Suncoast Puppy Raisers
GDF Suncoast Puppy Raisers Newsletter September 2013 Puppy Saturday Meeting
Date: September 14, 2013
Where: John’s Pass Madeira Beach
12900 Gulf Blvd.
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Hi everyone,
John’s Pass Village, located on the
east side of Gulf Blvd., just before
crossing the bridge to Treasure Island, it
is a popular little tourist spot. It’s
quaint, located near the beach and full of
small privately owned shops of crafts
and treasures. It was one of the first
locations Chuck and I discovered after
we first moved here in 1984. It
impressed us and is a favorite place of
ours to revisit for food and shopping.
As always, at our general meetings, we
try to introduce the puppies to new
experiences they may encounter later in
life as a guide dog. And boy, are there a
lot of new and exciting things to
experience here. There will be a
boardwalk, open backed steps, people,
pelicans, traffic, sand, and water, just to
name a few. Although it may still be a
little warm outside in September, it is
probably is a good time of year to beat
the crowds. It’s also an excellent place
for our new young puppies. It is out
doors, and has lots of concrete relief
areas! Besides, there are several
opportunities to escape the heat by ducking into a small shop, or resting under the shade of a palm tree.
Directions: For most of us the easiest way to Johns Pass is from I275 in St. Petersburg, take the 38th
Ave North
exit and head west on 38th
avenue north. Turn right on Tyrone Blvd, Tyrone Blvd will turn into Bay Pines
Blvd, stay on Bay Pines Blvd, follow the signs to Madeira Beach across the John Stewart Causeway, turn left or
south on Gulf Blvd turn right on 129th
Avenue and follow it into the parking lot. We will meet at the Gazebo
where the bathrooms are located. If you have any questions or need different directions give Chuck a call or
send him an email.
Parking and Meeting Place: You can park in the public parking lot west of Gulf Blvd., just before crossing
the bridge to Treasure Island. There is a small Gazebo where we can meet. Make sure to bring quarters for the
parking meters and shoes to walk on the beach. There is also a public parking Garage on the east side of Gulf
Blvd.
After our meeting, we usually go out to lunch. We will decide together where we want to go. See you then.
Suncoast Puppy Raisers
Area Coordinators:
Chuck and Debbie Hietala
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.suncoastpup.org
Phone: 727-515-2105
Guide Dog Foundation
371 East Jericho Turnpike
Smithtown, NY 11787
Phone: (800) 548-4337
Fax: (631) 930-9009
Website:www.guidedog.org
Above Francis meets Heart for the first
time. Below Mike and Alicia meet Usher.
Good luck to you all and we see a fun
filled year ahead for all of you.
New arrivals We are so excited to announce 3 new arrivals. First, a very
cute little Golden/Lab named Heart has joined Frances and
Paul Lucus, and next, an adorable German Shepherd named
Usher is testing new puppy raisers Mike and Alicia
Masterson. Our third addition is not a young puppy, but new
to our group. We welcome, Audrey, accompanied by Louise
and Mike who have just moved here from Georgia. Welcome
all newcomers and we are looking forward to all being part of
the group!
Breeder evaluations We have two dogs leaving us this month to be evaluated for
breeding. First, Reuben, the very handsome Collie being
raised by Don and Donna Thompson, and Velvet, the dainty,
beautiful little Lab, being raised by Bob and Sue Debatt.
They are scheduled to be transported to Georgia where they
will go through their evaluations. We will let you know how
it goes, and where the dogs will go from there. Good luck
Reuben and Velvet, we know you will make us proud.
Up Coming Events As always, our calendar is full, but we want to thank
everyone in advance for attending our numerous events.
Getting our puppies out into the public is the best way to build
awareness and hopefully attract more people to join us. So here is
what’s coming up next:
October 12, Puppy Saturday Meeting: 24th
Annual Fire
Prevention Block Party, Lake Vista Park, 1401 62nd
Ave S.
10:00am –noon. sponsored by St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue.
The suggestion to attend this event as our monthly meeting
location came from Donna Thompson and we thought it was a
great idea. We will be sending out more info in next month’s
meeting announcement, but at least now you can plan ahead. We
are always open to your suggestions for meeting locations. We
try to focus on something free, with lots of exposures to people
places and things for our puppies.
October 18, 6:30 -10:30pm. The National Association of
Guide Dog Users, NAGDU, is having a fund raiser, Oktoberfest,
at the Lion’s Club Beach house, Treasure Island. This is a very
worthy cause and near and dear to any guide dog user no matter
which school their dog is from. NAGDU is the largest advocacy
group to protect the rights of an individual to be accompanied by
their guide dog. Of course I am a member and I am helping to
organize this event with our National President, Marian
Gwizdalla, who happens to live in Tampa. There will be music,
authentic German food and beer, raffle and auction items. It is a
Suncoast Puppy Raisers
Area Coordinators:
Chuck and Debbie Hietala
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.suncoastpup.org
Phone: 727-515-2105
Guide Dog Foundation
371 East Jericho Turnpike
Smithtown, NY 11787
Phone: (800) 548-4337
Fax: (631) 930-9009
Website:www.guidedog.org
Debbie says hi to Heart at the Pets for Vet’s Fundraiser!
free event and a flyer is forthcoming with all the particulars. Tell all your friends and we hope to see you there.
