[NAGDU] {Spam?} Guide Dogs And Canes

[Lisie Foster]

Hi Sandra,

Oh that is awful, poor Eva!

I have no idea how those people managed to hit Eva, and your other dogs, with their canes. That's scary! 

I have travelled several times with with Finn guiding on the left, while using a cane (only as tall as my chest) on the right, as sort of gauge to make sure we were working well together, and to make sure that Finn was judging everything accurately. I did this right after he had "completed" his guide training. 

Note, Finn is an ADI school-certified hearing service dog; I'm the one who did his guide dog cross-training, with some oversight by our sighted school trainer. Finn is, for now, a nighttime-only guide dog, as the rods in my eyes no longer allow for any night vision, aside for light perception. Finn is the third of my hearing service dogs who I've trained to guide and, he's great at it. He loves guiding.

But, having Finn guide while simultaneously using the cane in a modified two-point touch method, I never once even touched him with my cane, and that was with the cane literally moving right next to him (and I did this at night so I was not able to use any vision). 

I think it is terrible that your dogs have been hit and injured by others using canes. I don't even know how those people did that, because if used correctly -- unless a terrible accident of some kind -- I don't know how someone using  a cane would even be able to do that, unless swinging it sort of wildly! 

But, maybe I'm just not thinking of all the possibilities...which is very likely. I mean, I have not used a cane for very long, and although I trained my first two dogs to guide, my vision when I had them was not yet to the point where I needed them to guide. I trained this because I knew that one day, my vision could easily decrease to the point where I'd need to use a cane or a guide dog (I always knew I'd want a guide dog). 

So, with my first two hearing dogs, I thought it would be interesting to try to train guide work, which I studied intensively. Both of my first dogs enjoyed the challenge and learning, but neither was ever actually responsible for guiding, as Finn is. 

So when I mention situations I haven't thought of, it's because I haven't even worked with a guide dog for six months, while you've had a guide for over 40 years, so I definitely know there's so very much I don't yet know! *smiles*

I definitely understand, though, why you BOTH hate canes, after those experiences. 

All the best to you and your Golden Retriever, from me and my Golden Retriever!

Lisie and Finn

lisiefoster at yahoo.com
Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 19, 2016, at 6:58 PM, S L Johnson via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I have a very valid reason for hating long canes.  My little three year old 
> golden Eva still suffers from chronic infections in her left eye after being 
> hit by a cane at our 75th anniversary convention.