Service Dogs, Simplicity, Integrity, and Clarity, Electronically

RantWoman unquestionably appreciates the elements of her recent Quarterly Meeting experience that she found inspiring, motivating, deeply nourishing spiritually. RantWoman, as a member of the planning committee is not just tooting her own horn. RantWoman so thanks a Weighty Friend visitor for sharing his sense that the gathering felt well-covered to him! RantWoman is especially humble about this because sometimes when one is in the middle of something one cannot necessarily see the forest for the trees or one cannot possibly fuss with everything there might be to fuss about and thus has no choice except to let God handle the overflow.

And then there is the matter of service dogs and questions not even exactly asked of new technologies. But let us start with service dogs and the possibility that one might appear. RantWoman is writing as a member of one planning committee in an effort to make sure the ground is appropriately tilled for subsequent planning committees. This means this is a RantWoman view of the world and RantWoman makes no representation that actual minutes of any meeting are yet going to reflect everything here.

RantWoman warns her readers: the English to Quakerese filter is not working very well today. RantWoman hopes to craft appropriately seasoned email, but RantWoman is taking the initiative to spell out what is on her mind and in search of additional Light on several questions.

RantWoman humbly acknowledges that movements of Spirit in general and in the words of Friends are SO FAR sufficient to keep RantWoman from flying off the handle a hundred different directions; RantWoman hopes her path to spiritual growth does not include an excess of additional temptation in this regard about service dogs, a topic lately vexing the planning committee, albeit currently unencumbered by direct interaction with a possible specific service dog!


One Friend to RantWoman about Service dogs: "but some of us have allergies."

RantWoman: "Yeah, and why do you expect your odds of needing to interact with service dogs should be any different at Quarterly Meeting than anywhere else?"

Another Friend: "But, we'd have to teach our children."

RantWoman: "Uh-huh. And what is hard about that?"

Still Another Friend: "RantWoman, why can't you let this go?"

RantWoman: "Let me count the reasons."

1. Several years ago another Friend had a very bad experience with her service dog at our Quarterly Meeting venue. That Friend encountered inappropriate reaction from the kitchen staff and completely unhelpful responses from Friends; she just left Quarterly because of the bad encounter. That Friend, at our Meeting's request had already specifically gotten her service dog certified; that Friend ultimately left our Meeting over another matter and RantWoman really misses that Friend. RantWoman is a little afraid she may have been one of the clueless onlookers previously, but she had not remembered any of it until she emailed this Friend to ask about her experience after a more contemporary conversation about a different dog.

2. Based on inquiries RantWoman had made, RantWoman was aware of several possibilities. RantWoman brought up the service dog issue at every meeting of the planning committee she attended. RantWoman is thinking maybe it would have been better to spell out really clearly what questions needed to be asked, but no one including RantWoman got there. And then there is hindsight. The person who volunteered to take the question to an appropriate committee for additional seasoning dropped the ball. Okay, RantWoman drops the ball sometimes too and RantWoman herself did not think to nag. The point is the ball got dropped. Sometimes dropping the ball is forgiveable; sometimes dropping the ball can lead to extreme inconvenience for a small number of Friends, vexation for absolutely crucial volunteers, or other ways to strain even hardy Quakers' paths to spiritual perfection.

3. When RantWoman pushed the issue by email in the weeks right before Quarterly Meeting, RantWoman detected a number of challenges as far as awareness among Friends and a number of points that could clearly benefit from shared discernment. As of current email exchanges, our venue clearly gets the issue. RantWoman does not think it too far from a spirit of love and Truth to say Friends are another matter.

4. Assuming a person needs a service dog because of many challenges, it is not unreasonable to expect that the owner of the service dog may also have life difficulties that interfere with the person's ability to be perky and middle class or that might pose a challenge in the life of a person's Meeting. RantWoman sees an important task in larger Quaker bodies helping Meetings walk with such Friends' difficulties. Mentioning any specific topics below may or may not refer specifically to any particular situation.

5. RantWoman took advantage of being on the scene for a meeting attended by representatives of all the Meetings in her quarter to bring up the service dogs issue. RantWoman heard clear instructions about getting more information. RantWoman did not hear clear appreciation of points that RantWoman thinks can and should be reasonably discerned about as the next Gathering is planned but RantWoman expects she will again be onsite for the meeting of this body and at this point is just going to have to carry this concern!

6. Upon returning home, RantWoman called up the co-clerk of Quarterly Meeting Ministry and Oversight, aka, Conflict is a Gift of God Friend, aka Quaker Process Expert aka.... to debrief the learnings so far. RantWoman supposes she could have called the other co-clerk, but Conflict is a Gift of God Friend is a local call. Plus he is conversant later into the evening, more like RantWoman's schedule than all the Friends who tuck in for the night while RantWoman is just getting started. Conflict is a Gift of God Friend managed to commit two grievous sins in RantWoman's eyes.

First, RantWoman felt like he sort of patted RantWoman on the head and told her not to worry her pretty little head because he thought his co-clerk and the co-clerks of the committee where the issue was previously to be referred could just handle one question in relation to a specific situation. RantWoman unquestionably sees an area where Ministry and Oversight can contribute constructively, but pointedly did NOT hear instructions to M&O in exactly the direction Conflict Is A Gift of God Friend wants to head. Where is M&O going to be when Friends again are acting clueless in the general case???? RantWoman is REALLY clear that there is value in discussion in the general case reflected in minutes as breadcrumbs on the path of future planning committees, particularly with respect to one of the issues in this case!

Second, Conflict is a Gift of God Friend,to RantWoman's ear, failed to listen and in fact did not think to ask whether RantWoman has any specific Light about the issue of service dogs, training and refresher training, behavior standards, handlers' responsibilities, and LOTS of points someone who is around a lot of people with service and Seeing Eye dogs might be up to her eyeballs in.

For instance, not every dog will be good at specific categories of work. The Seattle Fire Department has a lovely arson dog who washed out of Seeing Eye Dog training for sniffing! Guess what she gets to do all day in her new role! http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2009/06/henny-arson-dog.html

RantWoman in fact is so far up to her eyeballs about the topic that there are likely to be more dispatches on her non Quaker blog. Stay tuned. Here RantWoman needs to stop, start crafting email, and maybe resist further temptation to rant specifically about the MERITS of email, at least for the time being. RantWoman would SO like a different basket of temptations.