[nagdu] Lots of Questions

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Lizzy.
Sounds like you've thought through everything, and you know what you want
and how to get it!
I do take my dog when I give blood.  My workplace has blood drives, so
it's the same as going to work, with doughnuts!  Actually, last time I
gave blood, the hospital newspaper was taking some pictures, and they took
a picture of Ben looking out from under my stretcher, with the blood
bottle hanging down nearby.
I also take Ben when I go to vote.  All the poll workers know him by now.

The things I find harder with a dog, and so usually leave him home, are
dancing and attending potluck dinners.  My neighbors have a potluck
Christmas party, and, with a lot of people in a small house, kids running
around and people holding plates on their laps ... I just don't want to
have to be constantly monitoring the dog to see he's not scarfing
something, or in danger of being stepped on.
I also leave him home if I have to have a medical procedure where I'll be
knocked out, like a colonoscopy.
Other than these things, I take the dog with me.  He makes my life easier.
Tracy


> Hi Rebecca,
> I will answer your questions, but first I have a question for
> you.  In your post about high school students and guide dogs, you
> said that there are some things that are just harder with a dog.
> What specifically are these things? I just want to know so I can
> expect certain things to be harder than others.
> Answers:
> Q: My question to you is how you think a dog will benefit you and
> why do you want one now?
> A: In the extensive research that I've done about guide dogs, it
> seems that it takes about a year to become completely comfortable
> and form a harmonious relationship with your dog.  I would like
> for this time period to be in high school.  I know the school and
> streets around it like the back of my hand.  I have a small city
> and a larger city near my house, there are lots of streets
> without sidewalks in the area surrounding me.  I plan on working
> the dog in all of these places so that it will keep its training.
> The colleges I plan on attending are top tier and challenging, I
> will be learning tough material in school, how to live on my own
> and most people say that the friends you make freshman year are
> (for the most part) the ones you will have for your college
> career.  This is a lot deal with so I would like to at least have
> a stable relationship with my dog guide.  Another thing is that I
> know majority of the teachers and students in my school, not sure
> if this makes sense but I will kind of be practicing my advocacy
> on them.  I will be figuring out what works for me and my dog.
> How I should explain leash corrections, how I should answer
> questions, when I should leave class (during period changes), how
> I should plan our schedule etc.  I will be taking my senior year
> to iron out most of the wrinkles dog teams have, so that in
> college we are pretty much set.  I am not saying that getting a
> dog in high school will make everything perfect for college, I
> just want to make it easier.
> Comment: Five ap courses is a lot.
> A: I never said that I was certainly taking five AP's, I was
> asking if anyone has done it with a dog and if it is realistic.
> I am taking three this year with all other classes being honors.
> I am prepping for next year now, I am seeing how much free time I
> have left so that I will know what kind of course load to take
> with the dog.
> Comment: So is being a senior in high school, you have prom, you
> may even be able to vote and give blood if you are old enough.
> A: No, everyone says that being a junior is much, much, much
> harder than being a senior.  I will also have prom this year so
> will know how to handle that aspect.  And yes, I will be old
> enough to vote and give blood.  People do this all the time with
> their guide dogs...  In the case of giving blood, they would
> choose to go without the dog but still...  The dog does not need
> to come EVERYWHERE with me, and no I will not be leaving it in
> the house all the time, only in cases such as prom.
> Comment: You'll be in a period of your life where you won't
> really be regarded as an adult by anybody which means you'll
> probably have other adults telling you how to manage your dog.
> How will you manage that? Do you want to manage it?
> A: I do plan on going to an in-service day before school starts
> just so I have most of the teachers helping rather than hurting
> the team.  In my experience so far, I have been regarded as a
> young adult due to my maturity, level of responsibility, and the
> fact that I am more than willing to advocate for myself.  Even
> when I am an adult there will be people trying to tell me how to
> manage my dog.  There are always people trying to tell me how to
> do things, but do I just bow down and listen? No, of course not!
> Once I have graduated from a guide dog school, it means that the
> experts trust me to take care of and work with my dog; so I don't
> care about what people at my school/job/volunteer facility say.
> I will explain why I do what I do, teach them about a guide dog
> team and give them information so that they can do some research
> of their own.  But that's really all a handler can do.  Correct
> me if I'm wrong, is there more that I can do? But after I have
> done everything, I will just ignore them and know that I'm not
> doing anything wrong and that it is for the improvement of the
> team.  Everyone thinks that they are an expert on subjects that
> they know nothing about; what can you do.  In my opinion, high
> school is a time where I can learn how to deal with these people.
> I will be stressed out enough in college, so hopefully I can have
> the speech down by then.
> Comment: My advice would be to focus on being a senior in high
> school.  Do really well in your classes.  Enjoy prom and
> graduation.  If you do senior ditch day, enjoy that.
> A: Thanks for the advice.  I will enjoy all of these things, with
> my dog.  Well except for prom, I don't think it would have fun
> there.
> Comment: Get into a good college or figure out what you'll do
> after high school.
> A: Working on getting into a good college, I have been for the
> past eleven years.  I have already visited Princeton in my
> sophomore year.  I plan on visiting Georgetown, Bryn Mawr and
> hopefully Tufts this year.  I'm not set on what I will do with
> the rest of my life but I'm thinking a major in either political
> science or international relations and a minor in foreign
> language or journalism.  I have been researching colleges since
> the eighth grade and have had an idea of what to do since the
> fifth.
> Comment: The guide dog schools aren't going anywhere.  You will
> only be a senior once.
> A: Aww, thanks for the advice! It really is much appreciated, but
> I am a deep thinker and have pondered all of these questions
> before.  I know that getting a guide dog in high school is for
> me.  I wouldn't sign up for something I couldn't handle.  I have
> a great support system, from my friends, the administration and
> the teachers.  I do not believe in peer pressure, and I do not
> believe that adults are smarter than children, which will help me
> a lot in having a dog at a young age.
> Thanks again!
> Lizzy
>
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