Guide Dog Dies In Hot Car

[poochmad]

I just asked my husband his thoughts on this topic and he is in agreement with you guys, that the person should be sacked. As he pointed out, not only did the dog suffer a horrible death, but a lot of money would have been spent on the dog's training and someone has missed out on getting their guide dog. He also thinks that someone who is responsible for dogs as part of their profession, leaving a dog in the car, which everyone knows is a no-no, is inexcusable and shouldn't be working in that profession.

ETA: while I can understand his reasoning, I still feel the person has had enough of a punishment and will have to live with this for the rest of their life. While it was a horrible incident, it was an accident and not done intentionally. If they had a record of doing such things, then that would be a different story.

Edited February 10, 2013 by poochmad

[Jumabaar]

Sorry for going off the main topic, it lead there though and it seemed all that had been going to say was said. I guess for me it comes down to the guy's work record. If he had been squeaky clean and his work valuable then leaning towards not sacking, if he was known to be slack then yes, sack him.

In the workplace, there are terms and conditions of an employment contract that if breached are sackable offences (i.e. stealing from an employer, divulging confidential/sensitive information etc), regardless of the employees work record, so I would have thought that causing the death of a service dog in a dog related industry through negligence by the handler/carer would result in instant dismissal regardless of the handlers/carers word record.

ETA - If causing the death of a service dog through negligence is not considered as grounds for instant dismissal as part of the handlers/carer employment terms and conditions, then it darn well should be - seriously what is a more serious breach of employment than causing the death of a service dog through negligence.

I assume the organisation would look at the individuals record and how valuable they are to the organisation. It take a fair bit of knowledge to train these dogs to the point when they can actually go out into service. If they had always followed the rules and had been diligent and careful in the past then sacking this person may mean that they also loose the knowledge to get these dogs into homes.

It doesnt even say this person was actually a dog trainer- it may have been someone who deals more with the other aspects of the organisation.

[rastus_froggy]

OT but Trisven13 I remember watching that about the dad who usually didn't take the child to child care but had to that day and forgot. That will stay with me forever, now that I have a bub I think of that poor man nearly daily. If I have left bub at home with his dad I reach into his seat (still rear facing) to double check he is not in the car. I can only lock my car from the passenger door and only get bub out the passenger side -it is something I am so paranoid about.

[kobblyness]

Oprah interview

[mantis]

This is beyond irresponsible. How can someone just forget that they had a dog n the car? The dog must have died a horrible death. This guy should be sacked.

I agree & it saddens me that people are making excuses for this moron. He knew it was a hot day, he shouldn't have left the dog in the car for 5 minutes. I hope he is sacked.

RIP sweet puppy, you not only lost your life, but a blind person out there has lost a pair of eyes & a loving companion.

[mantis]

"Nutter" because of the lack of compassion for the suffering of a fellow human. Ever heard of the saying "There but for the grace of God go I???" I hope those who are baying for this blokes blood can take the judgement if they ever make a mistake.

My friend who forgot her dog in the car??? She pays for it every day of her life, and she LOVED that dog, truly loved her. I saw her suffering, and i wouldn't wish that pain on another person....she fully understands the suffering her dog went through, which compounds her guilt.

See Donatella, you just admitted you have forgotten to feed your dogs dinner...when they are in the same house....what if that had been a patient you had forgotten to give life-saving medication too??? (and yes, I'm using your very own logic here...or does that only apply to other people and not yourself?)

Why do I get the feeling, that you are either the irresponsible person, or know them. Why else did you suddenly start posting here.

[raz]

I agree & it saddens me that people are making excuses for this moron.

I feel sorry for him because I just cant comprehend how I would feel if I accidentally left a dog in my car and it died. That's not making excuses. It's called...what's that word? Empathy!

As for whether he should be sacked, well no one here knows the full story.

As for your accusation against Willow, oh c'mon!!! She posted on here just like you, myself and everyone else did.

[Bundyburger]

Umm maybe because its a forum?? What a ridiculous thing to say about Willow.. You come up with some whacky comments.

I just hope the poor person never finds this thread and reads it. Some of you are nasty. I really feel for him.

Edited February 10, 2013 by Bundyburger

[poochmad]

What I find really interesting about the whole thing is that Guide Dogs have been very open about what happened - they didn't need to say anything...it wasn't like it occurred in a public car park and had witnesses. By being upfront and honest about what's happened they've opened themselves up to negative comments/feedback - I hope that this doesn't stop people from supporting the association.

[labadore]

It is interesting that so many posters in this thread express empathy and sympathy for the person who caused this poor dog's death , but don't express any sympathy for the poor dog that died a horrendous and painful death

We have been called nutters and nasty for having no empathy or sympathy for this guy, but come on this guy's negligence caused the horrendous and painful death of a valuable service dog who had so much to offer the community . Working with service dogs carries a high responsibility and accountability and if you stuff up, you pay the price. Unfortunately for this poor dog, the handler/carer's stuff up cost this dog its life in a most horrendous way.

I hope this person finds this thread and reads it. He needs to be held accountable for his negligence, plain and simple. There can be no extenuating circumstances that would excuse him from leaving a dog in the car with the very high temperatures on that day.

Edited February 10, 2013 by labadore

[raz]

It is interesting that so many posters in this thread express empathy and sympathy for the person who caused this poor dog's death , but don't express any sympathy for the poor dog that died a horrendous and painful death

Why does everything have to be spelled out? It's a dog forum full of dog lovers so it's safe to assume people DO feel bad about the dog without it having to be spoon fed to you. I also feel bad for Guide Dogs Australia but didnt feel it was necessary to spell that out either.

