[nagdu] i'm getting my first guide!

Daryl Marie crazymusician at shaw.ca
Sat Nov 8 02:13:54 UTC 2014


Hi, Fatmir,

Congratulations from one goalball athlete to another!

I know what it is like to have a connection with a dog... I am so glad that Gibson has bonded with you and that the trainers recognized this!

If I can offer any advice is to write a journal during training.  That way you can write things down while they are fresh in your mind and remember all the good things about training and all the ways Gibson will improve over the coming years.  Training is wonderful and exhausting and terrific, so write it down!

Daryl and the tail-waggy black Lab Jenny (who could give Gibson a run for his money!)
----- Original Message -----
From: Fatmir Seremeti via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:59:40 -0700 (MST)
Subject: [nagdu] i'm getting my first guide!



Hi all!

Ive been a member of this list for about 6 months now and i have learned a lot. i really enjoy reading what you people write. Especially following those getting new guides. 

I Applied for a guide dog in may of this year and got a visit at home just a couple of weeks after i sent in my application. 
I was eligible for a Guide dog so now i had to wait for an information course that would be in the end of October of this year. 
I Felt very angry and disappointed that i had to wait for so  long but i didn't really had a choice. 
How ever time whent by and October came. 
about a week before I was to go to this info course in Stockholm i had a person call me and ask if i wanted to go to a meeting with people intrested to get a guide dog, get some more info, talk to guide dog owners and if we where lucky we would have a instructor there and we would get the chance of walking with a dog. 
I of course took the chance and i will be for ever happy that i did. 

There i met Gibson a male black labrador and we really found each other instantly. 
Gibson is three and a half year old and he has been out working for a year but for some reason it didnt work out with this girl that he was at. He was back at the school. There was nothing wrong with Gibson at all. It was more a matter of bad matching meaning that Gibson is a fast walker and needs lots of activity and this person couldnt provide it.
I really enjoyed this day and it seamd that Gibson also liked me. 
One week later i was in Stockholm with 8 other people 10 dogs and fore days of info, dogss, food and trying all sorts of dogs with instructors. We learned everything from the raising a dog to taking care of a dog, we got to feel and walk with dogs. Walk with all diferent sizes of dogs. 
I got to walk with real big labradors to realy small ones. I also got the chance to walk a lot more with Gibson. 
I like them all but no one fellt as good as Gibson. He is a middle hight dog and i feel very natural and comfortable walking with him. 
The course was fast over and I was so happy that i had the chance to meet Gibson again but also sad that I had to leav him and that I probably would never meet him again. I Knew that there are about 30 people waiting to be matched with a dog and that my chances of getting a dog so soon was very slim. 
I also knew that Gibson has to go out working quite soon because of his age. 
I Whent to a goalball tournament during last weekend in Stockholm and even though we won my head just wasn't quite there. I kept wondering if there is any chance that i would get Gibson. non of the people who was at the course really connected with Gibson as i did but i couldnt know if there was any other waiting since before who would be matched with him.

This monday i finally got the magical call from one of the instructors. 
He told me that they had noticed my connection with Gibson and that he knew we would be a perfect match and that Gibson was mine if i wanted him. 

I immediately replyed that i would love to have Gibson so i am going to Stockholm for a week of training with him on monday the 17th November and on monday the 24th the training will continue at home. 

I am so happy guys so i thought i would share this with you. 
Hugs to you all from 
Fatmir and Gibson 
 Skickat från min iPad
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