[nagdu] So long to my best friend

Sun Apr 1 02:56:09 UTC 2012

Hi Natalie,

Thank you, and the rest of the friends here on the NAGDU list for all of
your support.  I am very fortunate that I have had between 15-20 persons now
interested in Misha, and in fact had two more persons step forward tonight
while keynoting at a Lion's 60th anniversary celebration.  She has a lot of
friends and followers, and now it is time to narrow it down to where she
will be with for her forever home.  I have at least 3 finalists so to speak,
and will be sad, but happy for her once she can be in a place where she will
be loved, but still be able to serve in a different capacity.

Regards,

Steve & Misha

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Natalie
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2012 7:16 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] So long to my best friend

Hi Steve,
I'm so sorry to hear you have to retire your faithful partner, Misha.  I'll
be praying for you, and please know that if you need total, we're here.  It
is such a sad thing when the fears overtake them, but you did everything you
could to help her.  Praying for you, and if I could pass Liam through the
computer right now so you could get a labbie fix, I most certainly would. 
But, he sends labbie wags and kisses telepathically.
Best,
Nat and Liam Joshua

----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Johnson" <blinddog3 at charter.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 5:12 AM
Subject: [nagdu] So long to my best friend

> Dear NAGDU friends and peers,
>
> It is with great sadness, that I announce that my current Leader Dog, 
> Misha,
> will need to retire due to severe anxiety/panic/fear issues.  Although we
> were assessed a little over a month ago, and we thought that we could
> minimize the anxiety by avoiding certain situations, it came to a head 
> while
> traveling to a recent District Lion's convention when her apparent fears
> really grabbed my attention.
>
> A little more background information for you...last May, our house took a
> direct hit from an F-2 tornado, and as I rushed to get into the basement, 
> I
> was yelling for Misha at the same time to come to me, but she instead ran
> upstairs, probably thinking I was scolding her.  Needless to say, as the
> devastating tornado rolled in, it started to rip the roof partially off of
> my home...right up where Misha had just gone.  It also knocked part of the
> chimney off which is located near her bed, and it was one of the most
> terrifying things I went through in my life, and cannot even begin to
> imagine what she felt and heard as it was so incredibly deafening and
> violently shaking the neighborhood.
>
> Over the past few months, her fears and anxieties continued to show
> themselves outwardly, and after the weekend away, and while traveling on 
> an
> over the road bus to and from home, she outwardly demonstrated her fears.
> She was so afraid, not only of the bus shaking and rocking, much like the
> tornado did, but she was afraid to go up and down the stairs into the bus.
> We had also gone to a live NPR radio production on that Saturday evening,
> and she would just tremble during the applause.  I immediately contacted
> Leader Dog the following day, and discussed this with her trainer who with
> myself, made the decision to formally retire her as soon as I could get in
> for a replacement guide.  This all took place on the weekend of March 10,
> the call to LD on that Monday the 12th, and I submitted my application on
> that Thursday.  My application was reviewed last Tuesday, I was given a
> class date on Thursday and they have already been able to find a very 
> solid
> match for me.
>
> Misha will be retiring to a home with a loving family, and we are still
> working on the final details of this.  I am able to still work her on a
> *light duty basis* avoiding the situations where she might potentially be
> exposed to things that might cause these symptoms.  I have been scheduled 
> to
> go back to LD on April 29 for home and away training in which I will go
> there for a couple of weeks and then come back home where they will 
> conduct
> a follow-up a couple of weeks later.  The expedited process by LD was
> amazing, and I have been so fortunate to have an agency that understands 
> me,
> my needs and took everything into consideration that I have expressed.
>
> I have been very blessed to have had 3 wonderful guides through LD in the
> past 20 years.  Unfortunately, we cannot control how acts of mother nature
> affect us, or in this case, our dog friends, and it is with great sadness
> that I will be parting with my Misha after almost 4 years of faithful,
> dedicated and amazing work that she was able to give me.  She also gave me
> something that I initially realized just shortly after working with her, 
> and
> that was not to micro manage, be a good master, have fun, and the
> realization that your guide will do amazing things simply because they 
> love
> you...it's that simple.
> I look forward to being matched with my new guide, but hold a special 
> place
> in my heart for Misha and have requested visitation rights...of course:)
> She will be going to a specially selected home where she will never be
> kenneled, have access to many activities throughout the day, and always be
> loved.  I am even more thrilled as the trainer on this team, is the 
> trainer
> who trained my first 2 guides, both who were equally amazing and wonderful
> as Misha, and I can only believe that the next match will be as 
> successful.
>
>
> With a lump in my throat, and a slight emptiness in my heart,
> Steve & Leader Dog, Misha
>
>
>
>
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