[nagdu] Introduction

[Vanessa Lowery]

Welcome to the list.  I am Vanessa from Maryland wiht my fifth dog from The Seeing Eye.  he is a black lab named Griffin.

I actually know at least one grad from The Seeing Eye's whose dog also provides balance.  The gentleman suffered an aneurysm and could not continue to work the dog that he had at the time.  She was too small and lively.  Once he had sufficiently recovered, he was matched wiht a very large male lab.  I don't know if the dog needs to provide balance help now, but that was one of his jobs when he and the gentleman were teamed together.



Vanessa Lowery, LGSW
Adult and Community Services Division
Adult Services Screening Unit
410-853-3550
VLowery at dhr.state.md.us


>>> mary wurtzel <marywurtzel at att.net> 10/10/2012 7:06 AM >>>
Hello list,
My name is Mary Wurtzel, and I just joined this list.
I have a male black lab named Felix who is a balance dog as well 
as a guide dog.  I went to the Guide Dog Foundation last 
February.  As far as I know, this is the only guide dog schl that 
trains dogs specifically to help with balance issues.
I have been falling when walking for many years.  It would happen 
if I hit a particularly big crack inthe sidewalk, or if I got too 
close to the edge of the walk and hit a large edge down.  The 
falling became worse,  to the point that I feared falling more 
and more.
I tried to get a guide dog in 2004 but was not allowed to stay at 
the schl and graduate.   The good thing that came out of this 
horrible experience was that I discovered the reason for my 
falling.
I am blind because of being a premie, and I also have very mild 
cereberal Palsy.
I have had this difficulty all my life and was never diagnosed.  
I grew up thinking I was just uncoordinated.  I worked ten times 
harder just to become an alternate cheer leader.
Sorry for such a long story, but now I can walk again all by 
myself.  I am going quite fast, too.  Anyone who may know a 
person like my husband, Fred, knows there are some cane users who 
are very confident and walk very very fast.  I was always being 
left inthe dust.  Well, now Felix and I can give Fred   a bit of 
a run for his  money!!!
Fred would never never have a guide  dog,  so blind people can 
have differences of opinion on the travel mode and still live 
together in harmony!! It will be thirty-six years on December 
4th.
I will cut this epistle a bit short.  I have already found the 
list ideas interesting.
We will be forming a guide dog division at our state convention 
here in Michigan in a little over a week.
I am sure this list will provide us with issues which we can work 
on.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Mary Wurtzel

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