[blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

She was fine when I got her.  The allergies didn't show up till a few years 
later.  She's always been emotionally more sensitive and timid than my first 
dog was--I used to call them the sledgehammer and the feather pillow when my 
first was alive--so maybe that contributed to her health problems.  I have 
to be extremely careful, to the point of near obsession.


Jo Elizabeth

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a 
song."  Maya Angelou

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Tammy" <tcl189 at rogers.com>
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 9:13 AM
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide

> Hi,
> Did you know your dog was alergic to stuff when you got it, or did you 
> find out after?  Wow you'd have to be so careful!
>
> Tammy
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Jo Elizabeth Pinto
> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 12:04 AM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>
> It's funny till you get a dog who is allergic to everything.  Not to rain 
> on
> your parade, but it can be a real challenge to keep small children from
> feeding a dog who gets sick every time she has even a few bites of 
> anything
> except her regular food.  My daughter has had it drilled into her head 
> from
> before she could even understand the words that dogs get dog food and 
> people
> get people food.  Now she tells everybody not to feed the dog when we go 
> out
> to restaurants.  Still, I think over the years there have been a few very
> purposeful accidents, and since dogs can't be reasoned with as far as
> knowing the consequences of eating what they shouldn't, my guide has been
> only too glad to clean up the messes.  The drawback to that is, of course,
> that I have to clean up the second round of messes, from one end or the
> other, a few hours later.  The food problem, as I see it, can be one of 
> the
> biggest disadvantages to having a guide dog and a toddler in the same 
> house.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a
> song."  Maya Angelou
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Erin Rumer" <erinrumer at gmail.com>
> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 9:50 PM
> To: "'Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>
>> Yes indeed!  Kids are excellent food dispensers for sure and the dogs 
>> aren't
>> arguing one bit about it! GRIN
>>
>> Erin
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Peggy
>> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 7:23 PM
>> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>>
>> I didn't have to teach my dogs s&m, my kids shared their food willingly 
>> all
>> the time so my dogs figured kids, shared food, the torture was worth it,
>> especially my 2 labs!!  My daughter now confesses that she fed my lab 
>> Starr
>> all the food she didn't want especially green beans, lol.  Gotta love 
>> those
>> labs and food rewards, works great!!
>>
>> With my previous shepherd I had her for quite a few years before my son 
>> was
>> born and when he became a toddler, she was getting older, toddler, older
>> snappish shepherd, yeah that didn't work real well.  Now my shepherd I 
>> have
>> now is younger, my son is a toddler, and she tollerates him.  But I just
>> wanted to throw that warning out there especially if any of you have 
>> never
>> worked a shepherd ... sometimes they're not always the best pups to have
>> when your children are little.
>>
>> I learned something very funny about my shepherd tonight, we were blowing 
>> up
>> water balloons for my son to throw off the deck and pop and she went 
>> nuts,
>> chasing them, catching them ... popping them, it was very entertaining!!
>> Just buy some balloons and I can entertain my dog and kid all at the same
>> time!!
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Erin Rumer
>> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 12:14 PM
>> To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>>
>> Yes, this is a huge reason GDB has moved toward only 2 week classes for 
>> new
>> and retrain clients on their Oregon campus and 2 or 3 week classes on 
>> their
>> California campus.  If someone needs to stay in the program longer they 
>> can
>> do this without a problem or have immediate follow-up when they get home.
>> The programs have been very successful and so many folks with jobs in and
>> out of the home are very appreciative of the 2 week option for first time
>> and retrain clients.
>>
>> I absolutely love the Labrador for a multitude of reasons but also adore 
>> the
>> Shepard breed as well.  I'm glad to have a Lab with my little guy right 
>> now
>> because even if I had a  shepherd who did great with kids, I would still 
>> be
>> on guard a lot more since they can tend to be a little quicker to snap if
>> provoked.  I'm right on top of my son with my Labrador but there have 
>> been
>> times that I really don't know why my dog didn't snap at him because my 
>> son
>> really nailed him.  I think that a lot of why my dog does so well with my
>> son has to do with the fact that I've turned him into an S&M dog by 
>> giving
>> the dog treats when the baby has hurt him.  I'd rather have a dog who 
>> thinks
>> of goodies when the baby is grabbing his privates or sticking his fingers 
>> up
>> his nose, rather than thinking about what measures to take to get this 
>> child
>> away.  It's funny because when my son has hurt my dog, the dog comes 
>> running
>> to me for food which I give him and then he runs right back to my son for
>> more torture because it's worth the pain.  Got to love food motivation. 
>> My
>> son has gotten much better about being gentle with my guide in the past
>> several months and he's getting old enough now at 19 months to where he 
>> gets
>> time-outs for not being nice to his furry brother.  The dog in turn gets 
>> his
>> own time-outs for not leaving my son alone when he has food or for 
>> running
>> around like a wild beast when I've told him to calm and knocking my son
>> over.  I tell ya, it's truly like having two kids at once in so many
>> respects. GRIN
>>
>> Erin
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Peggy
>> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 7:14 AM
>> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>>
>> I haven't read through this whole thread yet but have to chime in.  I too
>> wish there was a better way then going away for three or four weeks to 
>> get a
>> dog, but I understand the need as well.  This needs to be the bonding 
>> time
>> with you and your new dog, who is going to come home with you and keep 
>> you
>> and your children safe from traffic, drop-offs, etc.  I am working my 
>> fourth
>> dog from TSE and with my third one I did home and away training, and will
>> try to never have to do it again.  I was at TSE for two weeks and then
>> trained at home for another week.  It was great training in my town and
>> learning things with the dog what I was going to actually be using but 
>> ...
>> After working the dog I had to come home, clean, cook, play with the kids
>> ... etc., and as some of you know those first weeks working a dog can be
>> rather stressful!!  My daughter was 2 when I got my first dog and I 
>> missed
>> her terribly!!  When I got my fourth dog I was doing foster care and all
>> hell broke lose while I was gone!!  Just throwing my two cents in, I know
>> it's hard to be away from your kids for that long, probably harder on you
>> then them, lol!!  But it's also hard to be a Mommy while learning to work 
>> a
>> new dog.
>>
>> One more note, I love shepherds, they're my favorite breed of guide dog 
>> ...
>> but make sure you ask and ask about temperment because shepherds don't
>> always work well with little kids.  I had to retire a guide early and get 
>> a
>> lab b/c my shepherd didn't work well with my middle son when he was a
>> toddler.  Now the shepherd I have now is okay around my toddler, she 
>> tries
>> to just stay out of his way, lol.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Tammy
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 9:29 PM
>> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Your idea about our kid's training with us is a very good one except that
>> many of the schools don't believe our kids have any part in our training, 
>> to
>> the point where we shouldn't even be holding their hands or using a
>> stroller.  These are all ridiculous things for the schools to think, and
>> when I asked them what I was supposed to do with my child while I worked 
>> my
>> dog even at home after training, they said, oh carry him in a backpack or
>> have someone with you who can take him.  That of course is not what I did
>> because it was impractical,  I used a stroller and the dog got used to it
>> and got really good at walking with the stroller behind us. 
>> Unfortunately
>> the school I went to did not give the dog enough credit, and also said I
>> shouldn't let the dog and my son interact.  I did listen to that warning 
>> and
>> was very careful to let them play in a very supervized limited 
>> environment,
>> where the dog could go in to his crate whenever he felt the need to do so
>> which wasn't often I can tell you.  But if we were allowed to train with 
>> the
>> dogs and our children the schools might get a really good idea some of 
>> the
>> pitfalls of certain matches and it might result in less home visits after
>> training ends.
>>
>> Tammy
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jennifer Jackson
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 2:59 PM
>> To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>>
>> Actually I have always thought that a couple of the bigger schools should
>> offer a program once a year where our kids could attend with us. This 
>> would
>> let us work out any travel issues with our children while we have a 
>> trainer
>> there. Obviously some kind of child care arrangement would have to be 
>> made
>> for part of the day so we can focus on our dogs, but this just seems like 
>> a
>> workable plan. Especially for those people who live in a rural area and 
>> do
>> not qualify for in home training.
>>
>> All that said, I did go for a dog when my oldest was four. I had planned 
>> to
>> hire someone to watch him during the day and make my husband juggle the 
>> rest
>> of the day. As it turned out, my mother found out about 6 weeks before I
>> left that she was going to laid off right before I would be gone and she
>> came and stayed at our home with him.
>>
>> The child who complained regularly about having to walk to school 
>> apparently
>> complained the entire time I was gone about his grandmother driving him 
>> to
>> school. It was a little over half a mile one way to his school. She 
>> always
>> acted like I should appreciate the opportunity to exercise when I 
>> complained
>> about the walk in August. :) I did not ask her why she was not 
>> appreciating
>> that opportunity in October. I also went to one of the two week training
>> sessions. I think my son would have had a much more difficult time if I 
>> had
>> been gone longer, or if he had not been able to stay in his usual 
>> routine.
>>
>>
>> Jennifer
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Erin Rumer
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 7:49 PM
>> To: NFB blind parent listserv
>> Subject: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>>
>> Hello list,
>>
>>
>>
>> Thankfully, my current guide is only 4.5 years old and doing well, but I 
>> got
>> to thinking about when it does come time to get a new guide, what will 
>> that
>> mean for my family and particularly my son.  Assuming my guide now works 
>> a
>> nice long life and retires around the age of 10, my son will then be 
>> around
>> 6 or 7.  I know that in-home training may be a possibility depending on 
>> the
>> circumstances, but have any of you gone through having to leave young
>> children with family or friends while off getting a new guide and if so, 
>> how
>> did your kids fair?  Working at GDB for 3.5 years before my son came 
>> along
>> gave me the opportunity to work with lots of folks coming through for a 
>> new
>> dog who have kids at home, but since I rarely got the chance to speak 
>> with
>> the grads after they went home, I never really got the full picture of 
>> how
>> the separation affected the kids, especially if the parent leaving was a
>> stay-at-home mom or dad.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>> Erin
>>
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