work. It is ongoing, but should not affect our way of operating.
Fundraising continues to be a major concern for your board, especially as it relates to our Wellness Fund. GDUC continues to receive requests from people whose guide dogs require medical attention. One thing I should point out here is that it's only the bigger training programs in the States that pay veterinary expenses. The rest of the programs don't, which is why we place so much emphasis on putting as much money as we can into our Wellness Fund. We wouldn't ever want that fund, or any of our other bank accounts to run dry, but fundraising takes work. That's why, during this past year, we replaced our Mary Spice Committee with a fund development committee. Now, what we need is for some of our members to step forward and volunteer to sit on that committee.
Looking forward to 2013 2014, Our next Conference and AGM will take place in Toronto. Although members suggested Montreal, we don’t have members there who offered to chair the committee or provide significant help to organize a conference in Montreal. You will hear more about the AGM in the next newsletter.
Your board would really like to see the establishment of a committee to plan activities for International Assistance Dog Week which takes place at the beginning of August each year. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to raise public awareness about the work that guide dogs do, and a time when we could do some fundraising, too. We shouldn't let it pass us by. During this year, we also want to research how GDUC can reach out to Francophone guide dog users if our French-speaking members feel that that would be helpful. I can't stress too much, though, that none of the work we'd like to do can happen without a commitment on the part of the membership to do a portion of the work. The members of your board are volunteers, too, and they can only do so much on their own.
If you're particularly interested in some aspect of the work of GDUC, please speak to someone on the board. We could definitely use your help and ideas.
Retiring from the board as of September 21 are Laurie Scott, Vic Pereira, and Christine Duport Switzer. Lui Greco will resign his post as treasurer as of January 1, 2014. He has kindly committed to working to transition Shep Shell into the position of Treasurer of GDUC.
We have been incredibly fortunate to have had these fine members on our board for the past three years. I know you'll join me in wishing them all the best of luck in their future endeavours, and thanking them for their continued interest in GDUC.
We welcome Bhakti Patel, Lynn Raloff, Phil Goodwin, Shane Davidson and Vivian Sollows to our board. You will learn more about each new member of the board later in this newsletter.
We have several volunteers who will continue to support GDUC with their efforts by sitting on committees.
Please note that the following people have agreed to continue giving of their time and experience.
Laurie Scott, Betty Meacher, Margaret Thomson, Chris Schiafone, Anthony Tibbs, Vic Pereira, Christine Duport-Switzer, Alan Conway, Heather Walkus and Denise sanders
Paula Crebbin has stepped forward as a new volunteer. We welcome others to please do the same so that we can do the work we need to do, to be a successful guide dog users group. I know members are interested in working on the big project with Alan Conway regarding the use of fraudulent Identification and harnesses, we will report more on who will be involved with this project in the next newsletter.
All members can find ways to help this organization. If you have an interest in a particular subject, Please contact me at
Devon Wilkins, GDUC President
Report of 14th GDUC Annual General Meeting and conference
Submitted by Penny Leclair
September 20 to 22 , 2013
Location: Extended Stay Hotel
141 Cooper Street
Ottawa, On
Guide Dog Users of Canada recognizes and thanks our sponsors for their generous contributions, to making our conference such a success:
Via Rail, train tickets
Dynamic Dots, bus to BBQ and back to hotel,
T-Base Communications, bbq,
Humanware, Trekker Breeze for raffle,
CNIB, portion of meeting room and lunch,
Guide Dogs for the Blind, door prizes,
Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, door prizes,
Fidelco, door prizes,
individual GDUC members, door prizes.
The conference started with an arranged tour of the parliament building with a lot more description and opportunity to touch items than what visitors usually experience. The tour lasted an hour and a half. It was a warm beautiful day for the walk from the hotel to Parliament buildings and back. We gathered at a nearby pub called Fox and Feather for an evening full of fun. They provided 15% discount on all regular priced items on the menu. We had a corner reserved for GDUC members and friends.
Twenty-four people attended the Annual General meeting., plus volunteers. Steve Desroches, Deputy Mayor, (on behalf of Mayor Jim Watson), welcomed everyone to the nation's Capital city and thanked GDUC for the important work we do each year.
Members enjoyed a panel discussion from representatives of five guide dog schools regarding training techniques, changes the schools have made over the years and information about their programs. We were pleased to hear from:
Brenda Bush Guide Dog Foundation
Peter Nowicki and Rachel Caruso FIDELCO
Dave Ponce, Guide Dogs of America
Jessy DiNapoli Guiding Eyes
Ben Francis Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind
We stayed in the meeting room to enjoy lunch together. Our first guest speaker was Mr. Terrance Green who is a lawyer living in Ottawa. He has Represented guide dog and other service dog users for access in public space and currently is On a national committee for standards in training of service dogs in Canada.
Terrance green has three University degrees:
B.A. from Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; LL.B. from University of Ottawa; and, M.P.A. from University of Winnipeg.
