[nagdu] Quick Question

Wed Apr 27 02:06:00 UTC 2011

-----Original Message-----
From: Alysha <anjeans at att.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 4:49 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Quick Question

Hi Mark,
I got my guide dog the summer after my freshman year, and it worked out 
really well. I think it would have been alright if I'd gotten him a year 
earlier as well, but it was probably a bit easier to do it after a year on 
campus. When I came home with my dog, I was still getting accustomed to 
working with him and learning his quirks, and it was great not to have to 
worry about getting lost on campus too. For example, if he passed a sidewalk 
where I was telling him to turn, I would know almost immediately that he 
missed it and be able to go back and show him to do it properly. Getting a 
new dog is fantastic, but especially in the first couple of months, it can 
be stressful and frustrating. Like many people have already said, starting 
college is a huge change, and it might be a little overwhelming to add a new 
dog into the equation. Once you've gotten your freshman year off to a start, 
you'll probably be able to better imagine how a dog will fit into your life 
as a college student.

As for how much time a day your dog will take, there's definitely no hard 
number to quote. Sometimes, you can just relieve your dog on your way 
somewhere else and it only takes a minute, but sometimes your dog will take 
what feels like forever to do his business while your standing in a 
rainstorm late for class. When I was at the Seeing Eye, one of my 
instructors told me I might have to take my dog out up to 8 times a day, and 
I was shocked! I've done it some days though, and it's not as big of a deal 
as it might sound. Daily grooming is important, and vacuuming is also a 
must. Especially when I lived in a small dorm room with my dog, I would 
notice the dog hair accumulating really fast! You'll also need to take time 
to play with your dog, but that can be stress relief for you too. That is, 
of course, unless your dog is insistently squeaking his toy at you when 
you're trying to study for an important test. My dog has figured out that 
trying to push buttons on my laptop with his nose will, at least 
temporarily, get him my attention, and he sometimes takes full advantage of 
this. It can seem like a lot of work to take care of a dog, but I've found 
that, like Tracy said, it's easy to fit his needs into my day. Dogs are 
flexible, and mine has been more places, and put up with wackier schedules, 
than I ever would have thought possible when I got him.

So, I'd say if you're feeling a little shaky about the mobility aspects of 
moving on campus or if you're nervous about starting college, maybe it would 
be better to wait a year. But if you're pretty confident about college and 
you think you'll learn the campus well enough in a month, then go for it!

Alysha

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2011 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Quick Question

> Glad to know that there are no bad decisions. Thanks for sharing your 
> stories and advice with me. They provide good food for thought, so keep 
> them coming.
>
>
> Mark J. Cadigan
> MassABS Secretary
> Kramc11 at gmail.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Michael Hingson" <info at michaelhingson.com>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2011 10:32 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Quick Question
>
>
> Hi Mark,
>
> I think I would like to chime in as well.  I received my first guide dog 
> the
> summer between 8th grade and high school.  Back in 1964 it seems, at least
> for me, that I was fully accepted in high school with my guide except that
> the superintendent of the district tried to ban us from the school bus
> system.  Let's not visit that more now.
>
> Anyway, I went to the school with my dog beginning about two weeks before
> school opened.  I did this to learn much of the campus so I wouldn't have 
> to
> do that along with getting use to new teachers, new facilities, and new
> homework and study demands.
>
> When I went to college I arranged in advance through my major department 
> to
> get help right from the start in learning the campus.  I arrived a few 
> days
> before classes began and again spent much time going around the campus to
> learn the area, not specific routes but the overall layout of the
> university.
>
> For me this process worked well.  I had not received any kind of formal
> orientation and mobility training until the summer before college.  Even
> then the training was minimal and mostly unnecessary as by then I had 
> become
> a good traveler.
>
> As others have said only you can determine what is best for you.  I like
> exploring and challenging myself especially while using my guide dog.
> Getting your first guide is an adventure.  You can succeed if you believe
> you can.  Getting lost is never a bad thing, but rather it is an 
> opportunity
> to learn something new.  I should say I put this axiom to good use later 
> in
> my life when I first went to work at the World Trade Center in New York
> City.
>
> I am sure you will do fine.  We're all here to support you and to 
> encourage
> your efforts no matter what you do.
>
>
> Best,
>
>
> Mike Hingson
>
> The Michael Hingson Group, INC.
> "Speaking with Vision"
> Michael Hingson, President
> (415) 827-4084
> info at michaelhingson.com
> To learn more about my upcoming book, speaking topics and speaking
> availability please visit www.michaelhingson.com
> Thunder Dog is now available for early ordering on Amazon!!!
> http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Dog-Blind-Triumph-Ground/dp/140020304X/ref=sr_
> 1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289090352&sr=1-3
>
>
> for info on the new KNFB Reader Mobile, visit:
> http://knfbreader.michaelhingson.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Sherrill O'Brien
> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2011 7:08 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Quick Question
>
> Hello Mark,
>
> I'd like to chime in here. The decision is yours to make, but I want to 
> tell
> you that I was blind since birth, and knew as a very young child that I
> wanted to get a guide dog. I got some decent O andM training in high 
> school,
> and decided to spend my first year in college with only my cane. I used 
> the
> cane, and also, I must admit, walked around on that campus a good bit sans
> mobility aid...no cane, no human guide! Silly me, I know, but I lived to
> tell about it. Getting my first dog during the summer between my freshman
> and sophomore years was a good decision for me. The stress of going off to
> college, learning a new place, dealing with readers etc. was enough for me
> to handle that first year. I was very happy having my dog that next year.
> She was the ultimate college guide dog. Some stories here, but that's for
> another time...or not. Anyway, my dog was a great help to me, and I don't
> regret not having her that first year. For you, it might not be the same.
> But I hope all our experiences help you to make the best decision for you