[Flagdu] Welcome Home!

[Sherri]

Hi Marion,

Sounds like you and Sarge are off on a wonderful adventure. I'm sure you 
have lots of exciting days ahead. Welcome home Sarge!
Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net>
To: "FLAGDU List" <FLAGDU at NFBNET.ORG>
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 4:23 AM
Subject: [Flagdu] Welcome Home!


> Dear All,
>    On September 8 - 9, 1986, I waited for what seemed forever for the 
> birth of my daughter Aislinn. When I got word of her healthy birth at 
> 12:47 am, I was excited, proud, and anxious. I couldn't wait to hold her 
> and begin this new relationship!
>    Yesterday, march 12, I commented to my wife that the day was passing as 
> slowly as that one nearly twenty-four years earlier as I awaited the 
> newest addition to our family! Though I had many things I could be doing 
> to pass the time, my anxious excitement would not allow me to focus on 
> these tasks! . I checked the time frequently, counting down the hours 
> until my new boy would arrive! I even took a nap, knowing that sleeping 
> would make the time feel shorter! At about 3:00, a UPS truck stopped 
> outside! My wife, Merry, and I laughed about the prospect of Big Brown 
> delivering my new guide dog.
>    At about 3:45 pm I received the call from Mike Gallagher, the Guide Dog 
> Foundation's (GDF) Field Trainer, to let me know that he was on his way! 
> The excitement built as the half hour trip from the airport was lengthened 
> due to rush hour traffic and inclement weather. It seemed everyone else in 
> the family was anxious, too! My wife, her guide dog, Kappie, my retired 
> guide, Louiza, and I all huddled near the front window watching for the 
> white GDF van to pull up in the driveway! About 4:10, Merry said, "They're 
> here!" False alarm! It was another white van and it drove on by!
>    At about 4:30, they finally arrived! With a few treats in my pocket to 
> make a better first impression, I greeted Mike and inquired about how 
> Sarge took the trip. "Just fine! No problems!" was his reply! He open the 
> side door of the van and I greeted Sarge for the first time. He was more 
> than happy to accept the treats, especially since he was not fed that 
> morning in preparation for the big trip.
>    "Welcome to your forever home!" was my first statement to him, followed 
> by "He sure is a big boy!"
>    "He sure didn't look that big in the pictures!" was Merry's comment!
>    Merry went back inside the house and brought the rest of the pack out 
> to meet him. They all greeted each other with excited sniffs. Everyone 
> went inside and I gave him the grand tour of his new digs. His tail was 
> wagging and he seemed interested in exploring the home. I sat on the floor 
> for several minutes petting Sarge and reassuring him with several "Gud 
> brau"'s. After about 20 minutes of petting, hugging, and chatting, we let 
> Sarge off his leash. Kappie was definitely elated to have a new puppy in 
> the house but eventually we got a display of the Pack order, as Kappie 
> turned belly-up and later licked Sarge's muzzle in a show of submission to 
> him. Louiza demonstrated that she was the top dog with a couple of well 
> timed growls and an assertive first place at the water bowl. Mike, Merry, 
> and I chatted about some particulars of Sarge's temperament and our 
> training regimen. Mike left after about an hour.
>    We fed all of the dogs and took them out back to relieve themselves. We 
> let them all have run of the yard. Sarge and Kappie romped and played, 
> while Lou took her usual position of "referee"! Afterward, we took the two 
> guides for a walk through the neighborhood in harness. kappie and merry 
> took the lead with Sarge and me following so as to not put too much stress 
> on him too soon! I felt as if Sarge was doing more following than guiding, 
> feeling as if he was dragging me. Since this was our first walk together, 
> I didn't press the issue and try to develop our pace. We will do that over 
> the next two weeks of training.
>    Early this morning, I took Sarge for a little work around a two-block 
> perimeter of my home. He did very well and I felt as if he was working, 
> rather than just dragging me! With the exception of missing one overhang, 
> he did a fine job. I re-worked him three times before he took me around it 
> and once on another pass from a different direction. We sat together on a 
> bus bench for about five minutes before returning home. On this final pass 
> by the overhang, he performed perfectly!
>    Around noon, Merry and I took a walk to the neighborhood grocery store. 
> We had to take the long way, as we discovered last night that the wooden 
> foot bridge  on the more direct route had been washed out by the past two 
> days of heavy Florida rains. Sarge pulled harder than during our morning 
> walk, yet more controlled than yesterday's. This will be one of the issues 
> we work on during training. I want a strong pull, yet I do not want to 
> feel as if I am being dragged. I found one of my weight lifting gloves and 
> will wear it for a few days, as I already have blisters on my left hand 
> from the leather handle!
>    I have some pictures of Sarge standing next to Louiza and Kappie that 
> will give those of you who know either of these dogs a better perspective 
> of his size. I did not send them with this message in order to respec 
> those of you whose downloads are not as fast as others. If you would like 
> to see one or both of these pics, please send me a message at
> blind411 at verizon.net
> and I will send them on to you!
>    He is a handsome pup with a very sweet temperament. As I write this 
> message, my granddaughter, hannah, is here and they have played together a 
> bit. He is more than twice her size, so we are keeping him tethered while 
> they are together. He has, however, given Kappie a couple of tumbles as 
> they romped in the back yard. I am looking forward to beginning our 
> training on Monday afternoon and the many adventures we wil share! More 
> messages will follow in the near future! Thanks for reading this message 
> and for your continued support!
>
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion Gwizdala, President
> National Association of Guide Dog Users
> National Federation of the Blind
> 813-598-7161
> President at NFB-NAGDU.ORG
> HTTP://NFB-NAGDU.ORG
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