[nagdu] guide dog responsibilities

Fri Dec 4 15:51:06 UTC 2009

Thank you Melissa. 
I think that in my experience anyway, it's easier to break away from
something that isn't dependent on you right now, right this minute. I'm
sure there are some jobs that have periods where you can't break away,
but I can't right now think of what they would be. 
Chris, since we don't know you, it's hard to advise. 
A guide dog is in a lot of ways like a pet dog but on steroids because
if you don't take care of them, their work and behavior can and will
suffer. AT best, it makes you and the dog look bad, at worst, your
safety is at steak. 
You need to decide if your lifestlyle and personal desires will make the
bennifits worth the heavy lifting. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Melissa Green
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 9:29 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog responsibilities

Those are good things to consider.
Rebecca thanks for sharing.
You made some really good points.

Sincerely,
Melissa Green
Without Christ I am nothing,  Without me Christ is still God.  It's
because 
of Christ I am able to stand!!!
Live journal topaz5674
Blog: http://readergirl5674.blogspot.com
Facebook: melissa green northern colorado
twitter: melissa5674
msn: graduate1531 at msn.com
Skype: lissa5674

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at ngc.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 7:39 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog responsibilities

> Hi Chris and list.
> I am currently not using a dog. I have a two and a half year old
> daughter, work full time, and at this time in my life, a guide dog is
> more then I want to manage.
> As others have said, you do need to schedule the dog into your day.
> Depending on your circumstances, this is not a problem. For me, it is
> more then I can manage because I need to get myself ready in the
> morning, get my daughter ready which may or may not involve changing
her
> bedding, and also make sure my husband is ready for the day. My
husband
> has trouble staying on task, especially in the morning so I have to
make
> sure he's done whatever needs to be done. If my daughter is cranky or
> more playful then usual, this adds more time to the schedule.
> At night, it's much the same, though we have a bit more time to take
> things easy.
> For me, I think some of the difficulty is that I engage in tasks that
I
> can't stop. If my daughter needs an emergency bath, or just takes
longer
> in the tub, I can't leave her alone to take the dog out. The same
> applies for when she's eating, I am not comfortable leaving her alone
in
> case she were to choke or need me for something. Plus, I enjoy sitting
> with her while she eats.
> We went through a period of time when she had outgrown the playpen but
> had the attention span of a gnat, combined with the same mobility you
> and I have. I felt that leaving her alone was not safe, and my gut
> feeling proved to be correct when she randomly got hold of a nail. We
> had just moved into the house, I have no idea how the nail got on the
> floor, and I'm very lucky I was with her and not doing something with
> the dog so I could take the nail away. Nails are prime choking size
for
> little ones to swallow.
> Finally, I've found that taking a dog out for a walk is fine if you
have
> the time. The problem is, I don't. I do on the weekends, I don't at
> night. I need to get my daughter to bed, and then you can't leave a
> child alone, so even though she might be sleeping peacefully, I still
> need to be in the house with her. My husband could be home, though for
> the first year and a half, he wasn't due to his work schedule.  Also,
my
> daughter's sleep time is my time to rest, sleep and our chance to have
> couple time now that he's working a normal schedule. I found that both
> routine as well as nonroutine vet visits were difficult to fit into my
> schedule once I had my daughter, especially when she had what seemed
> like an ear infection a week. My daughter being a human took
precedence
> over the dog, yet not taking care of the dog is also not a viable
> option. Shortly after I decided to retire my dog, my dog got a skin
> rash. My mom told me about it and I was thinking "Glad it's your
> problem, that's one less doctor's visit I have to make, one less
> condition hI have to monitor". This was when my daughter was new at
> daycare and it seemed like we were living at the peditritian's office
as
> well as monitoring her health, giving antibiotics, calming a fussy
kid,
> stuff like that, stuff that can wear you out too.
> You need to think about your activities and figure out if they are
> activities you can change and if you want to change them.
> You also need to figure out if you have the energy and inclination to
> provide a dog with discipline and with excersize and with affection.
> Right now, I do not. All that energy is going into my toddler and
> affectionwise into my husband and friends.
>
> As for who gets respect, I don't know. I'd be curious to know why you
> think people who use dogs get more respect. Me, I've found it to be
> about even. When I used a dog, I felt as you do that dog users get
