[nagdu] Introduction

[Sarah]

,

My name is Sarah and I'm working my first dog, a male black 
Labrador Retriever named Wizard! He's beautiful we've been a team 
for 3 weeki.

Sarah and Wizard

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Vanessa Lowery" <vlowery at dhr.state.md.us
To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing 
List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:22:46 -0400
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Introduction

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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