[nagdu] Retiring a dog early

Brandy Pinder bdpinder at gmail.com
Sat Mar 1 15:12:51 UTC 2014


Hi jewel, 
Retirement is hard no matter for what reason or what length of time you have had the dog. I always said medical issues were black and white and behavioral issues were harder. Then I had a dog who was diagnosed with tendinitis. Not so black and white though I still felt less guilt and wonder than when I retired by poodle for lack of desire to work. The most important thing is your safety. Just tape some time and let yourself heal if this is what works. Some people feel better getting a new dog the day of giving the old one back and there isn't anything wrong with that either. I had a very special bond with ricky and loved him as a dog more than the lab personality. I really thought I wouldn't like and therefore not love pinta. However, ricky wouldn't work. I would put the harness on and say say forward and sometimes he would go a block and sometimes not at all. Pinta does work and loves it and isn't as stressful to work with so yes I have made room for her in my heart and just in the last few weeks truly started to feel I was accepting and loving her. When you go for your successor gdf will have a bereavement lecture. I strongly suggest you go. I didn't get it right away with pinta and I was a mess the first couple days of class. They even said, we don't expect you to love your dog right away. We expect you care for it and respect what he or she can do but don't feel guilty if love doesn't happen right away. 
I am the team leader for the extended services team. I have had a couple dogs retire from behavior issues. If I can help please email me off list or my cell number is in my signature. Hang in there and vent whenever you need. 

brandy pinder
Alumni Council -  second vice Chairman
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc® 
and America's VetDogs®, The Veteran's K-9 Corps Inc® 
Providing "Second uSight"® since 1946

371 E. Jericho Turnpike smith town ny 11766
Cso: 866-282-8047
Email: brandydp at verizon.net
Cell: 304-685-4499

> On Feb 27, 2014, at 11:06 AM, "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi Darla.
> It's very tricky, as I'm sure you know.  And different people make different decisions.  I've known people to retire a dog for something I'd try to work through, and I've tried to work through things longer than I probably should have tried.
> I try to keep firmly in mind that I have the dog to make my life easier, and, if that's not happening, it could be time to retire and try again. Easy to say, hard to do. But what a relief, when I get a dog who really wants to do the job, and doesn't require endless effort on my part.
> 
> Tracy
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Darla Rogers" <djrogers0628 at gmail.com>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 3:13 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Retiring a dog early
> 
> 
>> Dear Tracy,
>> 
>> I wish you had been around for a couple of dogs I kept and should
>> not have; your advice to Jewel is almost like mine, and I wish her all the
>> success with the next dog.
>> Darla & Happy Huck
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 1:47 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Retiring a dog early
>> 
>> Hi Jewel.
>> I'm very sorry to hear this.  I had to retire my dog Nestor early.  He just
>> could not deal with the stresses of the big city.  I tried very hard to make
>> it work, but it wasn't meant to be.  I'm pretty stubborn, and I hate to give
>> up, but it had to be done.
>> Really, my next dog was a relief.  I didn't constantly have to monitor the
>> situation anymore.  We could just get out and go.  And, since I retired
>> Nessie with my folks, I knew that he was feeling much happier as a pet than
>> he had been as a guide.  It was a wrench to give him up and admit defeat,
>> but in the end, we were both much better off.
>> Until Faye retires, just enjoy the time you two have together.  Enjoy the
>> good stuff, while looking forward to being done with the bad stuff.
>> Good luck.
>> Tracy
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jewel" <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 1:11 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] Retiring a dog early
>> 
>> 
>>> Retiring a dog early
>>> An instructor from my school came this weekend and assessed Faye's
>>> behavior issues, specifically scavenging and sniffing. We decided together
>> 
>>> it would be best to return Faye to the school and start the intake for a
>>> new dog. I put so much love and time into this relationship over the past
>>> eight months I have had her, I am having trouble dealing with this. Is
>>> there any advice on how to enjoy the last of the time I have with her and
>>> how to let go when I must? I am also afraid of not being able to put as
>>> much love into my next guide dog relationship. Did you find it easy to
>>> fall in love with a successor dog?
>>> Jewel
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
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>> 
>> 
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