[nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Thanks, Linda.  Yes, it went well.  And when we met up we popped both dogs
out of their harnesses for a group meet and greet.  The two of them hit it
off immediately and shared all the attention and admiration. /smile/ Until
the other dog looked in my backpack while I was trying to fish something out
of it.  Mitzi did her "mine" thing a couple of times until I finally left
her (someone else had her leash) and walked away to get into my pack.  So I
have to figure out a way to teach her not to be guardy about that when it
has her food and a ball in it.  I guess I can take a backpack to the park --
my shoulders seem to be healed up enough for that -- and encourage other
dogs to stick their noses in it?  Otherwise, they did just fine together.
Still, that "mine" snark is unacceptable in a working setting, although dogs
at the park just shrug it off and don't take it as aggressive or anything,
even when the other dog is all alpha and aggressive.  Mitzi will often give
the token (usually her ball, at the park) to the other dog and encourage it
to play with her gift.  Even her stepsister Daisy just shrugs it off, and
the little power struggles they have over whichever token seem to bring them
closer and make them more affectionate toward each other.  Very strange.

It was interesting comparing harnesses and ways of doing this or that, and
very cool to watch my friend walking confidently with her Seeing Eye dog.
/grin/ She is very happy with the dog, and I can see why!

I can also see that Mitzi and I need to do more work downtown; we're all
countrified out here, and I've lost a big whack of vision over the past fiew
months, which by now makes little functional difference but still messes
with my head, especially when I haven't been good about putting myself in
unfamiliar environments where I don't just know where to go and where
everything is.  Mitzi did really well, except for being really excited and
high-energy with all the stimulation.  I had to work to keep my head in the
game and just go with her like she was a guide dog or something.  Until we
got to the trails, of course, because we've doing a lot of that and are more
accustomed to that environment these days than to city life.  Still, it was
fun to go on the bus and train and up and down stairs and through crowds and
past other dogs.  There was a training group from GDB when we first arrived,
so we did get to pass other guide dogs.  Mitzi got excited about the first
one, which we saw immediately when we got off the train, but then she
rmeembered herself and got back into work mode.  /smile/

Good luck on your flights back east!  Any progress in being able to get
moved back there?

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Linda Gwizdak
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 10:22 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach

Hi Tami,
Hope your visit with your friends went well.

I forgot to say, when Landon and I meet a new dog - or his friends - we 
allow the dogs to greet each other.  Under control. I find that if the dogs 
are allowed to greet, they are much more willing to then settle down to 
working.

Linda and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 8:17 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach


> Thanks!  I was poking fun at myself for those little bouts of nervousness
> about the "real" Seeing Eye dog.  And I am very interested in seeing how
> Mitzi does around another working dog!  It's a fun time trip, with hiking
> and a picnic and just good friends, so that will make it more relaxed for
> all of us.
>
> My friend and her dog do seem to be a real good match, and she shared a 
> lot
> during her time at TSE.  I was impressed, and so far this dog seems to be
> exactly what she wanted/needed.  I'm tickled pink. /grin/
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Linda Gwizdak
> Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 2:56 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach
>
> Hey, Tami,
> Just relax and enjoy your visit with the Seeing Eye team!  If you're all
> nerved up, so will Mitzie and she'll really act up! (grin!) However, do
> expect Mitzi will act different if you don't usually work with other guide
> dog teams. She will definately be distracted by a new dog around. But, 
> make
> her behave!  This is true for any person - school trained or 
> owner-trained -
>
> who doesn't work with other guide dog teams.
>
> If your dog does act up, how you handle it is what people will notice, not
> that your dog has acted up.  Make Mitzi know that you expect good behavior
> from her whether you are working alone or with other guide dogs.
>
> When you apply to a guide dog school, you and the school work together in
> finding the right dog for you. Most of the time it works quite well -
> especially if you are very clear in what you want, what your needs are, 
> your
>
> lifestyle, etc.
>
> Most of the time, when you are getting a guide dog for the first time,
> you're not as sure as to what you want in a guide.  But, the application 
> is
> very detailed in its questions about you and your lifestyle.  They do 
> either
>
> an in-person interview or a video with you in your home area - at your 
> home.
>
> With all the info the school gathers they make a selection to what they 
> feel
>
> would be a good match for you.
>
> I have had nothing but good feelings about The Seeing Eye.  I was treated
> like a mature adult. When you go there, they expect you to be a mature
> adult.  I've been getting my dogs from there since 1997 and have no plans 
> of
>
> going anywhere else!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Linda and Landon
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 2:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dave, Tammy, & Maddox Anspach
>
>
>> 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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