[nagdu] Trice Update

Wed Dec 9 14:34:33 UTC 2009

I definately prefer guide work. Yes my first dog's name was Myrtle. I
realize I love guide work when the dogs take me around obstacles and do
awesome traffic checks. They are good companions as well. I've used my cane
for a little less than a week now and I realize how much I miss guide work
having to go around obstacles.

Personally, with a dog guide I enjoy walking and a dog guide has caused me
to be more adventurous and go try new things. I feel like I am more
independent witha  guide and my confidence has grown since having a dog.

On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 10:48 PM, Tamara Smith-Kinney <
tamara.8024 at comcast.net> wrote:

> Oh!  I get it.  You're answering another post from someone else.  It's
> late,
> and it took me a minute.
>
> Even though I am not the one you were asking, I will say that your
> stick-to-it-iveness is a good quality in a guide dog user.  And it does
> sound to me like you're learned a lot from your experiences with Trice and
> your previous dog (wasn't it Myrtle?).  No matter how much publicity
> blather
> there is about how a precious guide dog gives us confidence and dignity,
> the
> truth is that learning to travel with one day in, day out is a learning
> experience.  I'm always really struck by the long-time guide dog users who
> describe their learning experience with their 5th or 7th or whatever guide
> dog.  And by the long-time guide dog users who have had mahy successful
> partnerships who can also describe their bad matches and the pain of having
> to retire a dog because it just wasn't working.  That was a real help to me
> during Mitzi's guide dog training and the team building process that
> followed.  She's turned out pretty great, and the things that used to worry
> me quite a lot hav smoothed out, but I went through quite a few months
> where
> every little thing would send me into fits in case it meant she just wasn't
> going to work out...  I thought it was just me as a first-time guide dog
> user and owner-trainer, but now I realize that it comes with territory.
> /smile/
>
> Only you can decide whether guide dog use is right for you.  Despite the
> difficulties you've had, you're willing to give it another go because you
> prefer that method of travel.  And you've demonstrated you're willing to
> deal with and learn from some of the, er, hassles that go with having a
> guide dog.
>
> One of my friends who is a new guide dog user was a disgusted as just about
> anybody about the whole "guide dogs give blind people confidence and
> dignity" PR schtick.  And especially the "blind people can't go out the
> door
> without one of our dogs" routine!
>
> Now that she has a dog, we like to let each other know when one of our dogs
> does something completely embarrassing.  Yup!  Good thing I have a dog to
> give me dignity!  /lol/  Or there's the self-confidence that comes from
> realizing that *everyone* knows your dog's name...  But they've never
> actually noticed you were tagging along with her.  /grin/  I answer to "Hi,
> Mitz!" shouted from an open car window now.
>
> Anyway, that's just a silly side to having a guide dog.  There's the really
> great side like hard traffic checks and the like, like whizzing past all
> those obstacles you would have to explore a way around with your cane,
> finding the restroom (a big one for sure!), and all the useful things they
> do to compensate for the 2 degree midnight potty because they got into
> something they shouldn't...  /grin/
>
>
>
>
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Lora
> Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 2:22 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Trice Update
>
> The times when the dogs have stopped when a very quiet car went in front of
> me. The dogs going around obstacles and traveling faster in a black than
> with a cane. Do you disagree with me? Do you think that i am not a good
> candidate for a dog? This isn't meant defensively at all.
>
> On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 8:56 AM, Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS) <
> REBECCA.PICKRELL at ngc.com> wrote:
>
> > Laura,
> > If you don't mind sharing, I'm wondering what leads you to feel that a
> > guide dog is right for you. You've had two lemmons, put way more work
> > into both dogs then I'd have done given what you've written on list, and
> > taken time out of your life to get these dogs. What is it that drives
> > you to continue?
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> > Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
> > Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 11:26 AM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Trice Update
> >
> > Hi Lora.
> > I'm sorry to hear that Trice will not work out, but I'm sure you made
> > the
> > right decision.  You gave it a good try and made your best effort.  I'm
> > sure you will both be happier this way.
> > I gotta admire your stick-to-itiveness.  I think if I'd had all the
> > problems with my first 2 dogs that you've had, I'd have given up this
> > guide dog business as a bad deal.
> > Good luck.  I hope third time is the charm.
> > Tracy
> >
> >
> > > Due to my and leader Dogs decision we decided to retire Trice and send
> > him
> > > back to Leader Dogs. His fear issues have put me into too many
> > dangerous
> > > situations. Now I must consider a new school for I feel that guide
> > work is
> > > still right for me and that I have just got bad matches with not good
> > > enough
> > > training for the real world.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Lora and Trice
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> >
> >
> >
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>
> --
> Lora and Trice
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-- 
Lora and Trice