[nagdu] could have, would have, should have

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Daniel.
I am so sorry to hear this, and that you couldn't keep Scout as a pet,
even if he couldn't be a guide dog.
You gave it your very best.  That's all you can do.  It just wasn't meant
to be.
I had a dog, Nestor, who had a nervous breakdown in New York City.  He got
so anxious to do the right thing that he made mistakes.  A trainer came
out and said I should retire him, but I loved him and made the trainer
give me some suggestions of what might make things better.  I tried a good
while, but I gave up when Nestor fell off the subway platform because he
was walking too close to the edge.  I was hanging on to his leash for all
I was worth, because I was afraid if he fell all the way down onto the
tracks, I wouldn't be able to pull him up before the train came.  Some
hero grabbed him and pulled him up, because I wasn't strong enough.  It
was very scary.  I sat hugging him and told him he was going to retire.  I
had him about a year and a half.
But it worked out.  He was much happier not working, and GDB took real
pains to give me a dog who could stand up to the City.  But I still
sometimes think of what I could have done differently that might have
helped (but probably not.)
I'm sorry you went through all this misery.  You were more than patient. 
I'm glad you weren't badly injured, though it sounds bad enough.
Tracy

> Daniel,
>
> I commend you for sticking with it for so long.  You had professional
> trainers telling you to try this or that or to give it time and it would
> work out.   They were supposed to know and you thought they did.   The
> thing is we are all human and we all make mistakes.  Maybe the trainers
> should have known better, maybe you should have insisted on a different
> dog, maybe the dog shouldn't have been a guide or maybe it's all of
> those, but it doesn't really matter,  just like you said in the subject
> line, could have, would have, should have, it's all in the past now.
>
> They say time heals all wounds.  I don't know if that is true, but they
> do seem to scab over pretty good. I hope with time you will come to a
> place of peace with Scout and the guide dog program.   Putting your
> trust in someone and having it thoroughly broken is a tough thing to get
> past.   Please know that you did all you could and then a couple more
> miles.
>
> I wish you all the best as you move forward.
> Julie
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 2/26/2012 2:16 PM, DJS wrote:
>> Hello all,
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't know if some of you remember me, but I was a participant in the
>> list
>> about 3 years ago. I had the guide dog, Scout. He was the one who ran me
>> into my pond, crashed me into the grocery cart and busted my tooth, etc.
>>
>> I had 2 trainers out from the school to work with me, but his behavior
>> never
>> really got above about a "c". I still kept working with him, because I
>> just
>> loved him so much, and he was such a loving dog.
>>
>> I always looked past running into an occasional doorway, or a post here
>> and
>> there.
>>
>> The final straw came last month when we were walking and a truck backed
>> out
>> of a driveway on a very busy street and knocked us both out into the
>> street.
>> The dog suffered no injuries thank goodness, but I suffered a concussion
>> and
>> several bruised ribs.
>>
>> As usual, he was not paying attention to what he was doing.
>>
>> To make a long story short, the school came and career changed him about
>> 2
>> weeks ago.
>>
>> I am pretty much devastated.
>>
>> I know, and most of you at the time I got him, told me I should return
>> him,
>> but did I listen? NO.
>>
>> I so wish I had. I feel I have wasted so long a time. I really thought I
>> could make it work.
>>
>> The trainers kept telling me to work on different techniques, and I did.
>> I
>> wanted it to work so badly. Of course when they picked him up, they told
>> me
>> it was a total mis-match from the beginning, and that I should never
>> have
>> left the school with that dog.
>>
>> A lot of good that does now - over 3 and a half years later.
>>
>>
>>
>> This has been such a bad experience from the beginning, I don't know if
>> I
>> will ever want to go through the experience again.
>>
>>
>>
>> I guess I am looking for some words of wisdom from you guys, and some
>> help
>> to go through this grief I am feeling at losing my best friend, even
>> though
>> he was not the best guide dog.
>>
>>
>>
>> You can be critical of me too, just please not to hard just yet, because
>> I
>> am so sad.  I only wish I knew then what I know now.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks for any support.
>>
>>
>>
>> Daniel
>>
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>
>
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