[nagdu] Welcome Home!

[Toni Whaley]

Marion,

It sounds like you have a wonderful new dog in the making. Enjoy the
training.

Toni
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Marion Gwizdala
Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2010 7:00 PM
To: NAGDU List
Subject: [nagdu] Welcome Home!

Dear All,
    On September 8 - 9, 1986, I waited for what seemed forever for the birth
of my daughter Aislinn. When I got word of her healthy birth at 12:47 am, I
was excited, proud, and anxious. I couldn't wait to hold her and begin this
new relationship!
    Yesterday, march 12, I commented to my wife that the day was passing as
slowly as that one nearly twenty-four years earlier as I awaited the newest
addition to our family! Though I had many things I could be doing to pass
the time, my anxious excitement would not allow me to focus on these tasks!
. I checked the time frequently, counting down the hours until my new boy
would arrive! I even took a nap, knowing that sleeping would make the time
feel shorter! At about 3:00, a UPS truck stopped outside! My wife, Merry,
and I laughed about the prospect of Big Brown delivering my new guide dog.
    At about 3:45 pm I received the call from Mike Gallagher, the Guide Dog
Foundation's (GDF) Field Trainer, to let me know that he was on his way! The
excitement built as the half hour trip from the airport was lengthened due
to rush hour traffic and inclement weather. It seemed everyone else in the
family was anxious, too! My wife, her guide dog, Kappie, my retired guide,
Louiza, and I all huddled near the front window watching for the white GDF
van to pull up in the driveway! About 4:10, Merry said, "They're here!"
False alarm! It was another white van and it drove on by!
    At about 4:30, they finally arrived! With a few treats in my pocket to
make a better first impression, I greeted Mike and inquired about how Sarge
took the trip. "Just fine! No problems!" was his reply! He open the side
door of the van and I greeted Sarge for the first time. He was more than
happy to accept the treats, especially since he was not fed that morning in
preparation for the big trip.
    "Welcome to your forever home!" was my first statement to him, followed
by "He sure is a big boy!"
    "He sure didn't look that big in the pictures!" was Merry's comment!
    Merry went back inside the house and brought the rest of the pack out to
meet him. They all greeted each other with excited sniffs. Everyone went
inside and I gave him the grand tour of his new digs. His tail was wagging
and he seemed interested in exploring the home. I sat on the floor for
several minutes petting Sarge and reassuring him with several "Gud brau"'s.
After about 20 minutes of petting, hugging, and chatting, we let Sarge off
his leash. Kappie was definitely elated to have a new puppy in the house but
eventually we got a display of the Pack order, as Kappie turned belly-up and
later licked Sarge's muzzle in a show of submission to him. Louiza
demonstrated that she was the top dog with a couple of well timed growls and
an assertive first place at the water bowl. Mike, Merry, and I chatted about
some particulars of Sarge's temperament and our training regimen. Mike left
after about an hour.
    We fed all of the dogs and took them out back to relieve themselves. We
let them all have run of the yard. Sarge and Kappie romped and played, while
Lou took her usual position of "referee"! Afterward, we took the two guides
for a walk through the neighborhood in harness. kappie and merry took the
lead with Sarge and me following so as to not put too much stress on him too
soon! I felt as if Sarge was doing more following than guiding, feeling as
if he was dragging me. Since this was our first walk together, I didn't
press the issue and try to develop our pace. We will do that over the next
two weeks of training.
    Early this morning, I took Sarge for a little work around a two-block
perimeter of my home. He did very well and I felt as if he was working,
rather than just dragging me! With the exception of missing one overhang, he
did a fine job. I re-worked him three times before he took me around it and
once on another pass from a different direction. We sat together on a bus
bench for about five minutes before returning home. On this final pass by
the overhang, he performed perfectly!
    Around noon, Merry and I took a walk to the neighborhood grocery store.
We had to take the long way, as we discovered last night that the wooden
foot bridge  on the more direct route had been washed out by the past two
days of heavy Florida rains. Sarge pulled harder than during our morning
walk, yet more controlled than yesterday's. This will be one of the issues
we work on during training. I want a strong pull, yet I do not want to feel
as if I am being dragged. I found one of my weight lifting gloves and will
wear it for a few days, as I already have blisters on my left hand from the
leather handle!
    I have some pictures of Sarge standing next to Louiza and Kappie that
will give those of you who know either of these dogs a better perspective of
his size. I did not send them with this message in order to respec those of
you whose downloads are not as fast as others. If you would like to see one
or both of these pics, please send me a message at
blind411 at verizon.net
and I will send them on to you!
    He is a handsome pup with a very sweet temperament. As I write this
message, my granddaughter, hannah, is here and they have played together a
bit. He is more than twice her size, so we are keeping him tethered while
they are together. He has, however, given Kappie a couple of tumbles as they
romped in the back yard. I am looking forward to beginning our training on
Monday afternoon and the many adventures we wil share! More messages will
follow in the near future! Thanks for reading this message and for your
continued support!

Fraternally yours,
Marion Gwizdala, President
National Association of Guide Dog Users
National Federation of the Blind
813-598-7161
President at NFB-NAGDU.ORG
HTTP://NFB-NAGDU.ORG
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