[nagdu] Talking points for convos withtraining centers'directors

[Debby Phillips]

Hi! First of all, before I answer your question MELISSA, I will 
tell you all that I am WAY behind in email.  I have not been able 
to download or send since Thursday.  I was at my mom's and for 
some real weird reason my Apex would not connect with their 
Internet, though it has before.  I'm using our "hot spot" in the 
car now, as we head home to Spokane.

Perhaps Melissa, you should be the first contact with Julie as I 
doubt that I'll really be able to give my full attention to 
anything until I'm laid off work whenever that is going to be.

I would like to see people who do arrive at Centers be able to 
incorporate their dogs into more of the training.  Perhaps do 
some routes with dogs, so that you can practice any new travel 
skills that have been acquired by being at the Center.  This 
would also help with the bond that we all have with our dogs.  I 
would also like to see students be able to eventually have their 
dogs with them in Braille and computer classes.  I'm not sure 
about Home Management and woodshop.  The kitchens get pretty busy 
during Home Management, so having a dog in the kitchen would be a 
very bad idea, ow think.  Some of the equipment used in wood shop 
is also noisy at times, with the various machines running.  And 
though the shop area is fairly clean, there are sometimes wood 
scraps, etc.  on the floor.  Which is, incidentally why I can't 
have Nova with me at work on the floor.

i will say that nobody ever spoke disrespectfully about dogs, and 
when I had my difficulties with Lamar, Center staff were very 
supportive, and let me talk out my issues as I was making the 
decision whether to send him back to my husband or not.  They 
were absolutely great about it.  Some of the students were also 
very helpful, but especially the other people who had their dogs 
with them.  Julie was very understanding about how difficult it 
was for me to have to send Lamar back.  She told me if I needed 
time after he left, to take whatever time I needed.  By then, I'd 
done all the crying I was going to do, and knew I just needed to 
keep busy so I wouldn't mope.  And there is one person on this 
list who will tell you that actually people really liked Lamar, 
and if he had been able to work well in Denver, he would have 
been welcome at any after school activities.  (Especially if it 
involved pizza).  (Grin).

I just want there to be more ways that people with dogs can have 
them involved in Center life, and I really do believe that the 
time has come to explore that, with Center staff, for with the 
Center Directors.  But I also believe that if we start out 
antagonistic, we could do more harm than good.    Debby and Nova