[nagdu] Tired, depressed and discouraged

Tue Jun 22 16:52:26 UTC 2010

Gail,

Love your sense of humor.

For the record, I ended up training a wild poodle child as part of my
physical therapy (self-assigned) to recover from that new onset of fibro --
which was really bad and was from injuries to my arms and hands that got
worse from using a cane, and from using the broken manual brailler (what did
I know?) our voc rehab agency so generously gave me...  I lucked out with
her, through a combination of timing and serendipity, so I didn't have to
hunt.  I was looking for a companion dog, sort of thinking I would train it
to be a guide dog if it turned out to have the "right stuff."  I mentioned
this to a breeder I was talking to about her older pups, and it turned out
she had donated to guide dog programs and knew how to evaluate a pup for
"the right stuff."  The rest is history, although I'm not sure I will ever
recover from the exhaustion.  /grin/  I was still crawling back onto my feet
after a really bad spell while I tried to figure out how to get treatment,
which I had just started and which is exhausing and painful.  Keeping up
with a 7-month-old poodle was quite a feat.  It got me fit, though!  /lol/
I will never again underestimate the classification of a breed as high
energy, though!  She's a great grown up, but I have to make sure to keep her
entertained and give her time to run off all the excess energy.

Anyway, since I wouldn't trade Mitzi for the world, it's hard to look back
and say whether I would do it again, knowing what I know now...  Even before
she was "trained" she started figuring out how to keep me from running into
stuff in her own way, so getting out and walking without making my arm worse
became easier and easier.  I was always pretty motivated to get us to the
dog park.  /grin/

Anyway, while I wouldn't recommend owner-training when you're stretched
learning new skills and you have so much more going on than blindness, but
it can be done if you ohappen across the right dog.  Since you've trained
service dogs before and you have that skill...  I'm not suggesting you
should change your plans, just giving my experience for whatever it's worth.
While waiting for the time to go to the dog park to run that poodle!  /grin/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Gail
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2010 6:13 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Tired, depressed and discouraged

I would love to be able to train again...that is so great, and was the
career I had wanted growing up. But with my vision as it is, and health as
it is now, I'm not in as good a shape as I was when I trained my last dog
back in 03. Plus, the problem of having to hunt out and test so many dogs.
If I were going to do it again, though, I would most likely go with a short
coated collie...I have a good connection with the collie rescue out here,
because of the hunt for a dog to train as an autism SD for our oldest son.
He insisted he had to have a long coat, so it took a long time to find that
pupper, but there were several ex show dogs-short coated- who would have
been great SDs for autism, psych (collies are really good for this,
generally), and other tasks. 

No, it looks like this time I have to hope to get to a school. Which has the
advantage of not having go through all the worry and problems of finding the
right temperament, etc. 

You went to New Orleans, with all those allergens?! Yikes, no wonder your
Menieres is going nuts! Bad enough out here, when the farmers start burning
off the fields, and all that. I always have to get a shot each year for
allergens....Kansas is not the place for Californians! You step off the
plane, and instantly allergic to the state! Lots of people I knew in college
couldnt take it, and went back soon as they graduated-most of the others
wound up getting married and staying here.

Hey, I was just looking at your site- I think you were once a member of my
SD group. I remember your harnesses, and a couple of members bought them
from you. Good to see you again!

Gail 

-------Original Message------- 

From: The Pawpower Pack 
Date: 6/19/2010 7:44:54 PM 
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Tired, depressed and discouraged 

Hey Gale, 

I also have Meniere's but am profoundly deaf because my meniere's is 
Triggered by Allergies and when I returned to New Orleans after 
Katrina I had an allergic reaction to all of the mold there. 

I understand what you mean about the pull of the dog when out walking 
Helping to balance and keep you upright. 

I wasn't reading the list much because I've just returned from 
Vacation. However, have you thought of training your own guide dog 
Since you OT'd your service dogs? 
If you don't want to answer feel free to tell me to mind my own 
Business. 
I am also an owner trainer and am partnered with Laveau a Doberman and 
Something-something mix whom I adopted from a shelter two years ago 
Today. 
It was very challenging training a dog as a Deafblind person, and with 
Balance issues. It certainly isn't for everyone. 

I'm currently doing physical therapy to try and get the vertigo under 
Control. It is helping somewhat but once my insurance approves it 
I'll be using a walker in the home both to keep me upright and so I 
Can have something in front of me to hit the walls before me. 

Best of luck! 

Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds 
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. And Laveau Guide Dog, CGC. 
"It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point 
Out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half- 
Wit, and the emperor remains an emperor."-- Neil Gaiman 
http://www.pawpowercreations.com/retreat.html 
pawpower4me at gmail.com 
AIM: Brissysgirl 

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