[blparent] it somces closer

Fri Dec 18 03:50:12 UTC 2009

LOL Eileen.  I know what you mean about dogs stealing food from our kids.  I 
have a 13-year-old pet dog who recently discovered that she can sneek food 
right off my little guy's plate when he's not paying attention.  He tends to 
eat breakfast on our coffee table while watching cartoons and thereby won't 
notice her as she stalks his food.  This is not a good thing for her to do, 
but she thinks it's a very very fun game!

Allison

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eileen Levin" <eileenlevin at comcast.net>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 7:15 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] it somces closer

> Yeah my dog definitely got the short end of the stick when I had kids.  I
> was already on my second dog so I was no longer into all of the strict
> schedule stuff.  I find myself taking the dog out at 3 in the morning to 
> pee
> which she actually seems to prefer no clue why.   And she has become quite
> adept at demanding her needs if I over look them for too long.  I won't
> claim my current guide is as practiced as my first but she can follow a
> flock of kids up hill and down dale.   She scrounges French fries off the
> stairs at work and she'll steal food from my 3 year old whenever he gives
> her the chance.  Still, I can  take her into a restaurant without her 
> trying
> to steal food off the tables, though she doesn't mind chowing down on a 
> few
> crayons that my kids drop under the table.
>
> Good heavens she sounds like the worst guide dog on earth but I absolutely
> wouldn't trade this lummux for the world!
> Eileen
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS)
> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 10:33 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] it somces closer
>
> I found working with a guide dog very difficult once I had my daughter.
> It was fine before she could move, and then the older she got, the
> harder it got. She and my dog were very close, too close in that she
> would toss food on the floor, and my dog would eat it. Putting the dog
> in a different room didn't work because she just wouldn't eat, the she
> being my daughter. I found it very difficult to get both the baby and
> dog ready and out the door in the morning, and myself too. It drove me
> nuts adding the dog's needs into those of my daughter's. There were and
> still are times when she only wanted Mommy, and so we'd be cuddling and
> I'd think "the dog needs to do park time, when will we be done here".
> The whole thing was stressful.
> To complicate things, my husband worked the swing shift, so often, it
> was myself, my daughter and the dog alone. This doesn't sound bad,
> except that there are many activities with a baby you can't stop like
> batheing, eating, diaper changing, stuff like that. And sometimes these
> activities take longer then others, making the schedule hard to
> maintain.
> I would get real stressed when my daughter was not feeling well, and I
> knew the dog needed to go out and work.
> I'd also get stressed when my daughter needed to go to bed and I knew
> the dog could use some extra work and I'd have to be home because there
> is nothing worse then a tired toddler. My husband wasn't home so it's
> not like I could leave my daughter home by herself while I took the dog
> out for some extra work.
> Also, I found that as my daughter got to walking, she likes to stop and
> look at things and talk about them. This frustrated my dog, and I didn't
> think it was fair to either hurry my daughter along, or make the dog
> stop guiding so we could talk about a firetruck or an airplane flying
> overhead or watch the big kids play ball.
> I also found that I didn't want to spend time brushing and basically
> bonding with my dog after putting my daughter to bed. My mindset was
> "Well, I've been with the dog at work all day, I don't want to spend
> time with you at night". Not fair, I know, but it was what it was.
> Finally, we went through a period where my daughter had an ear infection
> about once every two weeks. This earned her a set of ear tubes, but it
> took awhile to get that sorted out. Adding a dog's medical needs as well
> as my daughter's wore me out.
> I decided to retire my dog, and am glad I did. I can focus my energy
> more fully on the human members of my family.
> I found that when my husband and I'd go out without our daughter, I
> wouldn't enjoy working my dog because to me, the same skill set involved
> in being  a parent is the same skill set involved with being a good dog
> handler. This meant that I felt like I hadn't had any time with my
> husband.
> Also too, I've found that people are more willing to assist when I'm out
> with my daughter. I can remember wanting a high chair at I think
> McDonald's and when I asked for one, the lady behind the counter was
> like "Won't the dog get that for you". Um, no, she wouldn't. Ditto when
> I needed to find an appropriate changing facility, people just expected
> the dog to know where that stuff was. I even had someone think my dog
> was supposed to calm my daughter down when she was having a huge red
> zone tantrum.
> I have no idea how I'd wrestle a screaming biting toddler into her
> carseat with a dog, you can't let go of the kid ina parking lot, and
> letting go of the dog may or may not be a good idea depending on where
> you are.
> What Eva says about not leaving a dog and baby alone together is true,
> but it is also very difficult to manage a dog and young kid together if
> you are the only adult involved. At least, this is my experience.
> UI'd be curious to know how and why others came to the conclution that
> using a dog was something they wanted and/or needed to do.
> I'll also say,t hat my husband isn't really a dog person. I knew this
> when I married him.
> I'll also add that what pet dogs and guide dogs don't equate asa pet dog
> isn't responsible for your safety. If the pet eats too much of the wrong
> food, and you have a backyard, you can just put the pet outside. Not
> such a good idea with a guide dog, or so is my opinion
> Michael, your experience may differ being that you're a dad. Also, know
> that you can work your dog as normal and if you find it isn't fun or
> worthwile anymore, you can always retire the dog. I did and while it was
> not easy emotionally, it was also the right choice for myself and my
> family at the time I made it.
> My daughter and dog are still close. My parents have the dog, and last
> time we visited, my mom wanted all the dogs to go outside. My daughter
> said "Jersey doesn't want to go outside, Jersey wants to stay here." So
> Jersey got to stay in the kitchen with the people.
> And, she still hangs out by my daughter who still feeds her when we go
> visit.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Eileen Levin
> Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 7:36 PM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blparent] it somces closer
>
> Both my labradors were great with the kids. My first one didn't like to
> play
> with the kids but she was very tolerant any way. The dog I got when my
> son
> was two absolutely loves to play with the kids and gives my boys a run
> for
> their money wrestling with bones, playing fetch and so on.
> Eileen
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On
> Behalf Of Babcock, Michael A.
> Sent: Monday, December 14, 2009 10:36 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: [blparent] it somces closer
>
> guys;
> I went to an ultra sound last week, oh and let me tell you, that, was,
> an
> experience. I was amazed.
> Second of all, i'm doing shopping for christmas gifts for my friends and
> family right now and it made me think, wow, next christmas, my kid will
> be
> about 8 months old, that's scary as hell.
> (pardon the language)
> I'm excited but very scared also. I'm curious however, do you guys any
> of
> you, have guide dogs, and how are your dogs around babies? I ask because
> mine, sheffield, i think will be ok. My soon to be wife's aunt's kid who
> was
> like a year and a half would pole his tail, and smile. Sheffield laid
> there,
> and i think he didn't get tired of it, but at one point he reached up
> and
> licked JR. in the face, this scared JR. and he ran away, but what do you
> guys think is the best way to introduce a guide dog to a baby? I know
> this
> isn't a guide dog list, but i thought that that is a relevant question.
> I
> fear sheffield will be very very protective.
> thanks a lot
> Mike
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