GUIDE DOG QWNERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION

GUIDE DOG QWNERS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION

14 May 1999

Dear Sirs

re: HREOC Discussion Paper - Assistance Animals and Health & Hygiene Regulations

I refer to the above Discussion Paper, which was required by 30th April. I have prepared a submission as below for your attention.

I have been concerned for some time of legislation which is being passed without any consultation whatsoever with our organisation. As some people may remember, I was the one that fought hard and succeeded in getting legislation passed for dog guides to go into any place and on all forms of public transport. This legislation was passed in 1957 but now it has been made more or less obsolete as dog guides have to compete with companion dogs, hearing dogs, assistance dogs and puppies being walked by people rearing them for future dog guides. I do not consent to our puppy boarders taking their puppies into shops, on public transport and such places. This legislation already has worked to the detriment of dog guides in some business places.

Our puppies are being boarded by families and receive no training whatsoever as it is very expert work to train a dog to be a guide. The puppies are simply brought up as a member of the family and learning to relieve itself outside in their back garden instead of in the street, give it the confidence of being loved and nothing to be afraid of when they come into our school for commencement of training. The family takes the puppy walking along streets, across roads, thus exposing it to the noise of traffic, etc. The puppies travel with the family in the family car, go out on picnics and to beaches and any other place which a family may go other than into shops or on public transport.

We have received numerous complaints that these dogs whilst being reared by private families have made quite a nuisance of themselves in shops and other places by relieving themselves, and thus prejudicing people against even dog guides. These dogs wear jackets to indicate they are special dogs with special privileges and, of course, as I have explained above this should not be the case. Our puppy boarders get the puppies from 8 weeks old until they are 12 - 18 months old and return a monthly report form we send them, thus we have the history of the dog when it comes in to commence training. If any particular defects are highlighted on their monthly report forms we deal with these immediately.

This may sound a biased attitude but I think it is quite a relevant one - I cannot see any need for a person with bad hearing to have a dog guide in the street or on public transport. The dog can be of tremendous use to a person with defective hearing in the house by drawing their attention if they hear the phone, door bell ring, a kettle or jug boiling, a baby crying or anyone around their premises. We have some deaf people working for our organisation and they do not feel the need for a dog guide in the street, they drive a car, can find their way to a railway station, bus or tram stop, see the train, bus or tram when it arrives and read its destination. Blind or badly vision impaired persons cannot do any of these things and some persons with dog guides have been placed in a difficult position by a person with one of the above mentioned dogs who is able to see.

I myself have experienced this. One case in particular I will highlight. I was at a hotel in Canberra and on coming out of the dining room my dog led me towards the stairs to go down them. Just at the top of the stairs a dog came over and interferred with the working of my dog causing it to turn around and this could have caused me to fall down the stairs.

A waiter, however, rushed up and took possession of the dog. When I asked him why was this dog in the hotel he said it was a hearing dog and on asking where its owner was he said she was at the bar having a drink and therefore did not need the dog, which was running loose. He also told me that she drove to the hotel accompanied by the dog.

We have a permanent employee who is profoundly deaf working for our organisation doing messages, shopping, etc. He drives to and from work in a car. He wears a hearing aid in both ears but I think he mainly depends on lip reading. We have two other persons who cannot hear at all and have communicated with people with writing. They also drive cars.

Using the methods we do with our puppy boarders, we have never found any problem by training our dogs at the appropriate time to go into shops and on all forms of transport etc.

My comments are made in all sincerity and as a blind person I think it is obligatory of us to put forward the real needs of the people we represent at all times.

I am

Yours sincerely

PHYLLIS M GRATION A.M., B.A., A.L.C.M.

Chief Executive Officer