[nagdu] asuming cost my guides life.

Thu May 28 16:53:08 UTC 2009

The story would have been better if it had been a statue of St.
Asisi(sp?) since he is the patron saint of animals. 
Still a good story though.  

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 12:28 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] asuming cost my guides life.

Linda,

That story sounds like a made-for-TV movie, like a Hallmark special or
something.  /grin/  The Virgin Mary statue is one of those touches that
would be way too over-the-top mushy if it were fiction.  What a great
story!

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Nicole B. Torcolini
Sent: Monday, May 25, 2009 1:40 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] asuming cost my guides life.

Well, maybe God decided to intervene that day, considering that the
statue was of Mary.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Gwizdak" <linda.gwizdak at cox.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, May 25, 2009 12:12 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] asuming cost my guides life.

Hi Stepper,
Good story and good lesson. We just don't know what can happen. This
sort of
thing happens all the time to pet dog owners - even to Bill Clinton and
his
chocolate Lab he got while in the White House.  After Clinton left the
presidency, he moved to his new home in New York. After a short time,
someone left a gate open and the dog ran out and was killed by a car.
As
I've said before, our guide dogs have no more sense than a pet dog when
it
comes to running free and encountering a car. We have to really
safeguard
ALL of our dogs to keep them safe. Same goes for our small children -
same
thing has happened to them when they get out of the house or yard
unattended.

This all reminds me of something that happened here in San Diego back in
1988.  I know this person, too. She was in the house and had just given
her
guide dog a bath.  The lady's husband was out working in the garden and
they
just let the dog be loose in their unfenced yard to dry. The dog had no
collar on.  The husband got busy concentrating on the gardening and the
dog
evidentally saw something or someone and left the yard.  Without the
collar
tags to jangle, the dog slipped off without a sound.

The story was on the TV news and the stations put out info so viewers
could
call if the dog was seen. Several days passed without any sight or word
about the dog. These people live near the Mexican border. One day a man
happened to find a yellow Lab on the grassy median strip for Route 5 - a
very heavily used freeway.  The man who saw the dog on the median strip
stopped and coaxed the dog inside his truck.  This man was a Mexican
coming
into the US.  In his truck bed was a statue of the Virgin Mary.  He
brought
the dog to the person he was delivering the statue to and she cared for
the
dog.  Then she saw the story of the lost guide dog and she called the TV
station.  the news people at the station then reealized that the dog
matched
the description of the lost guide dog and the station brought the dog to
my
friend - it WAS her lost dog!  So, here was a story that started out
bad,
had a whole lot of things that could have gone bad, but it turned out
good
with a healthy dog being returned safe and soound.  My friend never did
this
again with that dog or any of her successor dogs. They were only alowed
outside off leash in her fenced back yard and NEVER the unfenced front
yard!

Stepper, hope you're doing well!

Linda and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stepper" <stepper12 at cableone.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 24, 2009 11:00 AM
Subject: [nagdu] asuming cost my guides life.

> Hello to all    .
> Every time I hear the subject of escape, or assuming the area is safe
I
> feel the pain of more than twenty five years ago.
> I was always very careful with my belovable guide Hart, a yellow Lab
Male.
> I was visiting a friend in the country with lots of ground. I was just
> letting him go to reweave, and to run around a while.
> For several minutes everything was fine. We were all sitting outside
> talking and eating.
> But Hart must have saw something like a rabbit or something, because
he
> took off like a shot and went out to the road.
> He was hit,  but not enough to even knock him down.
> The car didn't stop, and I believe the driver didn't even see him, or
know
> he had clipped him.
> He had a small lump on his jaw at the back, and that was it. He didn't
act
> like as if it was a problem at all.
> Fast forward several months. One day while visiting some people in
there
> home, Hart jumped up and started running all over the living room
crying
> out with his jaws wide open.
> Hart couldn't close his mouth. It was awful!!!
> We took him to the vet, and the vet gave him a shot that put him to
sleep
> while the vet put the end of a broom handle inside his mouth and he
forced
> his jaws apart enough so they would  open all the way and unhinge.
> This is when he told me that he could see some old damage at the back
side
> of his jaws on the right side, and that's where his lump was when he
was
> clipped that summer.
> This happened three more times, over the next couple of months.
> I than arranged for Hart to go to Aim's Iowa at there famous vet
school.
> They told me they were going to try surgery and basically try to tie
his
> jaw so it couldn't open far enough to open so far that it would come
> unhinged, but that they didn't know if it would or not work long term.
> It lasted about two months.
> Hart got so that when his jaws would lock open he could undo it
himself,
> but it just kept happening.
> So on Thanksgiving day me and my family couldn't watch this go on any
> longer.
> My friend took me and Hart to the vet for his last ride.
> I held Hart in my arms when the doctor gave him the shot, and felt the
> life go out of him.
> This whole process from beginning was about six months.
> What I learned was this, and I hope that others can learn from this
> painful story.
> By the way I got another dog after Hart, but it was five years before
I
> could try again. I was haunted about this for many years.
> Even if its hard at the moment, or you think my dog will be fine
because
> we are in the country, or the park, or, or, or, and so on. We can not
know
> for sure what is there that can allow our dogs to escape, or we can't
know
> in advance what may kick in all there doggyness, and over rides all
there
> training and so on.
> So please never assume, know that you have control of your dog at all
> times, inside or out side.
> I remember reading on this list about a young blind lawyer that just
> opened his door to receive a package I believe or something, and his
> apartment was on a busy street, and the dog shot out the open door and
in
> seconds was struck and killed.
> It only takes a blink of an eye.
> Please make sure your gates to your yards have locks so others can't
by
> mistake not close them or open them without you knowing for sure those
> gates are closed.
> I know this was long, but I thought it was a story worth retelling.
> My second dog Bear, I had for thirteen and a half years, and never
made
> that mistake again, and there were many times I had to take a deep
breath
> and tell myself to remember what happened to hart, and slow down and
do
> the careful thing instead of the quick and easy thing.
>
> Thank you, Stepper 12
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