[nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
Pickrell, Rebecca M (IT)
REBECCA.PICKRELL at ngc.com
Wed Feb 18 16:14:34 UTC 2009
Incredible.
Where was the person who said "the friend was using friend's harness on
Linda's retired dog" when you needed him?
Very odd story.
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 1:57 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
Hi Lora,
I went to Guide Dog Foundation, Guide Dogs of America (when it was
International Guiding Eyes), Eye Dog Foundation, and Seeing Eye.
Guide Dog Foundation was a good school. I went there when John Byfield
was Director of Training there. GDA is good, Eye Dog Foundation was not
very good. Why I didn't go back to GDF or GDA is the fact they have
contracts and I found them kind of paternalistic. I found that the
contract can come back to bite you even after you retire a dog! This
happened at GDA.
Because they thought I broke the contract after I didn't even have the
dog anymore, I was turned down for another dog. It's like you have to
euthanize the dog in order to never violate the contract.
Basically, I retired the dog with a friend who had a dog from GDA
herself. I intended the dog to be her husband's pet. They moved out of
state. While there, the friend gave up her dog but kept the harness.
When retiring my dog, I mailed the harness back to the school. She began
to use my retired dog with her harness she never sent back. GDA and I
found out about this when the family moved back here and the lady was
seen on the bus with my old dog in harness. GDA's Director of Training
came to see for himself and he spoke to both me and the lady. He then
seemed to be OK with that and took the harness back from the lady.
All was well - so I thought - until I applied to GDA about a year later
after I had to give up my Eye Dog Foudation dog after a back injury. I
was medically cleared to get another dog and wanted to return to GDA. I
also applied to GDB. I was turned down by both schools. I was turned
down because they said I violated the contract by "giving someone else
my dog and a harness to work her with"! I never did that. What
happened was totally out of my control as I didn't own the dog anymore
and I also explained that to GDA!
So, you are held to that contract even if you retire the dog to a
friend. I wanted no more of that so I applied to and obtained my next
dog from Seeing Eye. They have no such contract. They never had one
and, I hope, never will have one!
When I was refused a new dog from GDA, I felt betrayed by thinking the
issue was over when they took their harness back from the woman. So, it
all came back to bite me in the end. That's OK, I'll never go to any
other school other than Seeing Eye!.
I was refused by Guide Dogs for the Blind because they believed the
story from GDA. They never asked me about what really happened with
that. That didn't give me a very high opinion of them.
With that, both GDA and GDB do a good job as far as their training goes
and the quality of their dogs. But, for me, Seeing Eye is the best!
Linda and Landon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lora and Myrtle" <blindhistory at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 10:39 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
> What other schools did you go to?
>
> On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 11:14 AM, <lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Haben,
>> Unfortunately, the Naval Medical Center cannot pay us. They're
cutting
>> their paid staff! And wasting money to revamp several areas on the
base.
>> It
>> would be nice to be paid, but...you know how that is. I'm glad you
>> enjoyed
>> the articles. We enjoy what we do pay or no pay. I'd say that our
"pay"
>> is
>> the contribution to the healing of our Wounded Warriors. These
>> servicemembers are all mostly 18 and 19 year olds who went into the
>> military
>> because they wanted to serve the country they love. We feel that the
>> program is a way that we can also serve our country - we can't serve
in
>> the
>> military ourselves. We see first hand what this long war in Iraq and
>> Afghanistan is doing to our young people. Most of the wounded are
brain
>> injuries, depression, and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Unlike
>> in
>> the war in Vietnam, the current servicemembers have to be deployed
for
>> over
>> a year at a time and they are also deployed over and over. Even sick
>> folks
>> are sent back! Not good. Many of our patients are so sick and
affected
>> for
>> life that they are forced out of the military. They all say in their
>> exit
>> interviews that the Paws That Heal program was a huge help in their
>> recovery.
>>
>> Well, until yesterday, all the Paws That Heal canine staff were
Seeing
>> Eye
>> dogs! We have accepted our newest staffmember and her dog is from
Guide
>> Dogs for the Blind - San Rafael Campus. We didn't ever discriminate
>> against
>> dogs from other schools - we just didn't have any who qualified until
now
>> (smile!).
>>
>> Now, about Seeing Eye. You are treated as the mature adult that they
>> assume you are. The campus is really nice - nestled in the lovely
>> rolling
>> hills of Washington Valley in Morris Township, New Jersey. The
living
>> arrangements are comfortable and homey. The grounds are nice to walk
>> around. There's a leisure path with two gazebos. The staff is very
>> friendly and professional in their interactions with the blind
people.
