[nfbwatlk] FW: Oregon guide dogs for blind shocked by light railplatforms | Seattle Times Newspaper

[Carl Jarvis]

Gee, I wonder if they took off their shoes and sox and tried walking around?
Carl Jarvis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alco Canfield" <amcanfield at comcast.net>
To: <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 2:39 PM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] FW: Oregon guide dogs for blind shocked by light 
railplatforms | Seattle Times Newspaper


>
>
>  _____
>
> From: James Canfield [mailto:jamescan at u.washington.edu]
> Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 10:30 AM
> To: Alco
> Subject: Oregon guide dogs for blind shocked by light rail platforms |
> Seattle Times Newspaper
>
>
> <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/home/>
>
> Monday, February 4, 2008 - Page updated at 09:38 AM
>
> Permission to reprint or copy this article or photo, other than personal
> use, must be obtained from The Seattle Times. Call 206-464-3113 or e-mail
> resale at seattletimes.com with your request.
>
> Oregon guide dogs for blind shocked by light rail platforms
>
> By The Associated Press
>
> PORTLAND - Wet platforms at some light rail stations are causing mild
> electrical shocks to guide dogs for the blind that can cause the animals 
> to
> ignore their training and make them unable to do their jobs.
>
> The same problem surfaced eight years ago, requiring three dogs to be
> retrained and forcing one to retire. The dogs are given to the blind for
> free, but it costs more than $50,000 to train one.
>
> The problem appeared to be solved when TriMet put capacitors along the
> tracks to soak up the extra voltage.
>
> But the problem has occurred again on the west side of the city, according
> to Patricia Kepler, past president of Guide Dog Users of Oregon.
>
> Kepler said she was at a Westside MAX station recently when her guide dog,
> Reuben, was shocked four times as they tried to board the train.
>
> "Reuben kind of stumbled," Kepler said. "My husband asked, 'Did he just 
> get
> shocked?' I said, 'No, they fixed that."'
>
> TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch said the original problem had been animals
> that stepped on wet train tracks. This time it appears to be when they 
> leave
> the platform and step onto a train.
>
> But transportation agency workers have not determined what's causing the
> jolts this time.
>
> "We went out and did tests, and all the levels were within the safe zone,"
> Fetsch said. "We don't know what is causing the problem at all."
>
> Copyright C 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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