Blind couple lose use of guide dogs

[Cassiepeia]

news-journalonline.com
By SCOTT WYLAND
Staff Writer

PORT ORANGE -- David Cissell went blind nine years ago from his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. His wife, Barbara, lost her eyesight after a mosquito bite caused severe meningitis.

The Port Orange couple have now lost the use of their guide dogs. The Michigan-based school that trained the two dogs and placed them with the Cissells has made it illegal for the couple to use the animals for guiding after it looked into complaints about their alleged mishandling of the dogs.

School policy lets the Cissells keep the dogs, but they can no longer take them to places where pets are forbidden, such as stores, restaurants and taxicabs. And the Cissells can be fined for using the dogs to guide them.

Leader Dogs for the Blind officials received complaints that the couple abused the animals and didn't control them properly in public. They determined the complaints were valid after an agent flew to Florida twice to investigate.

David Cissell, 60, called the complaints bogus, and accused the school of overreacting. Being denied use of the dogs, he said, is causing him and his wife hardships.

"These are silly, stupid complaints," Cissell said. "Leader Dogs has to watch their image."

A Leader Dogs spokeswoman said it was rare for the school to decertify dogs, and that the decision was made after a thorough investigation. She refused to discuss details of the case.

"We've been aware of ongoing issues for several months," said Stacy Benmark, who's in charge of teaching blind people how to handle the dogs.

Leader Dogs is a nonprofit school that trains up to 288 guide dogs yearly at a cost of about $38,000 each, she said. Training is paid for with donations from the Lions Club and other sources.

The school is one of a dozen in the country that trains guide dogs, she said.

Decertification can't be reversed, Benmark said. And it's unlikely the dogs could be re-certified through a different school, she said, because most schools prefer to work with younger dogs.

A Leader Dogs agent confiscated the animals' harnesses and special identification tags, Cissell said. He also notified the city that the dogs were no longer lawful for guiding.

Both canines are 5 years old, giving them another five years as guide dogs, Cissell said.


Cissell said the timing is especially bad because his wife Barbara, 46, has just begun a job-retraining program. A former construction worker, his wife now must use a cane or walker -- which she is unaccustomed to -- while learning to be a receptionist.

Dogs are preferable to canes because they will stop abruptly when encountering hazards, such as an impatient driver zipping over a crosswalk, Cissell said.

Cissell said he knows of three complaints lodged against him and his wife.

One woman said he forced his golden retriever, Spartacus, to pull him in a wheelchair through a Las Vegas casino while he beat the dog. Cissell insists the story is false.

Cissell said the woman is a blind friend's girlfriend who was vengeful because he accused her of taking advantage of his friend.



In another complaint, an unnamed tipster told the city's animal control department that his wife abused Zella, her German Shepherd, while they were out walking in the Leisure Villa neighborhood.

Cissell contends the dog stopped suddenly because there was a bin in the sidewalk, and his wife accidentally stepped on the dog's foot.

The third incident occurred during a blind veterans' convention in Chicago, when his wife's dog lunged and barked at another man's guide dog, Cissell said. "Maybe she (Zella) was having a bad day. It's just something that happened one time."

Benmark, the school spokeswoman, said guide dogs can be taken everywhere in public, so it's important that the animals be docile.

"There are a lot of concerns with safety," she said. "The dogs need to be . . . accepting of all people."


Doug Hall, a local blind activist, said it's paramount that an owner keep control of a dog at all times. One aggressive act is too many, he said.

"We can't afford to have a bad guide-dog team out there," Hall said.

Hall, who has used guide dogs for 30 years, said a school won't decertify an animal unless there's strong evidence of a bad pattern.

"They're not going to do anything that's going to backfire on the school," Hall said.

Capt. Wayne Miller, Port Orange police spokesman, said the Leader Dogs agent canvassed the Cissells' neighborhood to see whether the anonymous complaint against Barbara Cissell had merit.

It was never proved, Miller said. "To come down to Florida and take (away) certification is mind-boggling."

Miller said that although it would be technically unlawful for the Cissells to use their guide dogs, his officers have better things to do than hassle them.

"We're not going to fine a blind couple for using a dog to get around," Miller said.

[StephanieandTeddy]

They are worried about abuse...yet the dogs can remain with the blind couple as pets?? THAT doesn't make sense.....

[Ritz459]

Originally Posted by StephanieandTeddy

They are worried about abuse...yet the dogs can remain with the blind couple as pets?? THAT doesn't make sense.....

My thoughts exactly.

And this is "MY" guide dog orginization to.....Sadie is working for them.

What a bunch of junk. They are worried about abuse, and yet the dogs are still with the people. It is bad enough that the dogs can no longer be guide dogs per say, but they are still with the people and haven't been de-graduated, for lack of better word.

I can't imagine how those two dogs' raisers must feel right at the moment. I know I'd be making such a fuss to raise the dead if that were Sadie. Just picturing Sadie in that kind of scene is enough to get my blood boiling.

Let's hope they get this resolved quickly.

[GSD]

If the school saw something they didn't like, then they should have taken the dogs back, if these complaints are unfounded, then the dogs should still be certified IMO.

If the Police Chief says there isn't anything to this and they aren't going to fine the couple for using their dogs, then I guess this whole deal is for nothing. You'd think either the couple would be letting a court decide if the school's decision is correct, or the school would be trying to get the "abused" dogs back.

[Cassiepeia]

When I read this, I wondered about the 'decertification' bit, because I was under the impression that a service/assistance dog of any kind didn't need any official documentaion to be a service/assistance dog. They just needed to be trained properly and genuinely helping someone who had a disability, so wouldn't the dogs still be able to be used as guide dogs? You can just buy service dog equipment, including guide dog harnesses anyway.

And I agree with all of you, if they suspected abuse they should have taken the dogs away and if there wasn't abuse they shouldn't have "decertified" them. Someone should confront the Leader Dogs organisation about the abuse claims and the dogs still being in the home.

Cass.

[Novel]

But, my thought is, the school can't take away the dogs. On what grounds? They are not law enforcement, they can't go take dogs away from people unless they have some sort of contract that says they can, right?
I was very disappointed in the whole article. Trying to read between the lines I think there is probably grounds to the complaints, too many people saying similar things for it to be completely unjustified. Also, the quotes by the "victims" make them sound very unconcerned about the complaints... like

Cissell said. "Maybe she (Zella) was having a bad day. It's just something that happened one time."

If I relied upon a guide dog... I can tell you I wouldn't be so ho-hum about a potential behavioral problem. This is the dog that I trust with my life!

I was also very disappointed in the law enforcement in the area. This is quoted from the article.

Dogs for the Blind officials received complaints that the couple abused the animals and didn't control them properly in public. They determined the complaints were valid after an agent flew to Florida twice to investigate.

Capt. Wayne Miller, Port Orange police spokesman, said the Leader Dogs agent canvassed the Cissells' neighborhood to see whether the anonymous complaint against Barbara Cissell had merit.

It was never proved, Miller said. "To come down to Florida and take (away) certification is mind-boggling."

So, who is telling the truth? The Leader Dogs school or the police Capt.? Was it proven or not? My guess would be that it was... so why did the police captain make an inflammatory statement, followed by the statement that they're not going to do anything about it if they continue to use the dogs. If I were the school, I'd be livid!! Heck, I am livid.