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

[Julie J.]

If a white cane advertises to everyone that you are blind, a guide dog 
is a huge banner complete with neon blinking lights and party tunes.

I'd suggest that you get comfortable with your visual 
impairment/blindness before getting a dog.  I'm meaning cane skills, but 
more than that too.  I mean that it's important to be at a place with 
your blindness where answering questions won't stress you out.  You'll 
have all sorts of people asking questions, some about the dog and some 
about you.  You'll suddenly become more approachable, at least that has 
been my experience.  Sometimes that's nice and other times it's not.

You'll also need to come to understand the limits of your vision and to 
not over ride the dog.  that can be tough, like bite your nails and turn 
your hair gray tough.  I remember curling my lips over my teeth in an 
attempt to keep them from being knocked out because I thought there were 
branches coming up and I was going to get a face full.  It never 
happened, but still I had to learn to stop trying to see, stop thinking 
I could see, stop remembering what I saw and let the dog do his thing.

All my best to you, and a big welcome to the list!
Julie