[nagdu] to Ken about RE: the life of a guide dog

Fri Apr 19 02:50:41 UTC 2013

This thread is really interesting to me, I muzt admit! Ken, loved that math.

I'm also an author, so my life is sedentary for the most part. However, I live in NYC, so there's never a shortage of things to do when I need to get up and get moving.

Most days, Corey and I spend the majority of our time in the apartment. I'm working while she either sleeps or plays with a toy. We make pretty regular trips to the grocery or post office, things in the neighborhood, even on slow days.  If the trip is too short, Corey gets REALLY slow when we return to my street. 

But then we have other days that are super busy.  I just got back from Portland. We flew out Tuesday evening (5 1/2 hour flight) and flew back this morning.  Corey LOVES new places - they get her excited - so she was really happy working yesterday. But when we got home today she went straight for the couch and slept for hours. She was glad to be back (as was I).

I told the people at Fidelco that my career meant my daily schedule was inconsistant. Some days I might not leave the house to do anything except go grab coffee from the Starbucks accross the street. Other days I leave at nine in the morning and don't get back until midnight. And that's not even counting when I travel.  They matched me with a dog that isn't keen on routine so she's fine with a fluctuating schedule, which makes me feel a little less guilty when i have a lazy day or when I work her all day - she's fine either way. The only thing she hates is when I take her out (in harness) and only worker her to some place a block or two away and then we come back home - she slows down and it's clear she's thinking, "But we just left!!!" 

Wow, this post is long. Sorry about that.  Anyway, my point is, the dogs deal with it, and they don't forget how to work (like Eve said) as long as you keep the training consistant. 

Sent from my iPad

On Apr 18, 2013, at 8:32 PM, "Ken Ace" <ken at acenovels.com> wrote:

> Daniel, I am an author so most of my day is spent on the computer writing.
> Ace stays on the sofa or at my feet and three or four times a day I take a
> break for both of us. We may go down the street for lunch, a walk on the
> beach along with his bodily function breaks. We occasionally take a few
> minutes to play tug but that pretty much rounds out our day.
> Ken & Ace
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Daniel
> Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 5:20 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: [nagdu] to Ken about RE: the life of a guide dog
> 
> Thanks Ken,
> The part about spending all the hours with your dog is totally clear. There
> is not a waking hour, in fact there is not even a sleeping hour either, that
> I am not with my girl. I guess to be more clear, it is during those hours of
> the day that The dog isn't in his or her harness either taking you to work,
> or to the store or such - which takes, say 30 minutes or more, how does your
> dog spend the day? Would the day be full of play, laying around on the dog
> bed, outside in a backyard or maybe interacting with family.
> I guess that is what I mean by the life of a guide dog.
> Thanks,
> Daniel
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ken Ace
> Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 2:22 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] the life of a guide dog
> 
> Daniel & Cass, this may not be what you are looking for but I have had
> several people, trainers, etc. tell me what I should and shouldn't do with
> my dog. Some of there input was good some was not, in my opinion. Eventually
> I came to the point that I related the following to them; There are 168
> hours in a week, I spend 167 of those hours with my dog, the only hour we
> don't spend together is when he gets groomed. Couples spend less than a
> hundred hours a week together, Mothers with school aged children spend about
> thirty hours a week with their children. So when YOU spend as much time with
> another being as I spend with my dog I may think you have something to bring
> to the party. But until then it is between me and my dog.
> Ken & Ace
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Daniel
> Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 3:01 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: [nagdu] the life of a guide dog
> 
> Hi everybody,
> 
> 
> 
> First off, I forgot to sign off on a message earlier, so sorry about that.
> 
> 
> 
> Secondly, I have a question for everyone. I have noticed the focus of
> conversation has been on the schools, programs, staff cuts, etc..
> 
> What I am curious about is how everyone lives with their dogs. What I mean
> is if you work, does your dog travel (walk) with you to your job? What does
> the dog do for the rest of the day? What does the rest of the day look like,
> how do you play?
> 
> If you do not work, what do you and your dog do all of the day?
> 
> What does a usual day look like?
> 
> I have listened to the book, "Confession of a guide dog" narrated by Eric
> Sandvoldt that was mentioned recently on the list. I believe he was a
> graduate from GDB. That dog apparently travelled all over the place, which I
> don't think is indicative of most of us.
> 
> Some of us are older and do not get out as much, and our dogs don't get as
> much travel as others. In this case, how do you keep your dog exercised and
> healthy, especially if you live in an apartment or live in a place without a
> fenced in area for your dog to play in.
> 
> What do your dogs do all day, and if they were to write a book, what would
> they say about their lives?
> 
> Does this make any sense?
> 
> The reason I ask this is because I am just now recovering from an illness
> that has kept me in bed for the last week. My girl has been unable to get
> out and work for a week. We have gone out to relieve and on a long lead, but
> no work. I was curious to know how others handle down time, and what happens
> when you slow down, and just don't feel like getting out.
> 
> You can write off list if you don't think this is pertinent to the list.
> 
> Thanks for any input. Curious minds need to know.
> 
> 
> 
> Daniel and Cass - in freezing Denver (even in April - who would have thunk
> it)
> 
> 
> 
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