[nagdu] Four Years ago

[lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com]

Hi Jen,
That was a nice story aboout you getting Nixon.  I'm so glad to see you're 
happy with him. I know what it's like to have a dog that isn't right for the 
job or a good match (grin!).  I'm on my eighth dog - a few didn't work out 
for various reasons.  Just remember that dogs are living beings and there's 
no guarentees with living beings!  WE all want to wonder what we did wrong 
when a dog doesn't work out for us.  Lots of times it's nothing we did, the 
dog may decide it doesn't like the job anymore.  These dogs can't be forced 
to do a job it doesn't like.  To be sucessful, the dogs need to enjoy their 
job - just like people!  Sounds like Nixon enjoys his job and working for 
you. (grin!)

I hope you and Nixon are together for many more years!

Regards,

Linda and Landon
----- 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 1:55 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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