[nagdu] How to measure a successful guide dog team?

[Sarah]

I usually completely trust my dog, espeially when we go shopping 
except when he sniffs, but on the streets where there are no 
sidewalks, he pushes me to the middle of the street and I have to 
constantly urgem him to go to the left edge.  I've been home with 
him a month now.  We work every day except Sun^es and I feel 
guilty when he has a day off.  He gets very restless.
 ----- Original Message -----
From: Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 3 Nov 2012 21:27:45 -0500
Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to measure a successful guide dog team?

I don't see how anyone could really have complete trust in the 
dog.  I think for the most part you must, but sometimes there are 
things you know that the dog doesn't.  Now, often you don't know 
what you think you do, but you do have to not trust enough to 
make intelligent decisions; the dog has to have just enough 
intelligent to make good decisions.  I had wondered if Fisher and 
I were a good team anymore.  We don't walk as much as we should, 
and it seems at two or three places on a walk he gets down and 
sniffy.  Well, yesterday we were walking to our pharmacy.  I had 
a specific way I was going there.  We had learned that if you 
passed these three trees, went over the grass and into the 
parking lot, you could have almost a straight shot to the door of 
the pharmacy.  Recently Fisher has turned way before the trees, 
but he has gone right to the pharmacy.  Yesterday, we were 
walking along and I had on my scarf because it was a little cold.  
Fish stopped, and as I tapped my foot ahead of me a bit, I 
thought I heard something in front of me.  It was that sound 
bouncing off objects.  I urged him forward a little and he did 
not go but, rather, went to the right and crossed the grass.  I 
wondered if I had misjudged how far we went.  But he started out.  
Then he crossed the grassy median, so I knew we were way off from 
where we usually cross.  He sailed through the parking lot, cars 
came around us, but he was paying attention, and pretty soon we 
were at the pharmacy's door.  On the way back, he suggested left 
and we went there.  There were some things in the grass that I 
tripped on a little, but I urged him on suggesting right, and 
finally he went back to the sidewalk.  Though we don't encounter 
these kinds of things much, he did all of this with confidence 
and without hesitation.  I think we may be a better team than I 
gave us credit for.

Cindy Lou


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