[nagdu] My concerns about getting a guide dog.....

[Cindy Ray]

You won't want a dog, Paline, to show that you are visually impaired. You have to be able to use the dog in ways that show you trust it. The more you second guess, or make decisions based on what you see or by second guessing the dog, the more it will come to realize that it doesn't have to work. You have to be committed to being blind enough to really use a dog. Are you using the cane, or do youjust carry it.

Cindy Lou

On Sep 6, 2012, at 4:59 PM, Pauline Berger wrote:

> Hello everyone,
> 
> I just found this list last night and I am hoping to chat with someone who
> might be in the same situation that I am in.  I am legally blind but just
> barely.  I have a lot of functional vision left and for the most part
> people around me do not even realize that I have vision problems.
> Especially if I am in a familiar area, my visual handicaps could not even
> be noticed.  Lighting is what makes the difference in me.  Either too much
> or not enough can really blind me.  I have trouble with any printed text
> unless it is blown up to about 6 or 7x.
> 
> So my concern is this:  I do have enough functional vision that may get in
> the way of training a dog to see for me.  Sometimes I do see the cracks in
> a sidewalk or sometimes I don't.  I have walked off a set of stairs twice
> in my life that I did not see.  So, my hubby and daughter would like me to
> get a dog for my own protection.  It is not just them, I would love one
> too.  What I am afraid of is that the people at the guide dog training
> place will wonder if I am faking...I know.... you may think this is silly,
> but I do wonder if they will be able to work with me since I do have the
> ability to see more than others that need a dog.  I would be able to go
> around town on the bus and such with him and to go to my volunteer job at
> the hospital with him and not feel vulnerable like I do with my cane which
> advertises to everyone that I am visually impaired.
> 
> Any thoughts for me???
> 
> Thanks
> 
> -- 
> When you are at the edge of a cliff........*a step back* is progress!
> .....heard at Pacific Coast Camp
> 
> *Knowledge* is knowing that a tomato is classified as a fruit....
> *Wisdom* is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad!
> .....author unknown
> 
> Two things in life you should never scrimp on.......
> *Mattresses* and *shoes*.......you will spend your lifetime in one or the
> other!
> author unknown
> 
> Talk to yourself.......you will be guaranteed at least *ONE* listener!
> by Pauline Berger
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