[persephone]

who callously caused the horrific death of a dog.

Really?

So you believe he did it on purpose, and that he had no feelings toward the dog??

[labadore]

It is interesting that so many posters in this thread express empathy and sympathy for the person who caused this poor dog's death , but don't express any sympathy for the poor dog that died a horrendous and painful death

Why does everything have to be spelled out? It's a dog forum full of dog lovers so it's safe to assume people DO feel bad about the dog without it having to be spoon fed to you. I also feel bad for Guide Dogs Australia but didnt feel it was necessary to spell that out either.

Really "It's a dog forum full of dog lovers so it's safe to assume people DO feel bad about the dog without it having to be spoon fed to you" - interesting you should say that cause I sure don't assume how people feel without actually articulating it in a thread and from what I have read on this forum, I certainly don't feel it is a forum full of dog lovers

[raz]

Why else would they be on here if it wasnt for their dogs? You just assume that those who expressed sympathy for the man couldnt give a rat's bum about the dog boiling to death in a car. You know, maybe it's just too painful for some people to write about. That's why there is a closed animal cruelty subforum - because some people find it too difficult to cope with.

Edited February 10, 2013 by raz

[labadore]

who callously caused the horrific death of a dog.

Really?

So you believe he did it on purpose, and that he had no feelings toward the dog??

It would be helpful if you could quote who posted that so they could respond as I have no idea without going through the whole thread who posted that, thanks :)

[poochmad]

Why else would they be on here if it wasnt for their dogs? You just assume that those who expressed sympathy for the man couldnt give a rat's bum about the dog boiling to death in a car. You know, maybe it's just too painful for some people to write about. That's why there is a closed animal cruelty subforum - because some people find it too difficult to cope with.

Agree.

I care about the poor dog - what a horrible and stressful way to die, can't imagine it.

I also care about the person who did this - something they have to live with for the rest of their life. As somone pointed out, this is empathy. I think it would have been an awful discovery, no wonder they are in counselling.

Neither of these two things make me a bad person. It just means I can look at the situation and feel for both components; another word is compassion.

***

However, I think this topic will just go round and round in circles. There are people like me who feel sorry about the poor dog and who also have concern about the person involved and then there are the people who don't care about the person, they are focused solely on the dog, which I understand as well. Neither side will relent.

[persephone]

from what I have read on this forum, I certainly don't feel it is a forum full of dog lovers

I don't like the term dog lover ....

I think what may come across in posts on DOL is that there are those experienced and long term owners of /workers with dogs who see things with more pragmatism.

Some see dogs for what they are- a wonderfully complex and beautiful animal with whom we can communicate well, which returns our friendship, and which can work with us ,and adapt to our needs :)

not furry 'people' or surrogate children ....personally I feel that takes away so much of what 'dog' means to me .

To me .. 'dog' means power,and a wonderful gift of senses to use in their world .It means speed and reactions and adaptability, and skill. My enjoyment of things dog includes being with them in a 'pack' situation - watching them hunt or work sheep, guide a visually impaired person, and adjust their behaviours to accomodate humans who behave a bit differently, or have less mobility .

They are just amazing creatures , and I could not be without them in my life.

They are not human ,they are animals - complex and intuitive :) :)

The terribly sad loss of a trainee Guide Dog ...yes it did happen because of the actions of a human .not on purpose, not deliberate neglect , but because he is human, and his brain let him down.

[labadore]

Why else would they be on here if it wasnt for their dogs? You just assume that those who expressed sympathy for the man couldnt give a rat's bum about the dog boiling to death in a car. You know, maybe it's just too painful for some people to write about. That's why there is a closed animal cruelty subforum - because some people find it too difficult to cope with.

I understand it could be a sensitive issue for people to write about. However, I was only referring to the posters who had taken the time to express empathy for the guy in this thread without expressing any sympathy for the poor dog. which if this is a forum of dog lovers as you put it, I thought that would be a normal thing to do in a thread like this and have seen this done in many other threads, so why not this one.

[persephone]

who callously caused the horrific death of a dog.

Really?

So you believe he did it on purpose, and that he had no feelings toward the dog??

It would be helpful if you could quote who posted that so they could respond as I have no idea without going through the whole thread who posted that, thanks :)

OOps ..it was ODIN-GENIE

[raz]

I understand it could be a sensitive issue for people to write about. However, I was only referring to the posters who had taken the time to express empathy for the guy in this thread without expressing any sympathy for the poor dog.

I only expressed an opinion on one component of this issue and it was because it was in direct response to an accusation that people who expressed sympathy for the man were making excuses for him. I dont think that people who only post to that one issue are making excuses OR not having empathy for the dog. It would be a frigging horrible way to die and some people may just be concentrating on how shitty they would feel for the rest of their lives if they accidentally did the same thing. Also keep in mind a lot of people use their phones to post on here these days so keep their posts really short therefore not cover every opinion they may have on a thread.

I just dont see why having empathy for the man invalidates how dog owners feel about the dog. Seems like a non issue really. And as bundy said, it would be pretty horrible for this man, or the case willow mentioned, if they were members of this forum and saw all the posts calling him a moron etc. No one knows from that brief article why he forgot. Even people in here have said they have forgotten their dog in the car.