It happens every year since 2005. A pooper scooper at an ACB convention. More commonly known as the American Council of the Blind. Why? I’m glad you asked. When you get several hundred blind and visually impaired individuals together in one place, there is bound to be a few dogs. Guide dogs to be specific.
There have been as few as 30, just after covid, to more than 250 guide dogs. And they have to “go” someplace! That’s where Scoop Masters pet waste removal service comes in. We travel to whatever city the convention is located and build guide dog relief areas.
Again, why? Well, as previously mentioned, they have to go somewhere. The convention is mostly held in large cities, and most cities lack the grassy knolls for dogs to do their biz. All we do is build giant litter boxes for dogs.
There’s more to it than that. We have to build a soft area that resembles grass, and outline a hard surface area for, what is known as, city dogs. Those are dogs that are used to going on sidewalks where there is no grass. We want to give them an area to relieve themselves, otherwise there would be dog poop in random places all over the sidewalks.
No one wants to step in dog poop!
But wait, there’s more.
Not only do we build relief areas, we are also responsible for cleaning up accidents inside the hotel. That’s where the fun really begins.
When you get hundreds of guide dogs in one place, there tends to be accidents. After all, the dogs get stressed from traveling, the extra hard work of guiding their owners around a strange place, and fighting the natural desire to “meet” other dogs.
Some years are better than others. Our highest number of accidents was 85 in the 12 days of the convention. What’s worse? Some of those accidents are not from dogs!
Enough of the work.
Convention Activities
Let’s get to the fun stuff! The tours, the many activities and the vendors.
I love the tours. Especially the chocolate and the city tours. What can I say, I like candy and history. This year we were in St. Louis, home of the Arch – The Gateway to the West. Lots of stuff to do in St. Louis between museums and the Aquarium and the Transportation Museum.
Unfortunately, we can’t be away from the hotel for too long of a stretch, because of the accidents mentioned above.
That’s why we get to attend many of the in-house events. Like wine tasting, technology, karaoke night, comedy night, dancing and just all-around good fun. One of my favorites – the end of the convention banquet. Food is mostly so-so, but the company is great.
Now, for the meat of this post.
The Vendors.
With over 100 vendors in attendance, there’s always some goodies to test out, and giveaways to be had. I just had to highlight some of the vendors and what they do.
Last year we had a Waymo demonstration. If you haven’t heard, that’s the driverless car that’s been showing up in a few major cities across the country. There’s even testing going on here in Dallas, Texas. You can read abut it in my convention post from last year.
Some of my favorites include the Dented Puck Foundation. Huh? Yeah, the Dented Puck Foundation. It’s simply an organization that supports blind ice hockey. You must be legally blind to be on a team. And the puck that’s used is made of metal with something in the middle that causes it to make a noise whenever it’s moving. Pretty fascinating. We even had a chance to play at the hotel for a while one night as shown in the picture.
While we’re talking sports, there was a company called One Court. I would describe this as a device that is about the size of two i-pads and it comes with different removable pads that get placed on the device. What makes it cool is the app that attaches to it. A visually impaired person can place their palms on the device and feel the movement of the sporting event as it is described by the announcer. So far it comes with hockey, basketball, baseball, football and soccer.
You gotta love Vanda, a pharmaceutical company. At these conventions they mostly deal with non-24 which can be a real concern many folks. I’m not really big on medications, but they always have free ice cream at their booth.
Back to the Guide Dogs
And of course, there’s the dog related vendors. Mostly guide dogs from the nation’s top trainers of service dogs. There’s Leader Dogs for the Blind, The Seeing Eye, Guide Dogs of the Desert and Guiding Eyes, to name a few.
Most of these organizations provide guide dogs along with the training involved. Usually, the recipient would spend several weeks living on the campus of the organization. This way they can learn how to use the guide dogs properly and make sure the dog is a good fit for the user.
Guide dogs might be the obvious choice for a blind or visually impaired individual. However, there are also companies like Dogs Inc. These dogs are trained to detect Type 1 Diabetes. The specially trained dogs can detect a shift in blood sugar levels often before technology can.
Along those lines are other service dogs like the type trained by Canine Companions. These are general purpose service animals that can do a myriad of tasks. Not just guiding a visually impaired person, but helping someone who might be in a wheelchair. Or some other disability that a dog can help with.
According to their website: “Our service dogs are trained to support their partners with everyday tasks by helping retrieve dropped items, opening doors, turning on lights and much more, to enhance independence for people with disabilities.”
I saw one demonstration where the dog was able to pick up a dime off the floor. I’m sure there are some dogs who can grab a beer out of the fridge and open it for you. Ok, maybe not.
Last but not least, a possible dog replacement?
Will Glidance Replace the Guide Dog?
This company makes an electronic device that rolls on the ground, had a handle for the user, and will guide the individual toward a destination while avoiding objects. The device will gently steer you around people, obstacles like trash cans, or chairs and tables. It can find doors, elevators and stairs. The Glide (https://www.glidance.io/) will give audible clues at to the surroundings, detects curbs and other small obstacles.
One thing I didn’t test while there was… can it see and avoid dog poop? Seeing as we were in a hotel, we opted not to test that notion. I’m guessing it can.
Another advantage is you don’t have to clean up after it, feed it or take it to the vet. Maybe you have to take it to the local mechanic for a tune up now and then. OK, I made that part up. I’m sure it comes with software updates on a regular basis.
A disadvantage – it won’t let you know it’s happy to see you when you walk into a room. It won’t lick your face, and it won’t sit on your lap while watching television. Plus, it’s not as fun to stroke while relaxing. It has no legs to kick while scratching it behind the ears.
In Conclusion
Here at Scoop Masters, we will provide dog relief areas at the ACB for as long as they’ll have us. Some years it presents challenges more than others. Like, not having a water spigot available to wash the area regularly. Or not having a playroom for the dogs to relax and unwind. One year we built a 1000 square foot play pen in the open space inside the hotel. Another year, we rented a temporary fence to make a play ground in the parking lot of the Golden Nugget Hotel in Reno.
Whatever challenges we face, we’ll find a way to over come them and provide a great experience for the guide dogs and their users. And going beyond the convention, Scoop Masters provides a discount for our pooper scooper service for guide dog users in the areas we serve.
With locations in Los Angeles, Ventura, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Nashville, Palm Beach and Salem, Oregon. Scoop Masters pet waste removal helps dog owners enjoy their yard again. Since 1988, we’ve been enforcing the “no flies” zone in backyards, patios and dog runs by keeping them dog poop free. We also offer a sanitizing service to help get rid of the smell on rocks, concrete and artificial turf. Contact us for a free quote. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter/X. If your dog can poop it, we can scoop it!