[nagdu] Introduction and Questions

Sun Jan 29 00:35:11 UTC 2012

Mellsia, My name is RJ, and I'm in the same boat you are. If you use skype 
please feel free to add me. smallistbaby1979 You'll see the name Robert 
James Sandefur, but don't worry, that's me. RJ (Robert James Sandefur)
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "melissa padron" <fuzzylucky2021 at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 7:25 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Introduction and Questions

I can only imagine the satisfaction one gets from completing training with a 
guide dog, not to mention the bond that develops over the years. I hope to 
one day experience this, but at the current moment this is not possible.
I enjoy hearing everyone's experiences and advice though.
It will help me in making a better decision as to if and when a guide dog 
would benefit me.

Thank you!
Melissa

________________________________
 From: Robert Hooper <hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 5:45 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Introduction and Questions

Yes--for me, the scary part was the commitment--the "trying" part. I would 
ask myself in the days before training "What happens if I like the cane 
better?"--if you decide to "try" a guide dog, it will take a lot of time and 
effort. I found the process to be one of the most rewarding in my life. I 
also thought long about whether or not I had room in my life for a guide 
dog--it does take time, energy, and money. Don't get me wrong, you won't 
blow hundreds of dollars a month, but you must factor in the cost of food, 
emergency vet expenses, grooming equipment and toys, and so on. I made sure 
that I was as comfortable as I could be in all other aspects before I went 
through with getting a dog--getting a dog can be a major life change, so 
adding that atop other major stresses might be difficult. For example, I got 
a dog last summer, which was the summer before my second year of college. I 
thought about getting a dog my first year of college, but I thought that
 adapting to college life, a college campus, etc. plus the additional task 
of learning to use and carrying for a dog would be a bit much. I since 
decided that I was comfortable with the routine of college life and that I 
had a strong foundation to support change. I hope you do decide to do what's 
best--if that's getting a dog, then I look forward to reading about the 
process of getting admitted, going through class, etc. That is a very tense, 
exciting time--also, there's absolutely no feeling in the world like how you 
feel minutes before you are introduced to your first dog (maybe minutes 
before the birth of your first child, but as I don't have children, I 
wouldn't know). Please keep us informed.
Sincerely,
Robert Hooper
Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
The Ohio State University
0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
653 Cuyahoga Court
Columbus, Ohio 43210
(740) 856-8195

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
Of melissa padron
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 6:26 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Introduction and Questions

Thank you!
I do agree with you that you wouldn't know what helps you until you try.

Melissa

________________________________
From: Robert Hooper <hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Introduction and Questions

Hello:

Without reference to the original message, I will try to answer the 
questions from my perspective. Much like Julie J, the main motivating factor 
in my acquisition of a puppy was curiosity. I have been a strong cane 
traveler all my life, and this method would have probably taken me to my 
grave with little or no issues with which I could not learn to 
cope--basically, there was no immediate necessity requiring me to change my 
mode of travel. I just wanted to see if it was "better" than cane travel. I 
put quotations around "better" because better is subjective and different 
aspects of each method appeal to different people--also, saying that one 
method is "better" than the other often is the invitation for homicidal 
messages, national blindness revolutions, and other globally significant 
catastrophies. Before obtaining a Seeing Eye dog, I decided that there 
couldn't be a way for me to know which method of travel I prefer until I 
tried them both. It sounds
 like a crazy reason to "fix what wasn't broken" and commit a decade of my 
life to caring for a service animal and using a method of travel I 
ultimately liked less--despite this thought process, however, I went through 
with it. Unlike Julie, my family was not possessed of many pets--or at least 
I wasn't responsible for the ones we had; they were very low maintenance 
anyway. In spite of this, I learned to incorporate dog grooming, attention, 
feeding, relieving, vet visits, teeth brushing, and other dog-related tasks 
into my daily life--now I do them with as little thought as it takes for one 
to do these things for themselves. As for the travel method itself: I find 
that traveling with a dog is, as previously stated by another, more smooth 
and rapid. With a cane, I find that I would slow down when I knew I was in 
the vicinity of stairs or other such potentially hazardous things. After a 
while (because it does take a while), I learned to trust the dog and
 am no longer concerned--I know that he will stop at the top or bottom of a 
flight of stairs or go around an!
overhanging obstruction, etc.
I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit also that I enjoy the dog for the 
companionship having such provides. Anyway, I hope this also helps.
Sincerely,
Robert Hooper
Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
The Ohio State University
0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
653 Cuyahoga Court
Columbus, Ohio 43210
(740) 856-8195

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
Of Sheila Leigland
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 5:13 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Introduction and Questions

Hello, welcome to the list. I'm totally blind and my cane slid under a boat 
parked across a driveway and I hit it at chest level and was bruised for 
several weeks. I'd thought about a dog for a long time but after our son was 
in middle school I felt tthe timing was more appropriate than when he was 
small. I do better in snow with a dog. I'm now hearing impaired as well and 
feelmore confident about being out by myself with my dog not because of 
mobility issues but hearing what is going on around me.

sheila leigland

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