>> The
>> Seeing Eye is a tough place to find job openings - even jobs like
cooks
>> or
>> housekeeping. They are a great employer and people don't want to
leave!
>> All of the staff is comfortable with blindness. I've heard that the
>> staff
>> spends some time under blindfold for them to gain a sensitivity
towards
>> the
>> blind people they work with. You have your own room to yourself with
>> your
>> own bathroom. There are lounges to hang out in with stereos and TVs.
>> There's an exercise room, laundryroom, dog grooming room, and a
computer
>> room with CCTVs and a Ham Radio if you are qualified to use that. In
>> each
>> room is a radio, I think they still have Satellite radio that a
graduate
>> donated for the dorm. They got this right after I was there.
>>
>> The diningroom similates a restaurant setting. At lunch time during
the
>> weekdays, the whole staff eats there. One or two staff people sits
at
>> each
>> table with the students. Other staffmembers eat in another area that
the
>> students must pass through as the staff come to eat about ten minutes
>> before
>> the students are called to lunch. Now, this teaches us how to handle
our
>> new dogs in a situation where people are already eating at tables and
we
>> learn how to keep proper control of our dogs in a place where there
is
>> food
>> around. The food is delicious and is much like that served in a
>> fine-dining
>> restaurant. They feed you so good that we have to make use of the
>> exercise
>> room and the leisure path!
>>
>> The training is the best I've experienced. I have attended three
other
>> schools before I attended The Seeing Eye. After experiencing The
Seeing
>> Eye, I will not even consider any other school. The other schools do
a
>> decent job, but the Seeing Eye still shines brighter.
>>
>> The instructors are very good and thorough in teaching us EVERYTHING
we
>> need to know aboout guide dog care and use. We train in Morristown -
a
>> lovely town - and other nearby communities. We have four basic
routes
>> that
>> we do in the beginning. Towards the end we do "free lance" which is
any
>> particular aspect of training that you feel you need. With one dog,
I
>> was
>> living nearby my sister-in-law who has horses. I was always over
there
>> and
>> riding. I needed to have a dog who wouldn't freak out over horses.
My
>> instructor arranged a visit to a barn full of horses. With Landon,
my
>> instructors knew about my work with Paws That Heal. I was taken on a
>> visit
>> to a nursing home and Landon got to visit with the patients. He
loved
>> it!
>> We have lots of good lectures. We get training with traffic checks,
even
>> with the hybrid Prius car! Each instructor has four students in his
or
>> her
>> class so you get alot of personal attention.
>>
>> I would say that the experience is like a working vacation. Learn
all
>> you
>> can and have fun! If you have any concerns - no matter what - talk
to
>> your
>> instructor. The only "stupid question" is the one never asked
(grin!).
>>
>> Also, you have a ready made community right here on the NAGDU List.
We
>> are
>> a wealth of information and experience here as we represent many,
many
>> years
>> of hands-on experience with using guide dogs.
>>
>> Hopefully, this has answered your questions (grin).
>>
>> Take care and let us know when you go to Seeing Eye.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Linda and Landon
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma" <habnkid at aol.com>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
<
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 7:41 PM
>>
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
>>
>>
>>
>>> Hey Linda, I loved the articles. It's very touching, such a truly
>>> marvelous program. You should ask the Naval Medical Center to pay
the
>>> blind
>>> volunteers? The program has proven its benefits, its successfulness,
and
>>> I'm
>>> sure many of the military men you serve in the program would agree.
It
>>> wouldn't hurt to ask.
>>>
>>> I've heard many good things about The Seeing Eye. I'd love to hear
your
>>> reasons for ranking it as the best school. I laughed when I read
that
>>> only
>>> Seeing Eye teams had passed the interviews for Paws that Heal.
>>>
>>> best,
>>> Haben
>>>
>>> lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Haben,
>>>> Yes, isn't it a shame that governments get in the way sometimes.
The
>>>> singer/songwriter Sting has a song about the Cold War between the
US
>>>> and the
>>>> old USSR. There is a reoccuring line in the song about the
Russians
>>>> loving
>>>> their children as the Americans love theirs! Thanks for the
>>>> explanations
>>>> about Eritrea and Ethiopia.
>>>>
>>>> Hey! Wonderful about you going to The Seeing Eye! I've been to
several
>>>> other schools over the years - I've had dogs since 1973. I like
The
>>>> Seeing
>>>> Eye the best. I would have started out with them back in 1973 but,
at
>>>> that
>>>> time, The Seeing Eye didn't accept people who still had some usable
>>>> vision.
