[nagdu] dog day stories

[sheila]

happy holidays to you also and I am very glad that you and cass are 
doing so well. I'm also glad that you were willing to step out and try 
for another dog. I know that it wasn't an easy decision for you to make.
On 12/16/2013 10:28 AM, Daniel Sweeney wrote:
> Hi and Happy Anniversary to Me Today! December 16.
>
> It has been a year today since I graduated from GDB Portland with my girl,
> Cass.
>
> I was very reluctant about getting another dog after my first experience
> with my LD scout. Most of you already know that story, but after getting hit
> by the truck, I didn't know if I really wanted to go through all of that
> again. Together with health problems I found myself in a sad mood in 2012.
> Yet I applied and waited for what I requested as the "perfect dog". Not a
> lab, shepherd, boxer or poodle - just a good dog that would take care of me.
> The first day I received Cass was the 2nd day at school. We had only 3
> students for the 2 week class. As I picked up the harness and moved forward,
> it was like slicing butter. I had no idea that this is what a well-trained
> guide was all about. We were a perfect match from the beginning. Our first
> day out I fell off a foot high curb, face down in the street. It was my
> instructor's first class and I was more concerned about her than I was about
> me. I just had a couple of bruised ribs - nothing unusual for me, the klutz.
> Cass will be 3 on the 23rd of December, and I hope she is with me for the
> next 10 years (or more), or at least as long as I am here.
> I think the best thing about the girl is that she realizes what a bumbling
> walker I can be at times and she is so careful at every step of the way to
> ensure I do not trip or bump into anything in a crowded place, sometimes a
> little too careful - but we are still working on this.
> What a Christmas gift that keeps on giving.
> I thank my lucky stars for puppy raisers, trainers and the schools that make
> it possible for us to receive such fine animals prepared to work for us and
> take care of us.
>
> Happy Holidays to all of you,
>
> Daniel Sweeney and Cass
> Lakewood, Colorado
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Laurel and
>> Stockard
>> Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 12:56 PM
>> To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
>> 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
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>
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