[nagdu] Four Years ago

[Bryan Brown]

What a wonderful post, you brought tears to my eyes

    Bryan
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jen" <jenandnixon at gmail.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 3:55 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Four Years ago


>
> Where does the time go? I still cannot believe Nixon and I are still
> together! Four years ago at the Boring, Oregon campus of Guide Dogs for 
> the
> Blind, I received Nixon.
>
> This was a banner year for both of us. He walked beside me across the 
> stage
> to receive my two college diplomas. He worked five days a week during my
> last semester of college, sleeping on his fleece rug chewing on his 
> nylabone
> or drinking water. He alerted me to a fire alarm and helped me realize 
> that
> my hearing was getting worse when I couldn't hear it (he almost escaped 
> when
> it bothered him, but learned if he went crazy, I know the fire alarm is
> going off!). We traveled to Portland to attend the GDB alumni reunion and 
> to
> visit his puppy raisers. He was at my side at my first two job interviews
> and computer testing. We have have learned the bus routes of down town
> Prince George to continue the road of independence for me. He sat at my 
> side
> as I learned to sew, and watched from afar while I learn to cook during 
> the
> summer months.
>
> Nixon has surpassed Bronze's milestone when he was still my guide. Bronze
> only worked 3 1/2 years, so this year is so special for Nixon and I. Nixon
> and I have a strong bond and great guide work relationship. He is intuned 
> to
> me quite well. He does have a stubborn streak in him, which requires
> encouragement frm me, "No, not today Nixon, we are going the other
> direction." He can be quite insistent! In the last year, our confidence
> boosted and his guide pace picked up a notch to the point we'd be leaving
> anyone I am with behind in the dust! He has an amazing sweet and gentle 
> pull
> that doesn't hurt my bad shoulder, sometimes it gets a bit sore; however, 
> he
> will slow down to the point of sensing my mood when it is appropriate to
> take the initiative on speed. His tail is always up like a question mark,
> ears perked up, nose down, to guide the way. As I praise, the tail wags 
> more
> strongly as we continue on our journey.
>
> Feb 15th, 2005, is an unforgettable day. After lunch, we all sat in the
> lecture room awaiting for the instructors to finish going over the details
> of what we need to do once we receive our dogs. We were on pins and 
> needles
> awaiting to find out the name/breed/gender of dog we'd be matched up with. 
> I
> was second to last to hear about my dog. "Jen, you will receive a male
> yellow lab named Nixon." When I heard the name, I spelled it back to them,
> to make sure I heard my instructor right, "N-I-C..." "No, Jen, it is
> N-I-X-O-N." She spelled it out fingerspelling it. I knew the name suited
> very well, compared to my dislike to Bronze's name when I first heard it.
> The wait began. We were all sent to our rooms to await for one of the
> instructors to fetch us to go into the instructor's office, so we could 
> meet
> our dog, and get the dog stats as well. The wait seemed like forever as 
> each
> student received their dog. There were nine of us new students in the 
> class
> (although 3 went home before graduation). My turn finally came. My nerves
> were shot as the questions rolled in my mind, "Will I like my new dog? 
> Will
> I be able to bond with my new dog?" I was emotional all day! Candace, one 
> of
> the instructors, took me sighted guide to the office. I sat on the couch 
> and
> gave my camera to one of my instructors. I wanted to have pictures taken 
> of
> the moment, as I didn't do this with Bronze, which I regret today since 
> your
> first dog is always a moment to cherish even if the dog was a mismatch.
> Erin, my main instructor, sat in front of me, and all of a sudden, as I 
> sat
> down, a second later, all was quiet, I looked around trying with my 
> limited
> vision to find my new dog. I knew I'd see the dog being yellow. Then my 
> eyes
> locked on Nixon's brown eyes as he approached me. I gasped in surprise and
> said, "Wow, he is big!" I had thought all along I'd be matched up with a
> smaller dog, but that was not to be the case when i discovered I was 
> getting
> another male dog. He came and put his face right up to my face, and we
> stared at each other for five minutes. I let him take in who I was. I
> admired his amazingly white coat. It reminded me of my best friend's dog,
> who was completely white when I met her dog! I was drawn to Nixon's facial
> expression. I was overwhelmed, that when we got back to the room, and I 
> sat
> on the hard floor near him at tie down on his fleece mat. He sat there for
> the whole two hours while we were given that time to bond with our dog, 
> just
> staring at me, unhappily. I burst into tears, and I tried to talk to him 
> and
> pet him, but it seemed like he didn't like me! I tried to keep a cool 
> head,
> and tried to hide my emotions through supper until I was able to go down 
> and
> see Kim, the school's counsellor. I was so insecure about the whole 
> "second
> dog syndrome" I was feeling. Her words still stick today, "Give it time. 
> You
> just got him." Talking to Mom, I tried to hide the emotions, but I didn't
> find out until later, she could sense that I was unsure about Nixon, even
> though I tried to show excitement when I told her what his name was and 
> all
> that.
>
> The next day, I was greeted, as I put on my hearing aids, "thump, thump,
> thump." I couldn't figure out what the sound was, until I went over to say
> "good morning" to Nixon, to realize it was him. He was starting to warm up
> to me. He knew we were going to be together, and we were. That morning, I
> could not wait for our first walk together. The instructor had a safety
> leash attached to Nixon's colour in case the dog had confidence issues, 
> etc,
> but Nixon didn't need it for long. As soon as I aid, "Nixon, Forward!" he
> moved slowly outside the doors of the down town lounge, and stopped at the
> curb on the dime. "Nixon, Left." giving both the verbal and hand signal, 
> and
> foot signal, he moved hesitantly, and then moved forward to the next curb.
> After a block, the leash was taken off, and we were on our own, with the
> instructor right at my shoulder. All I could think was, after that first
> walk, "Wow, my shoulder and back is not in pain!" I was in awe with 
> Nixon's
> guide work and harness pull. That day on, through graduation, we flew
> through training with very few issues. Coming home was a breeze with no
> issues at all either.
>
> Nixon, I love you!
>
> This year, I hope our relationship and bond will continue to sour if I 
> move
> to Toronto. He will be challenged in a big city environment, and a whole 
> new
> world and change for both of us. Even if I don't move, I am sure we will
> soon have a job to look forward to as well. We've been to so many 
> different
> places, and nothing phases him one bit.
>
> I know this is long-winded, but I wanted to share the moment, the time I 
> got
> my "boy". Mr. President, as he is affectionately named, is asleep curled 
> up
> on my bed for an afternoon nap. Our life is very slow, we haven't gotten 
> out
> much, and it has not helped that I have been under the weather since last
> Thursday with a nasty cold bog. He slept with me through it all, and have
> been up and around the house since Wednesday doing much better despite
> coughing congestion. I've been getting in touch with classmates to see how
> they are, as all of us continue to have the dogs we have had in class.
>
> Although, I received Nixon a day after Valentine's Day, I still love you
> with all my heart. May we continue to soar in our future travels.
>
> Jen and Nixon
>
>
>
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