[nagdu] Lots of Questions

Sun Aug 26 20:23:58 UTC 2012

Good advice, Julie M.

Lizzy, another VERY important thing is that you must be a person who will 
not cave into doing things that will cause problems with your dog.  things 
like not correcting because of "peer pressure" from the other students.  I 
know that it's hard not to do that when you're a kid - hey I was a kid once 
a long time ago! LOL!  I have seen this problem even in a 58 year old man - 
he didn't want to correct his dog for fear of public disapporval.  He had 
problems with the dog for the life of the relationship with the dog.  He got 
a new dog last winter and he's learned his lesson.

You have to be firm with people and if they don't like it that you do what 
you were taught at guide dog school, well tough, suck it up, get over 
yourselves, get a life - whatever you want to tell them!  This is AFTER you 
educate them as to WHY you do what you do with your dog and the fact you 
aren't being mean because people can't pet, call the dog, feed it stuff from 
the cafeteria, etc.  It is foremost YOUR SAFETY that counts.

Good luck with your new dog.  I got my first dog after two years of college 
and I was 22 years old.  While I was in high school, my vision was still 
fairly good and I rode my bike to school.  I'm on my 8th dog now as I am 
almost 62 years old now.

Landon and I do pet assisted therapy with our local Humane Society and we 
enjoy it alot.  Landon is a red Lab/Golden cross from The Seeing Eye and he 
is almost 7 years old now - wow, time flies when you're having fun! LOL!  In 
addition to the pet therapy, Landon and I are active at our local blind 
center, LGBT community stuff, and Democratic club.  We live in San Diego.

Welcome to the list.  Enjoy and don't forget - you can pick our brains all 
you want!

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie McGinnity" <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2012 12:12 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Lots of Questions

> Hi Lizzy.
>
> I received my dog while I was still in high school.  I went to Guiding
> Eyes for the Blind the Summer before my senior year.  Like you, I
> lived in the suburbs and took a rather difficult course load.  I took
> five AP courses my senior year.  It worked out for me because I went
> to a big high school and was involved in a lot of various activities.
>
> I think the important thing to remember is that high school is a
> difficult environment for a dog, not impossible by any means, but the
> food and gumb on the floor, the kids, and the constant activity will
> make it an environment filled with distractions.  As long as you
> listen to the instruction given by your school, I'm sure you'll do
> fine.  Do obedience every day, and spend time on those issues your dog
> needs to work on.  For example, my dog was very eistracted by food.
> This was before we went to high school.  But we worked and worked on
> it over the Summer, and now she behaves quite nicely around food for
> the most part.
>
> As long as you keep your dog on a good schedule in high school and
> give it enough work outside of school as well as inside school, you
> will probably do well.  Also, you have to decide how you want to
> handle the other students' interaction with the dog.  I simply stood
> up on the first day of school and introduced my dog and told everyone
> that she could not be petted or talked to because she is working.  The
> teachers helped me inforce these rules, and it worked out well.  I
> can't say I had one problem.  It helped that I had friends who would
> tell off anyone who was illegally petting my dog.  :)
>
> Please feel free to email me off list with any questions.  I think
> your situation is rather close to what mine was.
>
> On 8/25/12, lizzy <lizzym0827 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> My name is Lizzy and I am a high school junior living in the
>> suburbs of Pennsylvania.  This fall I will be applying to a few
>> guide dog schools in the hopes of attending one in the summer of
>> 2013.  I am posting here to ask for your opinion and advice.  I
>> have done a good amount of research on the schools but now I need
>> more subjective information so that I can be sure to make the
>> right decision next summer.  I know that most schools are less
>> likely to give a high school student a guide dog, but from
>> talking to different staff, a few guide dog handlers and my O & M
>> instructor I think I would be a good candidate.  Here are my
>> questions:
>> Have any of you had dog guides in high school? If so, what were
>> some of the benefits/struggles?
>> Which schools are more likely to give guides to high school
>> students?
>> Will the fact that I live in the suburbs effect me in any way?
>> (Ex: Getting in to a school, needing to go to the city more often
>> etc)
>> How easy/hard is it to take care of a dog and take a challenging
>> course load (I'm in three AP's this year and hopefully will be
>> taking more during my senior year)?
>> Can you give me any general advice that you think will be helpful
>> in terms of saving up money, preparing my family etc.
>> Thanks,
>> Lizzy
>> P.S.  I've already spoken to administration at my school and I
>> will be giving a presentation on the first day (next year) for
>> all of the students.  Yes, I know, I like to be prepared.  :)
>>
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>
>
> -- 
> Julie McG
> Lindbergh High School class of 2009, National Federation of the Blind
> of Missouri recording secretary,
> Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
> and proud graduate of Guiding Eyes for the Blind
>
> "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
> everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
> life."
> John 3:16
>
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