[nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach

Tamara Smith-Kinney tamara.8024 at comcast.net
Wed Aug 26 21:26:09 UTC 2009 

Excellent point!  So now I'm trying some reverse projection, if you will,
wondering what I would do if, say, I traveled cheerfully off to guide dog
school, got settled in to a new place, met lots of new people, was all
excited and filled with nervous anticipation...  And they presented me with
a lemon?  Given a 28-day period to deal with this theoretical problem dog, I
would like to think that I would come to my senses at some point and "just
say no" as you suggeest.  Then again, I know myself, so I really hope I
never have to face that one. /grin/

Funny thing.  I like to think I'm "over" the whole guide dog mystique phase
of the guide dog newbie.  I can certainly talk rationally and, at times,
cynically about the pros and cons and issues and other nitty gritty
details...  But tomorrow Mitzi and I have an outing with a newly minted
guide dog team.  A Seeing Eye dog, at that!  Guess what?  I have serious
performance anxiety for both me and Mitzi.  What if we don't do it right?
OMG!  That would be horrible.  /lol/  It's just a silly thing in the back of
my mind, and I have to mock myself for it, but apparently I still have that
guide dog mystique image at the back of my mind.

You are right.  Seeing the guide dog school as making a decision "for" me
instead of the more realistic view that whatever program I might attend in
future is working with me to make the best mutual decision is more than a
bit irrational.  If I do apply for a program dog in the future, I will just
have to trust them and communicate to my very best ability so that we can
come to the right match together.  /smile/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS)
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 12:00 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach

Interesting post. 
I wonder though why some of us view the schools as making decisions when
we are all free to say no?  It may mean we don't leave with a dog, but a
dog you don't want is way worse then no dog at all. 


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:56 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach

Hm... Interesting thought.

As a wild stab, I would say the schools are trying to increase the odds
that the teams they produce will be successful once they go out into the
world together.  They have only limited knowledge of each individual
handler, so they need some way to formalize the process of providing x
dog to y human.

Take me, for example.  I say that I'm an experienced with dogs,
training, horses, etc.  I say that I am a fast walker with a busy life
(when I'm healthy!), and so on and so forth.  So I want a fast-paced GSD
and value quick intelligent judgment from the dog over sheer obedience.

They don't know me from Adam, so how do they know I'm not making it all
up?
Or that, like so many of us, see myself inaccurately and, not being
experienced with guide dogs, per se, don't know what I would be getting
myself into with the above-described dog?  Maybe I'm really timid and
afraid and would be overwhelmed by that dog.  Maybe I couldn't keep up
or couldn't manage a dog with that temperament.  And so on.

So Mitzi, besides being a poodle, is pretty much that type of dog.  And
I love her!  We work well together, we adventure together in and out of
harness and we just generally have a great time and I wouldn't trade her
for the world.  As we move on from her third birthday and I see the
adult she is, I am just dreadfully happy with her.

She's also a complete pain in the butt.  Those traits I value most in
her as she applies them to her work make her fairly high maintenance in
termis of time and attention and play and...

Let's say I keel over about the time you're thinking about getting
another dog.  You're an experienced handler, after all, so you know how
to use a guide dog, and Mitzi is still young enough to want to work.  So
DD thinks aha!  Rebecca wants a guide dog, I have this guide dog with
nothing to do...

Only you have a demanding career and a child and other family duties,
and you need a dog that fits into that lifestyle.  I'm making a lot of
assumptions here, of course, but my first guess is that Mitzi would be
too busy to suit your needs, even if she settles down a lot more over
the next few months.  You might fall in love with her (who wouldn't?),
you might appreciate many aspects of her guide work and even her manners
(she actually has acquired some by now), etc.  But overall, I could see
her driving you batty.  Then again, you would have a kid to entertain
her and keep her worn out -- and vice versa.  /grin/  So it could work.
Not that I'm offering you my poodle! /grin/  I'll have DD donate a
gourmet meal instead.

It is interesting to think about.  When I was thinking I would be
sensible and go through a program to get my first guide dog, I was
frankly a little nervous about that whole matching business.  I mean,
they have all this experience and know what they're doing and stuff, but
I don't thrill to the notion of having other people make my decisions
for me.  Had my life at that time continued according to plan, I would
have simply had to trust the professionals and do my part to communicate
well enough to enable them to make the best match. /smile/  I wonder
what the dog would be like sometimes.
When I'm not too busy with Ms High Maintenance!

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS)
Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 8:56 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach

Marian and list,
Does this mean that there is no merit to the statement that a dog and
person are matched? 
If this is so, why must we as the end-users go get a dog and spend
several weeks at a school with it? Why can't I just go to a school, say
"I like that one" and then leave with that dog? 
I am truly curious and would be interested to know people's thoughts,
both those who work for a school and those who do not. 
If the dogs will work for anybody once they are taught how to guide, why
do theschools say "we matched x dog with y person"? 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Marion & Martin
Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 7:01 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach

Dar,
    I cannot answer your questions, as I am not a representative of any
school. I am of the opinion that, if one owns their dog and for any
reason feels the need to transfer ownership to someone else, the school
should have no issue with it. If that person is blind and wishes to use
the dog as their guide, this, too, should be none of the school's
concern. These are the rights and privileges of ownership.

Fraternally yours,
Marion


----- Original Message -----
From: "d m gina" <dmgina at samobile.net>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 4:51 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach


> See I am not concerned about this team,
> I am not concerened about any of this, except asking one question.
> Has different matches like this happened with other schools as well?
> Lets say I give you the rite to have my dog if anything happens to me.
> You agree, and this would be coming from the school where I trained my
dog 
> with.
> They would take my word that you are a swell handler, and they want
the 
> dog to still be a team with someone.
> I feel this is a plus I am at not  time unhappy with anyone.
> My next question would be, lets say my dog had to retire, could I call
my 
> school and say something like,
> "is there a team who has to brake up for what evere reason, and may I
have 
> their dog/
> I am a swell dog handler as you know, what paper work do I need to
fill 
> out to have this happen?
> I hope I explained better now.
> I think this is a swell idea.
>
> -- 
> --Dar
> skype
> dmgina23
> every saint has a past
> every sinner has a future
>
> Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network.  Visit 
> www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere.
>
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