[blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide

Fri Jun 8 20:34:33 UTC 2012

I always wondered how much a Labrador would eat if it had the chance of 
unlimited dog food like that.

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 9:18 AM
To: "Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide

> Hi,
>
> It's amazing what dogs, especially labs will eat!  My x let his dog lick 
> up a bunch of spit up baby formula once which was really grose, and once 
> when we went to the horse farm both dogs were eating horse poop! 
> Strangely enough the only time either dog was ever sick is when they 
> teamed up and broke in to the dog food bag and ate probably half the bag 
> between them. Needless to say they didn't get fed that day and we were 
> outside more often then either of us cared to be.  Oh and to make things 
> worse, we had a visit from the guidedog school that day too.
>
> Tammy
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Erin Rumer
> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 12:16 AM
> To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blparent] leaving family to get a dog guide
>
> That would be very frustrating Jo Elizabeth.  My first guide who had a 
> very
> sour tummy wouldn't have done so well with a munchkin around either.
> Thankfully my four legged kid has had an iron stomach except for when he 
> had
> an allergic reaction to apricot baby food and his poor face blew-up in
> hives.  Thankfully that only lasted for a few hours and we made sure that 
> he
> didn't get to clean out those jars again.  I know this is going to be 
> total
> TMI but anyone who's had a dog will completely understand how helpful our
> furry friends can be when it comes to other unwanted spills aside from 
> food.
> I can't tell you how many times my son spit-up and I could hear a big 
> splash
> on the tile and sure enough two seconds later there is my trusty companion
> there to hoover it up.  Thankfully this only happened once, but my son had
> just had one of his mighty blow-out diapers and I rushed him upstairs to 
> get
> him cleaned-up quickly in the tub.  I knew there was a nasty mess on the
> tile downstairs because he was on the floor when it happened but when I 
> went
> back downstairs to do damage control there was not a morsel in sight.  I
> have to say, even though I wanted to puke at the thought of what my dog 
> had
> just done, I was thrilled that all I needed to do was sanitize the area 
> and
> I was done.  I waited around to see if that clean-up method was going to
> give my pup a stomach ache but thankfully it never did.  I just made sure
> not to receive kisses from him for at least a few hours! LOL
>
> Erin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 9:04 PM
> 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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