Blind Man Shuns Hawaii and Guide Dog Ban

Frank Perino had heard how wonderful Hawaii can be and decided it would be the perfect place to vacation with his 10-year-old daughter, Mary.

But when he was about to finalize his plans, he learned that the Aloha state, fearing rabies, bars guide dogs from the mainland unless they have been quarantined for 120 days.

Perino is blind.

“I felt like my heart stopped, that these people are so insensitive,” Perino said. “I felt like a second-rate citizen, like I’m a criminal. I felt like I wasn’t an American citizen.”

According to a spokeswoman for Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano, Hawaii is 100% rabies free and wants to keep it that way.

The governor recently signed a temporary, one-year shortening of the quarantine to 30 days for guide dogs that have vaccinations. Legislation is pending that would reduce the quarantine to 30 days for all dogs.

Though Perino has proof that his dog has been vaccinated against rabies, under Hawaii law it would have to be quarantined.

“We empathize with those who have guide dogs, but because we are an island state once rabies gets in it would be easy to infect other wild animals,” said a spokeswoman for the governor.

With his guide dog, Timber, at his side, Perino was joined at a news conference in Mineola last week by Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), who called the law “outrageous.”

“We understand their concern about rabies, but this man and his dog are a unit. We are asking that the law be replaced with something more reasonable,” Ackerman said. “Those who plan to vacation in Hawaii, call the Hawaii Department of Tourism and say, ‘I’d love to go to Hawaii, but I’m not going to go until Frank and Timber can go.’ ”