[nagdu] opinions requested about possible next dog.

Mon Feb 1 19:04:17 UTC 2010

I've heard of dogs being given to young kids like that, but usually
it's with kids that have other disabilities such as autism. Haven't
heard of a blind kid getting a guide dog, except in one case where the
kid ended up leading the dog around school, and the district sent them
back to be retrained after the first year. Turned out the teen didn't
need a dog to get around his school. I'm not sure how that ended up,
but it does illustrate that guide dog schools say 16 fora  reason.

Wayne

On 2/1/10, Ioana Gandrabur <igandrabur at gmx.de> wrote:
> HI all,
>
> speaking of getting your guide dog at a young age, did you know that Mira
> the French guide dog school in Montreal is the only one in the world that
> actually gives dogs to kids younger than 16? In those cases they come to
> training with the parents. Would love to hear about some of those
> experiences but don't know any mira guide dog users.
>
> Anyway just thought it was an interesting bit of info.
>
> All the best,
>
> Ioana
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
> Behalf Of Nicole B. Torcolini
> Sent: February 1, 2010 12:55 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] opinions requested about possible next dog.
>
>
>     I do not know when I actually decided that I *would have* a guide dog
> when I was old enough, but I met a guide dog for the first time when I was
> eight years old; my para-educator used a female German shepherd.  At some
> point, though, I was determined to apply as soon as I was old enough (16).
> However, I knew that it did not just, poof, happen.  I knew that I had to
> have good mobility skills and that I had to care for a dog.  I worked
> diligently to acquire the needed mobility skills, which was made easier by
> the fact that my school district provided an O&M instructor who worked with
> me about twice a month.  I understood what a guide dog could and could not
> do; it could not read traffic, and, just because you started in a straight
> line did not mean that you stayed in one, and a guide dog was not a map
> either.  I had worked a guide dog at a program that GDB and the Seeing EYE
> put on.  I had also gone on Juno walks, so I understood that the amount and
> type of  feedback with a dog was different than that of a cane.
>
>     As far as taking care of a dog, my family had had (and still has) a pet
> dog, so I was fully aware of the time commitment that it would be.  I think
> that having a pet dog before getting a guide dog is a good idea, but I know
> that it is not always possible.
>
>     For various reasons, I did not get Lexia as soon as I would have liked,
> but the timing worked quite well: summer between my junior and senior years
> of high school.  I had some time to get settled in in a familiar environment
> before going somewhere new and strange.  Yes, we had a few up's and down's
> the first few months, (including a few in harness accidents that were more
> my fault while I got a schedule worked out) but I think that, regardless of
> the person and dog, there is always going to be some adjusting when you get
> your first dog.  Yes, I look back and wish that I had known a few more
> things what to do and what not to do, but it doesn't really matter now.  We
> rarely have any problems, and, in the case that we do, just working over it
> usually fixes the problem.  I use treats for a while if I am trying to
> emphasize that she needs to do something.
>
>     BTW, Lexia is a female black lab from Guide Dogs for the Blind, trained
> at the Oregon campus.  I received her on July 5, 2007, and we graduated as a
> working team on July 28.  She was 21 months when I got her.  I will admit
> that there was a time that I wanted a shepherd, but I could not ask for
> better than my Lexia.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 6:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] opinions requested about possible next dog.
>
>
>> What would be your thoughts on a person of your years and experiences  and
>> feelings which could be shared with other interested teenagers who wanted
>> a
>> guide?
>>
>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>> CEO/Founder
>> My Blind Spot, Inc.
>> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>> New York, New York  10004
>> www.myblindspot.org
>> PH: 917-553-0347
>> Fax: 212-858-5759
>> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
>> doing it."
>>
>>
>> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Nicole B. Torcolini
>> Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 8:02 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] oppinions requested about possible next dog.
>>
>> I find your comment about too young interesting.  I got Lexia a little
>> over
>> two months before my 18th birthday.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Wayne Merritt" <wcmerritt at gmail.com>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 2:32 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] oppinions requested about possible next dog.
>>
>>
>>> I'm not sure what the percentage of people who try a guide and end up
>>> sending it back or going home early in the training program is, but it
>>> does happen. I've heard stories from both sides, of a woman who sent
>>> the dog back within her first 2 months of being home, after her class
>>> date, and the dog was matched with another student successfully. There
>>> was also a user in my last class who went home after the first week
>>> due to all the dog responsibilities. So it does happen. This thought
>>> of giving up even crossed my mind when I was in my first class 15
>>> years ago, but I figured that I had made a commitment and I stuck it
>>> out. Looking back, my only regret might be that I went when I was too
>>> young, at 20, but other than that I have no regrets. Also guessing
>>> here, but I'd be willing to bet that if you did decide to get a dog,
>>> went through training, came home and then decided that having a dog
>>> was too much, or even if you decided this while in training, the
>>> school and people in that class would understand and support you. So
>>> go for it! And keep us updated on your journey.
>>>
>>> Wayne
>>>
>>> On 1/30/10, Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net> wrote:
>>>> Hi Stepper.
>>>> I too tend to agree with your wife.  You could try it, and, if it
>>>> doesn't
>>>> work out, well, it was still worth a try.  Although the little weasels
>>>> have a way of getting into your heart that makes them hard to give up.
>>>>
>>>> I remember being worried about the responsibilities of dog ownership
>>>> before I got my first dog, even though I'd had pets before.  Then I got
>>>> Glade, and the responsibilities were really nothing to have worried
>>>> about.
>>>>  I adjusted my schedule a bit, and that was it.  The benefits far
>>>> outweighed the costs.
>>>>
>>>> Hasn't it been a goal of yours for a long time, to get another dog?
>>>> It's
>>>> natural to be nervous about the change, but I think it's worth going
>>>> forward.  If it doesn't work out, it's still OK.
>>>>
>>>> You asked for opinions, and there's mine, for what it's worth.
>>>> Good luck.
>>>> Tracy
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
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