[nagdu] Trust and traffic

[Tami Jarvis]

Hey, all!

My city-trained dog and I have been doing more work in our small town, 
adjusting to the more relaxed and, well, empty environment. All the 
peace and quiet and lack of constant whizzing traffic and crowds is 
totally stressing me out. /lol/

Without all that auditory feedback I'm used to, I have no clue what is 
going on, what is what, or what traffic is doing besides being fairly 
random. Heaven forbid the wind blows, because then I am really uncertain!

I've always tried to stick closely to the rule that I am the one to 
decide when to cross the street, using my hearing, but counting on Mitzi 
for traffic checks. She has never totally agreed with this approach, so 
she always lets me know when she thinks it's time to cross. I did 
convince her to wait until I tell her "forward" to actually go, which 
took some doing. /lol/ I have noticed that she is as close to always 
right as makes no never mind. Even when I decide to wait because I'm not 
sure, when things sort themselves out I will realize we could have gone 
safely with time to spare when she cued me.

I suddenly remembered that over the past few years, the guide dog 
programs have been providing more and more dogs to folks who also have 
hearing loss. Doesn't that require different means of judging traffic 
and deciding with the dog when to cross the street?

I would love to hear how others handle the decision to step into the 
street with their guides!

Tami