October 27, Sunday 9am –noon: Foundation Fighting Blindness, 6th
Annual Vision Walk, Al Lopez Park,
in Tampa. We are requesting volunteers to man a table on behalf of GDF, and walkers to support the fund
raiser. I am currently putting together a team and requesting each member raise $50.00 per person for the walk.
Transitions Optical has pledged $20.00 per person, so you only have to come up with $30.00, more if you are so
inclined. So save the date and let us know if you can attend.
Just a final note, we want to thank all the raisers
that attended September 1st Pets for Vets event.
This was a fund raiser for Guide Dog Foundation’s
American Vet Dog program, placing companion
dogs that don’t make it as a guide dog with
veterans with PTSD and other disabilities. The
event was a lot of fun and raised about $1500.00
for the program. Thanks for helping us out by
attending this event as well as any future ones. It
is appreciated.
Training Tip – Access Issues Since we started our group 2 years ago, we really
haven’t addressed the issue of public access with
your puppy. At least one time in your raising
career, you will be questioned or denied access
with your puppy. We do have an informal public access policy that we suggest our raisers follow. We say
informal, because it is not official, written down or supported by any law. But first what does the GDF manual
say.
It says: ACCESS Prior to any outing to a business (such as a bank, post office or store) for the first time,
speak to the manager. Introduce yourself as a puppy raiser for the Guide Dog Foundation. Present your I.D. card
and answer any questions that they may have. Whether they grant you entry or not, always be polite. Be certain
to thank them for their cooperation. In fact, following up by telephone or correspondence to thank them for their
kindness is a great idea!
Access for puppy raisers is not guaranteed. If a store denies you and the puppy access, be courteous and
polite – and do not force the issue. We do not want to damage the Guide Dog Foundation’s relationship, or
potential relationship, with any business.
So what are our informal Guidelines? The guidelines we would like members of our puppy raiser group
are as follows:
*Even before leaving the house, make sure your puppy is mature enough for the level of the exposure. For
example, a young puppy only has an attention span of about 45 minutes, and they require 100% of your
attention. As the puppy matures, they can handle more time and need less attention.
*On outings, make sure your puppy is in coat, you have their ID card, water, clean up supplies, and a chew toy.
Make sure they are under your control and you are up to the exposure as well.
*If confronted about access, make sure to let the person know that you do have a “guide dog in training” and
then present your pup’s ID card. If you are still denied access, be professional, polite, and ask for a name and
phone number so someone can contact them about access for our guide dog puppy. Send us the information via
email and we will follow up.
*Remember, you do not have to take your puppy every where you go all the time. It is good for them to stay
home too. Staying home builds their confidence. We do not want pups with separation anxiety who cannot be
left at home.
Suncoast Puppy Raisers
Area Coordinators:
Chuck and Debbie Hietala
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.suncoastpup.org
Phone: 727-515-2105
Guide Dog Foundation
371 East Jericho Turnpike
Smithtown, NY 11787
Phone: (800) 548-4337
Fax: (631) 930-9009
Website:www.guidedog.org
*In most cases, access issues are just a matter of education. Many times after we’ve explained what our
program is about, we have made a new friend and are invited back. If not, we just tell every one we know, not
to patronize that business or organization.
Debbie asked NAGDU President Marian Gwizdalla his expert advice on the subject. Here is what he
had to say: Marion’s comments on Florida Statute concerning Access to Trainers of Service Animals.
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act only extends protection to disabled individuals, including
disabled individuals accompanied by service animals, most state statutes extend this protection to trainers of
service animals. Some states require the trainer to be a “professional”, while others require no specific
credentials. Florida law is one of the most permissive statutes when it comes to access to public places with
service animals in training. Florida law states, “Any trainer of a service animal, while engaged in the training of
such an animal, has the same rights and privileges with respect to access to public facilities and the same
liability for damage as is provided for [disabled individuals] accompanied by service animals.” 413.08(8) f.s.)
When traveling to another state, it is strongly suggested you know the laws of the state where you are going.
You can view summaries and texts of all the state laws by going to http://www.nagdu.org/rights.html
You may also call the NAGDU Information & Advocacy Hotline 24/7 by calling 888-NAGDU411
(888-624-3841) Thanks Marion! Especially good advice to remember every state is different when we travel.
So in summary our policy and GDF’s policy is access will be granted voluntarily. If denied access we
remain polite and get any contact information we can so we can follow up with the business or location as to
why we had an issue. If you have any questions please contact us. And remember we are walking around with
a billboard advertising GDF so let’s make sure we are always good spokespeople for the organization we
represent.
You’re Area Coordinators: Debbie & Chuck Hietala
Pictures from last month’s pool party and trip to Ray’s Game
Top Related