[nagdu] From Cane To Dog

Mon Aug 25 13:14:39 UTC 2014

Hey all,
just wanted to thank you for bringing up and discussion this topic!
I'm the kind of person who cannot imagine how to trust anyone more than my 
cane right now, so I think, this will be the most difficult task during my 
training. I love the thought of walking more independently and free with the 
dog but how this exactly works I can't imagine yet.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry D Keeler via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>; "NAGDU Mailing List,the National 
Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2014 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] From Cane To Dog

Think she lives in Victoria down there. I've travelled so many ways that a
cane or a dog is just another method. Pilot did ask us to put our canes up.
I did and it didn't make any difference to me! I'm pretty used to finding my
way round inside without canes or dogs.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buddy Brannan via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "Cindy Ray" <cindyray at gmail.com>; "NAGDU Mailing List,the National
Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2014 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] From Cane To Dog

I think, though can’t recall for certain, that Steph is in the land of Oz.
Well, I thought either UK or Oz, but the UK has gone to training from hotels
or from the student’s home as I recall, so I’m pretty sure it’s Oz.

—
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: 814-860-3194
Mobile: 814-431-0962
Email: buddy at brannan.name

> On Aug 25, 2014, at 8:10 AM, Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Really, Stephanie, they told you to put the cane away because you would be 
> learning the layout of the building without a cane? The first time I went 
> to my school, I had heard this was what they did, and I had made up my 
> mind I was going to refuse to do that. When I got there, the instructor 
> said, “I see you have a cane. Good. Use it.” Then during the period when 
> we were heeling the dog places, I knew the building and I could operate 
> more efficiently. I thought maybe all of the schools used this approach 
> now. For people who did not have canes, there were loaners at the school.
>
> Cindy
> cindyray at gmail.com
>
> On Aug 25, 2014, at 3:33 AM, Stephanie via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>> I have to write on this, because I can relate. I used my can since I was 
>> young. I am mid 30's, it it was a problem. First of all, I went through a 
>> grieving process as I realized that soon I was going to be with out the 
>> cane. I even doubted if a dog was for me. I did not get a dog for many 
>> years, because I thought I could never trust an animal to guide me. But I 
>> heard about the benifits and decided to try for a dog.
>> The first day of training, I was told to put my cane away, and that we 
>> would be learning the lay out of the building with out my cane. I felt 
>> dread and wondered how the hell I was going to do this. I got lost a lot 
>> those first few days.
>> But soon, I found my dog was guiding me, and I didn't feel so lost. There 
>> were some things that really puzzled me though. Obstacle work caused a 
>> real problem to me. I kept failing the obstacle work because I just 
>> couldn't understand how I could tell the dog to find my way around 
>> something when I had no idea what, or where the obstacle was. After a 
>> frustrating time of it, I told the instructor my issue and that she would 
>> have to show me how to do this because I just couldn't get my mind around 
>> it. So we worked through each obstacle and I was able to work out how to 
>> use my feet, hands etc instead of a cane.
>> The other thing I found was trying to work out why my dog stopped some 
>> times. And thefeeling the loss of land marks that I'd gotten used too.
>> Now, I'll never go back to the cane. I don't have to count steps, work 
>> out land marks as much. I can just remember the turns and how to get some 
>> where. I can go straight across streets, no more indents or anything like 
>> that. No more having to find a pole to tell me we were close to 
>> something. No more having to stress about an open space because Gypsy 
>> guides me through all that.
>> Last christmas, I used my cane for the first time since getting my dog 15 
>> months ago. I got to the shops ok, but my mind was telling me where the 
>> counter was, but I forgot the obstacles in my road. I also nearly crashed 
>> in to some one on the way out, and couldn't find the door. Like I 
>> couldn't glide gracefully to the door. I was so thankful for my dog!
>> Anyway, it will take time to trust the dog. But if you give it time, and 
>> you want to, you will never look back.
>> Steph
>> '
>>
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>
>
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