[nagdu] Nixon saves my life

[Sherri]

That's really awsome. It's cool you have the limited visual feedback. I just 
have to hope Bailey knows what she is doing and pay lots of attention. 
*smile.
Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jen&Nixon" <jenandnixon at gmail.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 1:01 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Nixon saves my life


> Nixon's guidework was *PHENOMENAL* yesterday!!!! It certainly brings my 
> mood
> to extremely cheerful and chatty to the point of driving my mother up the
> wall (LEAVE ME ALONE I AM TRYING TO STUDY!)
>
> I had to go to an unfamiliar place, the city hall, to pick up a document
> before the next AAC meeting next week, scanning a document, but looks like 
> I
> will be dealing with a different document instead *grin*
>
> Anyhow, I walked there, and crossed the intersection. This is where the 
> new
> thing begins. At this point, i was not sure if the construction of the 
> front
> area of the building had been completed, sure enough it was, as I didn't
> seem to see any yellow tape in front of me. In new areas, I am considered
> functionally blind, as all I can see is just basically colours and shapes. 
> I
> new the building was in front of me, I told Nixon forward. I decided to 
> let
> him take over from then at that point. We discovvered stairs, that were 
> grey
> in colour that blended in so much I had no idea if tiwas stairs or some 
> kind
> of wall. Nixon took his time up since I couldn't reocgnize any 
> possibilities
> of a handrail for me to grab on. Once we reached the top, I assumed I had
> reached the main floor, note that we were still outside. I knew we were
> close. "Nixon, find the door." I just lead him the way. I didn't even know
> where the doors were, I knew they'd be on my right, but at what point to
> direct him. I praised him as he cautiously moved me around posts (?) and 
> he
> did find doors; not windows, but DOORS!!!! He got major praise. Once I got
> inside past the double-doors, at this point, I knew the reception area was
> to my left for general questions/enquiries etc, but to my right, I had no
> idea. This is as far I've ever walked in this building... "Nixon, find the
> elevator." He took me to the right, up to a glass wall at first, I 
> repeated
> again, "Find the elevator". He turned me around and stopped right at the
> elevator doors, which was *BRIGHT RED*. This is the only place in town 
> that
> I know that has a talking elevator that sounds like it has a British
> accent... no wait, there is the university, otherwise, everything else it
> doesn't and I have to rely on the braille or large visual landmarks to 
> tell
> me where I am. I headed up to the second floor. I looked left once I got 
> off
> the elevator, only to see a room to the right, that looked like a meeting
> room, but was not sure, so I told Nixon left, and saw something blue, and
> told Nixon to find the counter... INCREDIBLE!!!! Retracing my steps back 
> out
> was very easy, since I had to come back to city hall later as the 
> materials
> I originally wanted to pick up was out, so they had to photocopy them for
> me.
>
> *take break to pet kitty sitting on my arm-rest of my chair*
>
> Now, here's where everything went amazing!!! The second time I visited the
> city hall, I went out to go back to Tim Hortons where Mom was studying for
> school. We reached the curb, a four-way intersection that is usually
> particularly quiet and no issues. I saw a vehicle heading in the opposite
> direction of my parellel, once that vehicle started to move, I said, 
> "Nixon
> ... Forward". Another vehicle that was parellel to me on my right, must've
> sped up since at the time of visual and auditory check, he wasn't there, 
> so
> must've been speeding, since I had only crossed half-way when Nixon 
> *SHOVED*
> me hard to the left ... so hard, when I saw the truck in my line of vision
> speeding right in front of me!!!! I thought Nixon was veering for some
> reason, puddles maybe, but it was a tremendous traffic check. That truck 
> was
> fairly close to me, that I didn't even hear turning either! Once I
> approached the curb, i stopped and praised Nixon up quite well. It is
> extremely rare I encounter such drastic traffic checks in my area since 
> 90%
> of the time, people are extremely aware of right-of-way, etc.
>
> I thought I was dragging me feet and Nixon waking me up shoving me 
> hard!!!!
>
> My baby saved my life, I can't imagine what could have happened if I used 
> my
> white cane! I shared mom this story, and dad as well, this occurence, and
> they were shaking there head!
>
> I *had* to brag about this phenomenal guide-work of his! Even his curb
> approaches and stairs were absolutely phenomenal.....
>
> What a better dog could I ask for?
>
> Jennifer McEachen and "Nixon"
> Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc.
> Alumni Association Board of Directors and secretary
> jenandnixon at gmail.com / jmceachen at guidedogs.com
>
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