[nagdu] Nowhere to go?

Tracy Carcione carcione at access.net
Tue Sep 18 19:00:08 UTC 2012


Hi Sarah.
Now I'm worried about you.  A 20-year-old should have tons of energy.  I'm
guessing you feel you have no reason to get up, so you just want to sleep.
 That's not a good place to be.
Cindy is right; we have to push through fear.  I've had some bad things
happen to me, and had to put my head down and slog through it.  Not fun,
but the alternative was becoming a prisoner, too afraid to go out, and
that's no way to live.

It's my opinion that we blind people have to live somewhere where we can
get out independently.  I love the peace and quiet of my folks' old place,
but there's no way to walk anywhere from there, so I couldn't live there. 
I'd go nuts.

Is there anywhere you can go?  Stay with a relative somewhere you can get
out and practice your mobility skills until you feel comfortable?
I know a blind woman who's afraid to go out much.  She got a dog, thinking
it would give her confidence, but she was still afraid to go out.  I think
she gave the dog back to the school.  Sometimes, a dog can give a person
confidence, but one can't bank on it.
I also had a classmate at The Seeing Eye who was very candid about how she
felt when she became blind.  She just lay in bed for months, until her
mother came and screamed and cried and got her up.  Something in that
fight made her realize she was tired of laying around doing nothing, and
she got up, got out, and, when she was ready, came to get a Seeing Eye
dog.

Tracy

> I want to just get a pet but sty family all want me to have a
> guide dog because I've been talking about it since I was 7.  But
> now that I'm 20, I just feel too tired and I don't have that get
> up and go like I used to.  I kind of just feel like sleeping all
> day because I live so far away from Magic Mountain.  I've been
> everywhere up in this desert lots of times and we only go
> shopping once a week.
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:04:27 -0400
> Subject: [nagdu] Nowhere to go?
>
> Hi Sarah.
> I wonder why you want a dog, if you feel you have nowhere to go?
>
> I am old enough to see the glimmer of retirement in my
> future--not soon,
> but not impossibly far off, either.  But I think that even after
> I retire,
> I'll have places to go.  I'll still have the usual trips around
> town--the
> grocery, diner, pharmacy, shopping...though those won't be every
> day.  I
> hope to do a bit of travelling.  And to get out and walk,
> preferably every
> day, just to keep myself fit.  I've had 6 guide dogs now, and
> every one of
> them has done best when they've gotten regular work.  Ben, my
> current dog,
> doesn't require miles and miles a day, and can take one day off a
> week
> with no problem, but he still gets squirrely if I don't work him
> for any
> length of time.
> I think my dogs will still get enough work, once I'm retired, but
> it does
> concern me a bit.  If I felt I really had nowhere to go, or no
> desire to go
> anywhere, I'd just get myself a pet.  But, being somewhat prone
> to cabin
> fever, I don't see that happening any time soon.
>
> Tracy
>
>  Dang it now I'm worried.  I really have no desire to go
> anywhere.
>  I just fel too tired
>
>   ----- 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: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:51:55 -0500
>  Subject: Re: [nagdu] Downtime in class
>
>  No, I don't do that.  I should, but because I am currently not
>  going much of anywhere, I've gotten out of the habit.  I kind of
>  wish I did, and maybe I'll start.  That's probably one of the
>  reasons I won't get any dogs after this one.  I don't think he's
>  getting a fair shake.  I hope I don't change my mind.
>
>  CL
>
>  On Sep 18, 2012, at 11:47 AM, Sarah wrote:
>
>   Cool thanks.  How often do you walk your dog? Do
>   you walk 3-5 miles every day?
>   ----- 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: Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:27:39 -0500
>   Subject: Re: [nagdu] Downtime in class
>
>   Ah, you'll be fine.  It is always exciting before you go for
> the
>  dog.  I think you are going to have a fine time of it.
>
>   Cindy
>
>   On Sep 17, 2012, at 11:10 PM, Sarah wrote:
>
>   That's exciting! I'm still kind of worried, but I'll do it.
>
>   ----- 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: Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:45:16 -0500
>   Subject: Re: [nagdu] Downtime in class
>
>   His name is Fisher.  Let's see.  I think they brought him to my
>  room.  We walked around the room a lot.  He sniffed me and we
>  cuddled.  At our school, they had us go out on their leisure
> path
>  with the harness and an instructor attched to him, too, with the
>  leash.  Then later we took them out to relieve and have dinner.
>  He mostly tried to keep him close and see what toys he liked,
>  though I went slow with this.  Some dogs, when you first get
>  them, whine a lot because they hear familiar voices as others
> are
>  being given dogs by the same instructor.  Some are restless the
>  first night or so when they are with you; I've never had a lot
> of
>  trouble with that with any of the dogs.
>
>   CL
>
>   On Sep 17, 2012, at 6:39 PM, Sarah wrote:
>
>   What's his name? What was it like when you first met him?
>
>   ----- 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: Mon, 17 Sep 2012 18:20:17 -0500
>   Subject: Re: [nagdu] Downtime in class
>
>   I think they can sense  your moods.  I think they definitely
>  know the difference between stressed and calm.  I have a lab and
>  golden cross.  He is six.
>
>   CL
>
>   On Sep 17, 2012, at 6:17 PM, Sarah wrote:
>
>   that's awesome! I am so excited to have a dog.  Can dogs sense
>  how you are feel, can they sense your moods? What kind of dog do
>  you have?
>
>   ----- 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: Mon, 17 Sep 2012 18:12:22 -0500
>   Subject: Re: [nagdu] Downtime in class
>
>   \Hi, Sarah, I am Cindy.  You know, it depends on the dog.  I am
>  a firm believer in spending a lot of time in the process of
>  bonding with my dog, especially the first few days.  If the
>  person who trained you is your trainer, they will look to that
>  person for a while, but you will start to see a switch over in a
>  few days.  When you take that dog home, I think the bonding
>  increases because now it has left all it knows behind except
> you,
>  so it trusts you.  You will have work to do to become a solid
>  team, but your dog and you will have already begun a strong
>  bonding that will only get stronger.  I think the key is a lot
> of
>  attention, especially at first and mostly from you, corrections
>  when you have to, and lots of praise when the dog does something
>  right and well.
>
>   CL
>
>
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