[nagdu] Bates' story,Braille, and BC service dogs

[Mardi Hadfield]

Hi every one,   Elizabeth, what a wonderful story of your experience with
Bates and Gabe. It brought back the feelings I had when I decided to retire
my Nala. Nala, it seems, does not want to retire yet. Although when the
weather here in Tucson, AZ gets hot, I will not make her work as she has
asthma and it affects her in Spring and Summer. The winter months are not
bad for her. She is so much happier when she is working. I am working with 2
new dogs to see which one will make the best guide for me.        Braille is
unfortunately, not some thing I can use as I do not have full feeling in my
hands and I can't feel my finger tips at all.  I wish I could use it as I
feel it would open up a whole new world for me.I used to be an avid reader,
and while I do listen to talking books, I tend to nod off as I am listening,
because  brain is not stimulated enough. I am glad for any one who can learn
to use Braille and I do feel that it should continue to be taught and used,
just as people are taught to read print. I don't think technology will ever
replace these valuable tools. I am glad that technology does exist for
people like me, but I still would have liked to have learned Braille.  Rox,
I have a seizure alert dog that is a Border Collie. He is a natural alerter,
but I tought him to also put his paw on me  to alert me. Before I tought him
this task, he would just bark when he sensed a seizure comming.I also tought
him to retrieve as I wanted to keep track of my possesions, and the dog made
sure to keep every thing together for me. I originally was training him to
be a guide, but he was an abused dog before I got him and he was very
nervous when in public. I felt that it was better that he not work in public
so I retired him. That is when I discovered he could predict my seizures. I
still do not take him out in public, but he does work in the home. This
still helps me.  I am used to Huskies, that don't always do what you want.
But they are thinking dogs and have a strong work ethic and a strong sense
of self preservation. This makes them a good candidate for a guide for me.
They can go all day, trotting next to my wheelchair and guide me saftly
where ever I go. The new dog is a Husky / BC mix, and I think this will be
even better for me. I do agree that both breeds have certain undesirable
traits, but I think the good traits out number the bad. I do agree that they
are not for every one, But I really like both breeds,and they seem to work
well for me. I will keep you up dated on both the new dogs progress.  Have a
great day, Mardi, and Nala, semi-retired, Wanagi, career changed, and the
new crew.