[nagdu] another road to independence

[The Pawpower Pack]

Cheryl and all,

I just wanted to write and kind of show the other side of things.

I'm not negating the use of the long white cane as a perfectly  
respectable and 100% functional travel tool.  I think that everyone  
who can should learn to use it safely and effectively.  I think those  
who can, should go out from time to time without the dog to keep up on  
their cane skills and so the dog can spend some time by herself  
because eventually, when the dog is retired, she or he will need to be  
comfortable staying alone and those skills need to be worked on.

For most people the choices are, and should be equal.  Dog or cane,  
the person should be able to travel independently with either.

However there are some people who need their dog in a different way  
than your usual dog handler.

If I went out without my dog it would be pretty much a disaster  
waiting to happen.  I don't think this makes me less independent.

I am Deafblind with limited use of one side of my body and with  
constant dizziness and vertigo.  I literally cannot walk a straight  
line without a dog.  My ear disease not only effects my hearing-- I am  
profoundly deaf, but it makes it very hard for me to know which  
direction I'm going.  I may want to turn right, I may think that I'm  
going right, I will feel like I've turned to the right when in reality  
I've turned left or am headed straight.  I tend to lean and fall to  
one side or the other and my dog needs to stop and pull me upright  
because I don't even know I'm falling.  Crossing roads without a dog  
isn't safe because I can't hear traffic at all and I do rely quite a  
bit on my usable vision (which isn't much) to assist me.  I also use a  
tactile mini-guide to help me make the determination.  However  
sometimes I'm wrong and sometimes my mini-guide gives an incorrect  
reading and I would say that I rely much more on my dog to assist me  
in road crossings.  There is also the issue of sound alerting.  I  
can't hear things like smoke alarms, the beeping sound of large trucks  
backing up, or the streetcar racing toward me on the tracks.

If I went out without my dog I'd have to go out with a person.  There  
are other Deafblind folks who do use a cane but many seem to not have  
the physical/balance issues I have.

I don't think my degree of need for my dog makes me less independent.   
I think my dog gives me more independence than I'd have without one.   
I have to do things a bit differently than most folks because I do  
rely so much on my dog.

I don't want just one dog to have to work for me all the time, because  
unlike most blind people my dog doesn't just get to be off duty while  
in the home.  There are alarms to alert to, dropped objects to  
retrieve, the dryer to unload, baskets of clothes to pull from one  
room to the other, and the phone to bring.

Because I rely so much on a dog I usually have two working dogs at  
once.  Right now I have Mill'E who is a 7.5 year old golden.  She does  
most of the in-house work.  Once or twice a week she goes out with me  
but because she has arthritis in her knee she can't walk for miles and  
miles.  So she goes when I take paratransit or when I need to walk  
eight blocks or less to get some where.  This gives Laveau, my 2.5  
year old Doberman a chance to practice staying at home.  It also gives  
her a break.

Laveau is young and healthy and can walk for miles and miles so when I  
need that kind of thing she goes with me.

I already have a pet dog-- Bristol my 12 year old retired golden and  
my husband has a guide as well so finding a pet-friendly landlord is a  
must because of Bristol.

Many people with multiple disabilities find that a situation similar  
to mine works best.

I'm not trying to be offensive or to argue that good cane skills are a  
must.  I'm just trying to give others a glimpse into how others may  
need to do things!

Hope you have a great Friday!

Rox and the Kitchen Bitches
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"It's wildly irritating to have invented something as revolutionary as  
sarcasm, only to have it abused by amateurs." -- Christopher Moore
pawpower4me at gmail.com

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