[nagdu] Adrian retired

Mon Feb 1 19:24:31 UTC 2010

I went to that campus and did not find it boring.  haha

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Adrian retired

> 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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