He spoke on dogs and Human Rights, with a focus on the difficult problem of fake working dogs and that Canada does not have legislation to ensure that those who train service animals are properly qualified to train dogs or, match the best dog to the correct user.
Terrance reinforced the fact that guide dog handlers do have rights, and should work at keeping these rights as they cannot be taken for granted. He also reminded us that the type of assistance animals has broadened, and blind guide dog handlers may encounter other service dogs such as dogs used to alleviate PTSD, hearing dogs, dogs for autistic people, etc.
Our last guest speaker was Zafer Rustom who provided an informative presentation on creating better understanding between guide dog users and Muslim service providers.
Lynn Raloff was the lucky Winner of the grand Door prize of a Trekker Breeze GPS, Donated by Humanware Inc.
The following members were elected to the board of GDUC:
DEVON WILKINS
Penny Leclair
Lui Greco staying to transition Shep Shell until January 2014
Shep Shell:
Jerry Smith:
Bhakti Patel:
Shane Davidson:
Phil Goodwin:
Lynn Raloff
Vivian Sollows:
After the AGM we all travelled, via two small buses, to the home of Sharlyn Ayotte for a wonderful BBQ. Though the weather didn’t cooperate, we all had a cozy time and enjoyed socializing. GDUC expressed our thanks to Sharlyn by presenting her with two matching pots with bamboo plants in each pot. Ian, Sharlyn’ s husband, worked hard to cook the burgers and we all enjoyed several tasty salads. Those with sweet urges were not disappointed, tarts and cookies, such a satisfying meal. This BBQ, sponsored by T-base Communications, was a perfect ending to the 14th Conference and AGM of Guide Dog Users of Canada.
Meet the New Members of Your Board
Phil Goodwin lives in Oshawa Ontario with his wife and guide dog army. Army and Phil graduated from guide dogs for the blinds San Rafael California in 2008.
Phil has worked for General Motors for over 38 years. Phil is a union awareness trainer. He has held many jobs within his union. He was recently elected to the executive board of the local union.
Phil has worked with many provincial and federal campaigns. He is a provincial volunteer for the Trim Gift of Life Organ and Tissue Donation Network. Phil speaks to schools to tell students about Earth Day. Phil speaks to small and very large groups explaining the importance of registering to donate their organs.
Lynn Raloff and her guide Martin live on the south shore of Nova Scotia, 20 minutes north of Bridgewater. Lynn and her husband have 7 dogs, including Martin. She operates a dog day care and boarding business from their home. Lynn is a certified groomer.
Lynn is a foster parent for the local shelter. She is president of the New Germany garden club. In the past, she volunteered to be part of the Unit action committee at the hospital where she worked. She also headed the weekly rounds.
Lynn describes herself as a good planner, and communicates well on the phone. She has a lot of experience working with the media. She has done public speaking to school children and other organizations.
Vivian Sollows is interested in the work of guide dogs. She lives in Ottawa with a partner and two boys 10 and 13. Her son was born with several challenges so that Vivian became an excellent advocate to acquire the services of a special educational assistant at school, and other therapies he needed. She took advocacy courses to understand how to be a good advocate. Vivian fought for two years with the local school board for his right to a good education. Things with her son have stabilized recently so Vivian has decided to be self-employed. She is busy taking business courses and working on a project to produce a video about the various ways blind people see and how they accomplish the things they do.
Vivian has a passion for playing classical guitar and she writes music. This is difficult now because she can’t read music, even if it is magnified. She loves to sing as well.
Before Vivian lost sight she worked at an accounting firm where she learned, on the job, how to do all the tasks to become an executive manager, responsible for internal books and training other employees to prepare tax returns, from individual to corporate returns.
Vivian is quite comfortable writing letters and doing research. She is Always interested in learning new things.
Bhakti Patel lives in Maple Ontario her little guide is a black lab from Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind Her name is Whasabi but Bhakti calls her Sabi to avoid comedy from her friends and family. She is 2 years old, and weighs 60 pounds. They graduated in June, 2013.
Bhakti is currently in her second year of four years, in Financial Services Management Bachelor of Commerce Program, at Seneca College, Toronto. She chose this field because she enjoys corporate, leadership, and management industries. Bhakti is pleased to share her skills and talent with GDUC to make it a successful organization.
Shane Davidson, and his guide Yagger they currently live in Toronto, Ontario. Shane is 26 years old.
Shane has been a guide dog user since 2012, (the baby of the board), lots to learn. His skills range from customer service, to public speaking to technology.
Shane is an avid reader, see the to read list that’s I think 6 pages single spaced in an MS word file, and growing all the time. Lol.
Shane stepped forward to the board to help GDUC grow, and to thrive. Weather that’s via doing his part in managing lists and web content, coordinating committees, and anything else the board asks of me.
Shane believes in the GuideDog lifestyle. He thinks each school, (lawsuits and stupid decisions by upper management/boards of a couple schools not withstanding), and will do his part to uphold the rights we have worked so hard to achieve.
GDUC Committees and Representatives
Guide Dog Users of Canada.
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