>>>> They soon realized that some people with limited vision do well
with
>>>> guide
>>>> dogs and began to accept us. There are some people who have some
>>>> vision and
>>>> they don't learn to trust the dog and it doesn't go well for the
team.
>>>> Some
>>>> people with partial vision second guess the dog and the team gets
in
>>>> trouble. You get hurt because the envirnment isn't what you thought
you
>>>> saw.
>>>> The dog gets real confused and stops doing its job. The Seeing Eye
will
>>>> work
>>>> you under blindfold if they suspect you are having trust troubles
with
>>>> your
>>>> dog. Most people learn to trust their dog.
>>>>
>>>> There are ways to use the usable vision with the dog. I do that
all
>>>> the
>>>> time. However, I "listen" to my dog if he doesn't want to go
through
>>>> something or he takes me around a black spot on the sidewalk - that
>>>> tells me
>>>> that the black spot was actually a hole! So, TRUST YOUR DOG!
(grin!) I
>>>> also
>>>> have no night vision - just lights "floating" in the blackness of
the
>>>> night.
>>>> I HAVE to trust my dog as if I were totally blind.
>>>>
>>>> I also use ZoomText for the PDF files. What did you think about
the
>>>> Paws
>>>> program?
>>>>
>>>> You take care,
>>>>
>>>> Linda and Landon
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma" <habnkid at aol.com>
>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users" <
>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 7:08 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hi Linda,
>>>>>
>>>>> The governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia do not get along at all,
>>>>> they've
>>>>> been at the verge of war for the last few years, with fighting
>>>>> breaking out
>>>>> at the border every now and then. The typical civilian does not
hate
>>>>> the
>>>>> civilians of the other country. I have family on both sides of the
>>>>> border,
>>>>> and quite a lot of people have family on both sides. The cultures
are
>>>>> very
>>>>> similar, almost identical, and some parts of each country share
>>>>> languages.
>>>>> Most Eritreans don't like Ethiopia, but they have Ethiopian
friends.
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes, I was able to read the attachments. I use ZoomText, so the
pdfs
>>>>> weren't a problem. I hope the interview with the woman goes well.
>>>>>
>>>>> I hope to have a dog by this summer, I'm in the application
process
>>>>> with
>>>>> The Seeing Eye at the moment. I've heard lots of good things about
>>>>> that
>>>>> place.
>>>>>
>>>>> best,
>>>>> Haben
>>>>>
>>>>> lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi Haben,
>>>>>> Thanks. We have alot of Eritrians here in San Diego. I heard
that
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> Eritreans and the Ethiopians don't like each other - is this
true? I
>>>>>> hope
>>>>>> not - I don't like people having age-old grudges against each
other -
>>>>>> you
>>>>>> know - it limits your friendships with people. (grin!)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Were you able to read the Paws That Heal attachments I sent you?
I
>>>>>> know that screen readers and PDF files don't always agree with
each
>>>>>> other.
>>>>>> Tell me what you think.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tomorrow, we're interviewing a local woman and her guide dog for
the
>>>>>> Paws program. I want to make sure we have another good person in
it
>>>>>> before
>>>>>> I have to leave in July.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't know if I missed something - do you have a dog? If so,
what
>>>>>> kind is it and what's its name? I do know that we have people on
the
>>>>>> list
>>>>>> who are between dogs, exploring the possibilities for a first
dog. My
>>>>>> dog
>>>>>> Landon is a Golden/Lab mix and he's red. He's from the Seeing
Eye in
>>>>>> New
>>>>>> Jersey.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Take care,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Linda and Landon
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma"
<habnkid at aol.com>
>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users"
>>>>>> <
>>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 5:13 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks for the articles, Linda!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I identify as female, born in California with family from
Eritrea,
>>>>>>> East Africa. Haben is actually a gender neutral name in Eritrea,
so
>>>>>>> it's a
>>>>>>> legitimate question all around. I like the ambiguity, especially
>>>>>>> when
>>>>>>> filling out applications for various things.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> best,
>>>>>>> Haben
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hi Haben,
>>>>>>>> Attached are a couple of articles and a flyer aboout the Paws
That
>>>>>>>> Heal program. One article and the flyer are in PDF files and
the
>>>>>>>> other
>>>>>>>> article is in a work doc.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I can't tell from your name if you are a male or female - I
just
>>>>>>>> like
>>>>>>>> to know what I'm talking to! (grin). What nationality is your
>>>>>>>> name? I'm
>>>>>>>> half Polish. It took me an age to find out that Marion Gwizdala
is
>>>>>>>> a man!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Enjoy the articles.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Linda and Landon
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> PS: Your home e-mail didn't work so this is on the list.
