[nagdu] dog day stories

[craig.heaps at comcast.net]

I have been writing a blog about my dog, Chase.  It started the day before I began training at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California.  
  
I called it Blind Faith: My Life with a Guide Dog. 
  
You can find it here: 
craigdogdays.blogspot.com 
  
I tried to detail my experiences during the two weeks of training. 
  
Craig Heaps 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Laurel and Stockard" <laurel.stockard at gmail.com> 
To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 11:56:26 AM 
Subject: [nagdu] dog day stories 

Hi all, 
I'm usually a list lurker, but a discussion we're having on another list prompted me to start the same discussion here. 

I know dog day experiences are different depending on the school, your situation, and the dog. I know we haven't discussed this in awhile, and I would love to hear from each of you about your dog day memories. I'd love to hear about your memories with your current dog, or a previous dog that really stood out, and I would especially like to hear those of you who've attended more than one school, how were your different dog days similar and how were they different. 

Since this thread could get long and crowded, let's try and post all of our individual stories in one message each, and if we respond to people, let's try and respond to more than one person per message. That'll help keep this thread from totally cluttering the list. 

I'll start with my story. 

May 24 of 2010, I went to guide dogs for the blind's Oregon campus to receive my first guide. I told GDB that I wanted a yellow dog, because I can see lighter colors better, and I wanted to see my dog's face. I was the only first timer in my class, and the youngest by 30 years. :-) After lunch, they brought the entire class into a room and read the names of our dogs, colors and breeds, for each class member. They told me that I would receive a female yellow lab named Stockard. I thought, Stockard, Stockard, where did that name come from! It struck me as a weird name, and I didn't know if I liked it at first. We went back to our rooms, and while I waited I googled the name Stockard and discovered the actress Stockard Channing, and I figured my dog was named after her, so I though that was cool. I waited for ever! I was the last person to receive my dog, and while I waited, I called all my family and friends to update them. Finally, it was my turn. I went down to the instructor's office and handed over my leash. The instructor went away and came back with my dog! She handed me the leash, and I could feel Stockard wiggling around on the end. :-) The first thing I felt was Stockard's soft, long ears. She almost immediately gave me her belly to scratch, and I rubbed it while the instructors told me her birthday, parents, and described her for me. I thought she was beautiful, and it only took me half a second to love the name. /grins/ I took her back to my room and sat on the floor with her, and the rest is history. 

I can't wait to hear the rest of you all's stories! 
Laurel and Stockard 
_______________________________________________ 
nagdu mailing list 
nagdu at nfbnet.org 
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org 
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu: 
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/craig.heaps%40comcast.net