[nagdu] Took Chet for a walk

[Albert J Rizzi]

Wow, buddy  that story touched me so much 

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."


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-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Buddy Brannan
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 11:30 PM
To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
Subject: [nagdu] Took Chet for a walk

Hey y'all,

I did something today that it was probably better that I didn't do, but
curiosity had gotten the better of me. Having now done it, I almost, but
only almost, wish I hadn't. I took Chet for a walk. 

For those who don't know, I retired Chet in October, when it became clear
that his work was starting to slip, with a combination of dog distraction
issues, anxiety during long car rides, and a general slowing down after just
a short time into a walk. Chet's getting kind of bored, and I was wondering
how he would react to a walk in harness, you know, for old time's sake. 

You know the expression, "The spirit is willing but the body is unable" (or
something like that)? This seems to be the case, at least to some extent.
When I got the harness, Chet all but dove into it, doing his usual running
around in a circle first. And then, we were off. That first block, I was
asking myself, "Why did you retire this dog?" We were walking at a good
clip, Chet seemed alert, we were both feeling great! But then, we turned the
corner, and I remembered. He slowed down. A lot. It was hard not to overstep
him. The harness handle just sat in my hand, requiring nearly no grip at
all. Even so, Chet avoided obstacles, and I think, though cannot be certain,
he spotted a dog in the home stretch, because he started looking off to his
left as we were crossing a street, and our course veered that way (toward
the parallel street) somewhat--although he made the crossing fine anyhow.
When we got home, Chet seemed very, very pleased with himself. 

So why do I almost wish I hadn't done this, you might ask? Partly because I
know I made the right decision. I expect that his slowing down is making it
that much easier for his mind to wander enough for him to be distracted by
the things that have always distracted him, namely, four-leggeds coming
towards or near us. I also confirmed my suspicion that he would very likely
have a very difficult time with another dog doing his job, even though it's
one that he cannot do as well anymore as he once did. And mostly, because it
reminded me how much I miss working a dog. As if I needed reminding. But
man, did it feel great. Kind of bittersweet, though, because it probably is
the last time.  
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY




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