>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma"
<habnkid at aol.com>
>>>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>>>>>> Users"
>>>>>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>>> Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 7:03 PM
>>>>>>>> Subject: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Linda, I am absolutely intrigued! That is such a lovely
program! I
>>>>>>>>> really hope I can find something like that in the Portland,
Oregon
>>>>>>>>> area. I
>>>>>>>>> am a college student currently taking an anthropology class
that
>>>>>>>>> requires
>>>>>>>>> students to go out and do fieldwork. I am considering doing
>>>>>>>>> something with
>>>>>>>>> Guide Dogs for the Blind in Boring, Oregon. Right now I'm
going to
>>>>>>>>> search
>>>>>>>>> the Internet for a dog therapy program in Portland. Thanks for
>>>>>>>>> sharing
>>>>>>>>> LInda!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Haben
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Hi Haben,
>>>>>>>>>> There is no web page for Paws That Heal. We are a 3 year old
>>>>>>>>>> program that is run out of the Health & Wellness Department
for
>>>>>>>>>> the Naval
>>>>>>>>>> Medical Center of San Diego. The program manager is their
>>>>>>>>>> Diabetes
>>>>>>>>>> Instructor. She is visually impaired with a guide dog and she
>>>>>>>>>> started the
>>>>>>>>>> program after an encounter in the elevator with a Wounded
Warrior
>>>>>>>>>> in her
>>>>>>>>>> building. The servicemember had a profound stutter and it
took
>>>>>>>>>> him five
>>>>>>>>>> minutes to stutter out, "May I pet your dog?" My friend -
the
>>>>>>>>>> instructor -
>>>>>>>>>> allowed him to pet her dog and the stutter went away just
like
>>>>>>>>>> that! He
>>>>>>>>>> then shared his war experiences with her - the servicemember
was
>>>>>>>>>> wounded in
>>>>>>>>>> Iraq.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Anyway, the Diabetes instructor happens to have been a friend
of
>>>>>>>>>> mine for years. She also knows several of the other guide
dog
>>>>>>>>>> users in the
>>>>>>>>>> San Diego area who already had a program with the local blind
>>>>>>>>>> center where
>>>>>>>>>> we bring our dogs to an outdoor, fenced in dog park to allow
the
>>>>>>>>>> guide dogs
>>>>>>>>>> play time together. We had exclusive use of one of the
fenced in
>>>>>>>>>> areas for
>>>>>>>>>> two hours once a month. The friend of mine worked with us
and
>>>>>>>>>> her chain of
>>>>>>>>>> command at the hospital and permission was granted to bring
>>>>>>>>>> several wounded
>>>>>>>>>> servicemembers to the park to play with our dogs - and Paws
That
>>>>>>>>>> Heal was
>>>>>>>>>> born. We also have a portion of the program where we go to
the
>>>>>>>>>> locked
>>>>>>>>>> mental health ward to work with the servicemembers with PTSD
and
>>>>>>>>>> depression.
>>>>>>>>>> More great stuff happened as well.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I do have a flyer for the program but it is in a PDF file and
>>>>>>>>>> turned sideways - don't know if a screen reader can desipher
it!
