[nagdu] Intro and Pondering a Second Guide

Cindy Ray cindyray at gmail.com
Wed Nov 19 03:15:39 UTC 2014


Joe, I am Cindy. I received my last dog in 2008 from The Seeing Eye. Even
since that time much of the training has changed and I won't go into any
detail about it because it is second-hand, but I do know that you go to TSE
on Monday now and "dog day" is Wednesday. There is more clicker training.

I would be tempted to give another breed a shot, but if you aren't in a
hurry to get this dog, hold out for what you want. I had a GSD once,
actually twice. Their gait is just wonderful, but I did not work well with
them apparently. I still would like one, but I would not hold out for it.
You might do that. It's a personal preference of yours, and if it went well
for you before, chances it would again.

You will have to let go of the fear that what happened with the first dog
will maybe happen again. It could; it might not; you have to be willing to
risk it if you are going to have another dog. You have to be willing to let
go of the fear and some of the grief and you have to want the dog enough to
do that. 

I am not going to get another dog. I don't like the hassle where restaurants
and other places are sometimes concerned and I get sick of people
interrupting conversations of mine to ask me questions about the dog. I get
tired of hearing mammas and daddys and grannies etc. screaming at kids,
"look at the doggie." Or kids shrieking, "Mommy, a doggy, a doggy." I get
tired of going places where people are more interested in who my dog is than
who I am and there is always a commentary going on about the dog. I must not
be humble. I knew from the outset that these things would be a problem for
me; sometimes I've been able to overlook it. Now, however, I have reached a
place where I don't want that anymore. And yet I am sad to think of the day
when the dog won't be working for me any longer. So I think it comes down to
How much are you willing to put up with from the public? Can you use it to
educate and do you want to? Can you release the fear and just look forward?
I can tell you on that one that once you meet that new dog and start having
some successes, the pain lessens. 

Cindy


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Joe via nagdu
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 8:51 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Intro and Pondering a Second Guide

Hi,

Though I'm not new to NAGDU, I've been away and off the list for a while. My
first and only dog, Gator, was from The Seeing Eye. He passed away almost
three years ago, and now I'm sort of coming around to maybe, possibly
thinking I should go back for a second one.

My questions for those who have gone back, understanding of course each case
is different:

1. If you stayed away for a while after your first guide, what motivated you
to go back?

2. I'm still leaning German shepherd. I felt good with one then and still
confident I'd like one now, but my former trainer thought I could have also
done well with a golden retriever. Any thoughts on either breed from your
perspective?

3. For Seeing Eye graduates, any major changes since I attended class in
2004? I mean other than changes to the physical structure. I'm more
interested in changes to the training methods.

I've been following a few blogs. This evening I had my home visit. I'm still
on the fence and hope some interaction with this great group will trigger
some additional thoughts. Three years later I'm hesitating because as
awesome as Gator's work was, he was a sick dog. I fear a repeat of the old
incidents despite my logical brain that says every dog is different. I'm
hesitant about revisiting battles with restaurant owners. The education got
tiresome, and my experience in court with a particularly stubborn company is
not one I care to redo. All reasons for me to forget and call it good, but I
also remember the smooth travel and steadfast companionship.

Forgive the meandering note. Yet, I think you'll get it. Any feedback would
be welcomed.

Thanks,

Joe

--
Musings of a Work in Progress:
www.JoeOrozco.com/

Twitter: @ScribblingJoe




_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/cindyray%40gmail.com





More information about the NAGDU mailing list