[nagdu] choosing a particular breed and reasons why?

[Mardi Hadfield]

I chose the Siberian Husky, first because I love  them.They are my favorite
breed. Second,I wanted something different,and all the Husky breeders I
talked to when looking for my dog,said I would never make a service dog out
of a Husky.I just had to prove them wrong and I did! I bought a white Husky
puppy and started her training when she was 13 weeks old. This was before I
needed a guide dog. I trained Lily as a mobility service dog.She would pick
up things for me, Open and shut doors and cabinets,bring me things and pull
my wheelchair.Lily new each object I wanted by name and could pickup just
about any thing. She could pick up a dime from the floor and hand it to me.
She was so smart.When I would eat in a restaurant,I would purposely drop a
napkin or spoon and she would immediately pick it up and hand it to me.This
is the way I got clients who wanted me to train their dogs. I never had to
advertise my services.I had more than enough,just by people watching
Lily.When I started to loose more of my sight and needed a guide dog,There
were no schools that trained guides for wheelchair users.With the help of a
friend who was a private trainer,We trained Lily to also be a guide dog. I
have continued to train Husky guides for my self as I love the way they
work and never tire.They make excellent wheelchair guides and can work long
hours and still prance on the way home at the end of the day.After I
retired Nala,my second Husky guide, I had trouble finding another Husky to
train. After looking for over a year and a half and not finding one, I
expanded my search to different breeds. I found a Belgian Shepherd that had
been rescued from the pound.He was 10 months old and decided to try
training him.Shaman became my third guide and was a great worker.I still
swear that he has ESP when it comes to traffic.Sadly,I had to retire him
early as he has severe allergies.I am currently using my fourth guide
Neechee. She is a black and white Husky and she is great. She has shorter
legs than Shaman, so she doesn't travel as fast as Shaman did with my power
wheelchair but I am getting used to the slower pace.I have had labs and
Shepherds as pets and would not be apposed to having a lab,shepherd or even
a golden for a guide. But my first choice will always be a Siberian
Husky.      Mardi and Shaman,retired and Neechee.

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