[nagdu] a cane and dog discussion

[Margo and Arrow]

I was a good cane user prior to getting my first dog.  I do keep up cane 
skills now so that I can successfully use a cane when need be.  also, at 
times, I use my cane with my dog.  sometimes, if my dog has worked extra 
hard, I'll give him time off and heel him and use the cane.  this way, he 
still is with me but doesn't have to work right then.  I also use a cane 
with my dog sometimes when I need to pattern something and don't know quite 
how to explain things to my dog.  for example, when I lived in austin, 
Texas, to get to Target from my home, at a certain point, the best place to 
turn to the right was after five telephone poles.  Well, my cane and I 
counted the five poles and we did this a few times and my dog learned to 
turn right where he was supposed to turn right.  In Detroit at an NFb 
convention, I was confused for some reason about the placement of rooms and 
such on the fourth floor of the hotel, so, we went to the room, got my cane, 
went to the fourth floor, and I used the cane to help figure out my 
confusion.

I think most guide dog users use the cane fairly well to very well.

I don't think guide dog users are any more independent than cane users.

I don't think there is a debate of which is better:  cane or dog.  Both are 
useful ways to getting about and have their advantages and perhaps some 
disadvantages, too.  it's up to the person.

I do think, however, that a guide dog users needs to have a good grasp 
(pardon the pun) of cane usage and good orientation prior to getting a guide 
dog.
Margo and Arrow
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2011 7:30 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] a cane and dog discussion


>I used a cane for twenty-five years before getting a dog. I was very 
>independent with the cane; I am with the dog, though there are some times 
>when I don't feel so. I find it a little stressful to find a place to 
>relieve it when going to a new hotel, though I have also learned that 
>practice makes perfect. I am beginning to find that there are places where 
>the cane would be preferable--when the choir has sung, for instance. I 
>don't prefer the reaction to the dogs that I get, people interrupting my 
>discussions at dinner to ask about my dog, for instance, or speaking to the 
>dog and not to me. I knew I would feel like this when I got the first one. 
>I don't make it a point to practie with the cane any scheduled time because 
>I know I don't need to, but for the first few minutes when I do use it, it 
>is a little strange after having the dog. For a long time I felt more 
>independent with the cane to be honest. And I know there are people who 
>gained confidence using dogs and then that
> transferred to the cane, so it is just a wide variety.
> Cindy
>
>
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