more
> respect, now I am not so sure, and think that it has more to do with
> your body language and how you feel. I do feel that I am a more
> confident cane traveler now then I was before I got my first dog, and
I
> am at a loss to explain it.
> My best advice is to think about your life, think about your
activities
> and how you'd feel about interrupting your schedule to fit a dog in.
> Will it drive you bonkers if the dog needs to go out and you've just
> gotten back in bed after soothing a fussy toddler who woke up
coughing,
> something I did last night? Do you have someone who can give baths
> safely and well, so you can spend time brushing the dog? Even if you
do,
> will you miss not giving these baths? When you go out sans child, will
> you feel like the dog is another child that you must care for even
> though they guide you, and will that mindset take away from your
> enjoyment of time to yourself? What will you do with your dog while
> you're trying to get a screaming and kicking kid into or out of a
> carseat?
> Know too that wile I realize my daughter's current toddler phase will
> soon be over, a dog will never be able to take care of themselves.
They
> will never be able to go make themselves a sandwich wile you explain
to
> a worried preschooler why an airplane flying low won't hit the house,
or
> celebrate that yes, her book has "a firetruck, Mommy, see the
> firetruck!".These two things happened with my daughter just recently.
> She is becoming less and less physically depending, and getting more
and
> more emotionally curious, and often when she asks a question, she
wants
> and needs an answer right now. I also have to figure out what exactly
> her question is, and that can be tricky at times. With the airplane
she
> said something like "It's dark now, airplane fly in the sky, airplane
> see house, Mommy"?
> I'd be curious and it may help Chris to hear from other people who are
> deciding on dogs and what is influencing their choice to go ahead, or
to
> wait.
> I'd also be curious to hear from people who worked dogs consecutively
> during different phases of life, and how and why you did it, as well
as
> if you found it to be a bennifit or a loss.
> Chris, you are wise to ask if a dog is right for you.
> Know too that you can always change your mind. Very few decitions we
> make can are set for life.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Sharonda Greenlaw
> Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 5:29 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog responsibilities
>
> It's Sharonda. And though I don't have a dog right now, I am so
totally
> enthused about this conversation. I haven't had a dog since June 14
and
> have
> gone back and forth about whether I should or shouldn't get another
dog.
>
> I have however filled out my application at Guide Dogs of the Desert
and
> am
> awaiting their decision.
>
> I really enjoy having a dog. Like the others have said, the
interaction
> and
> bonding are marvelous. And once you are bonded with a dog, they know
you
> so
> very well.
>
> My mobility greatly increases when I have a dog--I find ways to become
> active and exercise both the dog and I. I have more confidence in my
> travels--though I've been told I am a very good traveler.
>
> Chris, I think you are very smart for reviewing your options first.
And
> this
> list is a great place to get support and answers.
>
> Once again, thanks to all. This thread has truly made me smile.
>
> Sharonda
>
> On 11/30/09, Julie J <julielj at windstream.net> wrote:
>>
>> Chris,
>>
>> I've just started working with my new dog full time in the past few
> weeks.
>> I used a cane most of the time for the two previous years and a guide
> dog
>> before that.  I owner train so my experience is a bit different.
>>
>> I am a very good cane traveler.  I choose to use a guide dog because
> that
>> is what I prefer and because it is physically more comfortable for
me.
> I
>> definitely think the cane is a totally respectable mobility tool.
>>
>> You asked about respect in regard to using a cane or guide dog.  I
> don't
>> know that people have any different level of respect since I started
> using a
>> guide dog again.   I really think people are generally intimidated by
> me.  I
>> have found that people feel more comfortable approaching me or
talking
> with
>> me since I have a dog again.  I rarely get overly helpful people with
> either
>> cane or dog.  It's always been that way for me.  It's also a very
rare
>> occasion when someone grabs me or tries to physically maneuver me.  I
> have a
>> very large lab/Boxer cross and I get loads of comments about how
> beautiful
>> he is, but not too many people pet him without asking.
>>
>> The short answer is that I don't think the level of respect has
> changed,
>> but the likelihood that people will want to talk has gone up a fair
> amount.
>>
>> HTH
>> Julie
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Sharonda Greenlaw
> President (Phoenix Chapter)
> National Federation of the Blind
> -------------
> Come, read and take a journey with me at
> www.WorldOfShariG.blogspot.com
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