[nagdu] bad to worse

Thu Oct 22 11:16:19 UTC 2009

Laura,

If you are able, try to approach the whole situation with an open mind as it 
is easy to be frustrated at this point.  It is easy for us to say, as we are 
not in your shoes and behind that harness, but really try not to think 
negatively.  You are a very young team at 4 months, and still a large 
learning curve to achieve, establishing that bond which is so crucial, and 
everything that your NAGDU peers have provided.  From corrections to praise 
or from stress to success, this is a lot.  We all have our experiences that 
we have shared but this is your situation that you will have to find out 
what will ultimately be the best that works for you.

The last comment that I do want to share ; as this did really happen with my 
current girl Misha that I was matched with from LD last July.  When I did 
get back, I found myself being kind of hard on her as I did not really know 
her all that well in those few immediate weeks after match as she is a very 
sensitive and emotional little girl even though I did know this from what 
the trainer told me and as we worked at LD.  There is so much to take in and 
sometimes we just feel we know it all at first.  I was not trusting her and 
I was the problem.  I really backed off, and after 3 guides I made that 
sudden realization that we need to be having fun.  Of course, being serious 
about our work, but really having fun with what we do as a team out in the 
public, at work and so much more.  We have been together now for 1.3 years, 
and she is absolutely wonderful.  She is so happy, and sometimes just making 
little realizations that only you can make might just be the thing that 
turns your team in a new shining direction.

If they pull the dog, it's not the end of the world as if at the very least 
it has been an incredible learning experience for you.  If they do identify 
the problems, work with it, but most of all learn to relax and have fun with 
your guide as they are emotional sensitive beings that just want to please 
and be our friends.  Remember waht they have gone through to be with us and 
the let downs of losing one person in their life to the next and now it is 
another new person for them not to trust and this is where we make that 
change and the end result will be memories that will make you glow for a 
lifetime.

Steve, Misha and Ripley (retired)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lora" <blindhistory at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 10:51 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] bad to worse

> My trainer said that I should not work the dog and that Leader would be 
> out
> in about a week. Hopefully they will be helpful. I haven't really
> experienced alot of good from leader so I can't say if they are a fine
> school or not. From my experience I would disagree greatly.
>
> On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 8:52 PM, Joy Relton <jrelton at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>> Beautifully put, Tami. There really are a lot of things to consider. I've
>> been therewith a dog who had hepatitis I there were days when he really
>> couldn't work safely because he just wasn't felling well.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Tamara Smith-Kinney
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 4:26 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] bad to worse
>>
>>
>> Lora,
>>
>> This must be so heartbreaking for you!  Not to mention terrifying.
>>
>> Do let us know how the school responds.  Meanwhile, it's probably time to
>> break out the white cane.  Things are starting to sound pretty dangerous.
>>
>> Who knows how Trice would be without his chronic health problems.  When
>> Mitzi was having her serial UTIs, I finally figured out there were times
>> she
>> just shouldn't work.  Which was frustrating, since it really impeded our
>> team building process.  I would take her along with me to work on 
>> etiquette
>> and obedience out of harness, but having cane in one hand and dog in the
>> other isn't always workable.  We never did figure out what was causing
>> them,
>> but we're nearly a year since the last one, and I still live in fear of
>> going through all that again.  Ugh!  But her work would suffer and she
>> would
>> take to wandering and would get grumpy and guardy in harness.  And 
>> anxious.
>> I had known her in good health, so I knew it wasn't her norm, but it was
>> still hard to determine if she was coming up with a behavioral problem or
>> if
>> she was sick again until the accidents started.  Sigh.
>>
>> I don't see what you can do if the school won't take responsibility for 
>> the
>> vet bills so that you can get him healthy again without going broke.  And
>> until he's healthy again, how can you know what kind of guide dog he 
>> would
>> be if he were well?  If the problem is the underlying illness, training
>> won't solve it.
>>
>> I wish I could give you something helpful, but all I can do is send you
>> long-distance hugs and well wishes.  Pass a few on to Trice.
>>
>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf
>> Of Lora
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 4:35 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: [nagdu] bad to worse
>>
>> I was walking to school and Trice took me out into traffic 3 times in a
>> mile. I thought he was guiding at first because there is alot of cars on
>> the
>> side of the street and such but he kept on walking across the street in 
>> the
>> middle of the block. I just emailed my trainer so we'll see what she 
>> says.
>> I
>> know that me being frustrated isn't helping Trice any but I've had 
>> problems
>> since training. Sigh he's becoming a safety risk.
>>
>> Is it common that dogs just decide to do their own thing like that? What 
>> is
>> first year of working with a dog supposed to be like?
>>
>> --
>> Lora and Trice
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>>
>>
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>>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> Lora and Trice
> _______________________________________________
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>

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