[nagdu] Adrian retired

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Ioana,

Thans for the update.  I am sorry Adrian didn't work out as a guide, but
very glad you can keep him with you!  It sounds like you did everything you
could and then some.

Guide dog is such a demanding, stressful job!  I try to come up with the
human equivalent and always end up a neurosurgeon or airline pilot or that
sort of thing.  Only on an alien planet where everything is oriented toward
an alien species!  I'm a Sci-Fi nut, so that actually sounds kinda cool to
me.  But if that were my real life, not fiction...  Could I meet the
expectations we pur on our dogs.  Well, of course I could.  Sure.  /grin/

Anyway, there's no shame to dog or handler if the dog decides it would
rather be a dog.

That doesn't stop us from feeling all the emotions that come with having to
retire a dog in its prime because of a single issue.  And there's no comfort
really.  Who cares about perspective when your changing your relationship
with your partner?

Best of luck at GDB!  Are you coming to the Boring campus!  Portland is
lovely at that time of year, especially when the sun shines!  Portlanders
themselves are giddy over the great yellow ball in the sky after a long gray
winter, and you have never met a happier, friendlier bunch.  /lol/  Except
for the true natives who go about sqinting and complain about how the
strange light hurts their eyes and how they wish it would rain!  /lol/

Best to you, Adrian, your family and your soon-to-be new pup!

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Ioana Gandrabur
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 9:40 AM
To: NFBnet NAGDU Mailing List
Subject: [nagdu] Adrian retired

Hi all,

Happy 2010.

I have promised you some updates on the issues with Adrian my jumping guide
dog that was apparently randomly jumping on passers by with practically no
warning signals. I have tried to find any kind of pattern in hopes that I
could then desensitize him but no luck. In the meantime he was also lurching
towards people passing by our house if we were exactly at that point
happening to go out. The situation became too stressful for both. I had my
leash in my hand an rewarded him for just passing people on the street but
still we would have some kind of pedestrian incident once a week about. The
G L did not give me enough forewarning either.

Finally the trainer came and we did a set-up with him approaching the house
as I came out the door with Adrian. Sure enough he started barking and
lurching towards the trainer and I could not do anything to refocus him. He
was surprised I worked with him for so long and we decided together
something I was thinking myself without really admitting it. Adrian is not
working out to be a guide dog. We will keep him probably and have 2 dogs. I
have a date for gdb in may 10 and am on the list for possible cancellations.
We are still a bit in shock but life goes on and the fact that Adrian is
still with us makes the transition much easier.

I am trying hard not to thing too much about what I could have done
different. He was often scared of any knocking noises and I have worked with
lots of desensitizing and treats for being calm around them to the best of
my abilities. I just have to accept that for whatever reasons we did not
work out as a team. well he is a great pet and my husband and I love him
just as much. I hope that not working will make him more relaxed.

Thanks for lending your ear to our story.

All the best,

Ioana and Adrian the pet


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