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> The program manager has written to Marion Gwizdala and he in
turn
>>>>>>>>>> had her contact Mike Hingson about the program. We are
looking
>>>>>>>>>> for some new
>>>>>>>>>> teams to work with us who live in the San Diego area. The
Paws
>>>>>>>>>> program
>>>>>>>>>> happens three times a month at the hospital so we need people
who
>>>>>>>>>> can get
>>>>>>>>>> there, can commit the time, and pass the interviewing process
-
>>>>>>>>>> both human
>>>>>>>>>> and dog.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I forgot, where do you live?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> HTH
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Linda and Landon
>>>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma"
>>>>>>>>>> <habnkid at aol.com>
>>>>>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>>>>>>>> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 1:13 AM
>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Welcome Haben
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Linda, those volunteer programs sound awesome! Would you send
me
>>>>>>>>>>> the web address for Paws that Heal? I'd love to read more
about
>>>>>>>>>>> it.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> thanks,
>>>>>>>>>>> Haben
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Welcome to the list, Haben.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I'm Linda and I live in San Diego - soon to move to
Vermont.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Landon is my 3 year old red Lab/Golden cross from The
Seeing
>>>>>>>>>>>> Eye. I got him
>>>>>>>>>>>> in the October 2007 class. I am 58 years young and have not
had
>>>>>>>>>>>> a paid job
>>>>>>>>>>>> in eons. I've done lots of volunteer jobs to get experience
to
>>>>>>>>>>>> put on a
>>>>>>>>>>>> resume! Right now, Landon and I work at two pet therapy
>>>>>>>>>>>> programs. One for
>>>>>>>>>>>> the Humane Society where we visit various facilities for
>>>>>>>>>>>> disabled kids and
>>>>>>>>>>>> adults. Landon is certified by the AKC's Canine Good
>>>>>>>>>>>> Citizenship Test.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Landon is their program's first actual working assistance
dog
>>>>>>>>>>>> they've had.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Lots of guide dog and service dog pups, but we are their
first
>>>>>>>>>>>> working team
>>>>>>>>>>>> to be in the program. The other one is a program called
Paws
>>>>>>>>>>>> That Heal that
>>>>>>>>>>>> is at the Naval Medical Center of SD. Both Landon and I had
to
>>>>>>>>>>>> pass a series
>>>>>>>>>>>> of interviews for this. We do a combo pet therapy,
>>>>>>>>>>>> socialization, and
>>>>>>>>>>>> reintegration work with our Wounded Warriors from Iraq and
>>>>>>>>>>>> Afghanistan. We
>>>>>>>>>>>> work mainly with the patients on the mental health ward.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Haben, you'll enjoy this list - it's alot of fun.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Linda and Landon
>>>>>>>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma" <
>>>>>>>>>>>> habnkid at aol.com>
>>>>>>>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide
Dog
>>>>>>>>>>>> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 9:27 PM
>>>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Welcome Haben
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi Mardi, thanks for the explanations. I love the names of
your
>>>>>>>>>>>>> dogs. I actually don't have a dog, I'm in the application
>>>>>>>>>>>>> process for a
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Seeing Eye dog right now. So, I'm patiently waiting to
learn
>>>>>>>>>>>>> my fate.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Haben
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mardi Hadfield wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi every one, Welcome Haben. No, I don't live in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Alaska.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> My Huskies
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> are "south paws" We live in Tucson, Arizona. When I
first
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> needed a guide
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> dog, I was told that the schools did not train for
wheelchair
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> users.Since I
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> already had a service dog, who was a husky, I hired a
trainer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to help me
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> train Lily to guide me. I had to retire her at age 8 as
she
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> had health
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> issues and she died month later, leaving me with out a
guide
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> dog. I tried
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> out a border collie and he did not work out as he had
been
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> abused before I
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> got him and he could not handle being out in public. Then
I
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> got
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> another
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> husky, Nala,who was a fantastic guide. She will soon be
10
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> years old and has
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> health issues now.She has guided me for 8 years and it
has
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> been
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> hard to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> retire her as she does not want to retire. When she sees
me
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> getting ready to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> go out, she brings me her harness and get all excited.
She
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> started picking
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> fights with Wanagi, the dog that I was training to take
over
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for Nala. She
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> is a lot happier now that she is working again part time.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Wanagi came up
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> lame with a hip problem, so she was career changed. I am
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> keeping her as a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> pet. I have been looking for a dog to take over as my new
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> guide
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for over 10
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> months. I think I have finally found a dog.I would love
to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> get
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a dog from
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Fidelco,but when I asked about it ,I was told that they
don't
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> train for
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wheelchair users.I would have to pay my way to and from
South
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Eastern Guide
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dogs, which I could not afford, and really can't be away
that
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> long. Guide
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dogs for the Blind would take me ,but again, I can't be
away
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> from my home
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and business that long. So I guess I will just continue
to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> train my own
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> guides with the help of my trainer. Haben, do you have a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> guide
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> dog? If so ,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> what breed is it? I love hearing from others and about
their
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> dogs. Have a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> great day, Mardi and Nala,semi-retired, and Shaman ,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> possible
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> trainee.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your
account
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> info for nagdu:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/habnkid%40aol.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>>>>>>>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your
account
>>>>>>>>>>>>> info for nagdu:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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oplepc.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>>> nagdu mailing list
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>>>>>>>>>>>> info
>>>>>>>>>>>> for nagdu:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
> --
> Lora and Leader Dog Myrtle
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