[nagdu] Lines in the sand

[Mardi Hadfield]

Hi every one,   I have always held my dogs to a higher standard as they did
not come from a program and I never wanted any one saying that my dogs were
inferior to other guide dogs.I have always made sure that my dogs are clean
and well groomed as Huskies do shed  out twice a year. When I had Lily, she
was a white husky, and I was always bathing her to make sure that she was
not dirty. I have been very lucky with Nala as she has been as near to
perfect as a dog can be, both in performance and her manners. With Shaman,
well lets just say, he still has a way to go with his training. He is not
bad, but he is a long way from being the dog that Nala is. Some day, I hope.
He is still young and I need to have patience with him, as his personality
is very different from my husky guides.It took me well over a year to find
the right dog to train. I was not able to get a husky this time around. That
would have been my preference, However, I had to expand my search for a dog
to other breeds as I might still be looking.He is learning and doing well,
he is just not learning as fast as Nala did. I must be patient with him.His
temperament is wonderful for a shepherd and being a male rather than the
females that I am used to, well he does not do some of the things I was
afraid that he might do, Like marking territory inappropriately, being over
protective, ect. He does get distracted  on some days and not others. I
think that is because he is still so young.He is just 1 year old.It is just
going to take a little time,but I am sure he will be a good
guide...................Allison, every ones opinion's are important,as it
gives us other perspectives to think about. Never be afraid to voice your
opinions. They do count!.............. On that Texas access incident, I
can't help wondering, What would have happened if it had been Anne and Panda
in the Taco Bell? Would the manager have asked her if Panda was a seeing eye
horse, or would she just have accepted  the situation without incident?
Or..........would things have been the same or worse? How would the  cops
have reacted to that scenario? I hope Anne never has to go through any thing
like that. I hope that the time will come when no one ever has to be faced
with access denials and civil rights violations.  Have a great day,   Mardi
and Nala, semi-retired, and Shaman,gdit

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http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/