[NAGDU] Questions About Getting My First Guide Dog

Fri May 27 18:17:06 UTC 2016

Rachel, I felt the same way! I loved using my cane. 

And I was equally surprised at how quickly I forgot it. 

In June, my pup and I will celebrate two years together. I have not missed my cane one day since. The only thing I miss is that sound of a cane unfolding – those rapid clicks! 

As for bonding, try to relax and don’t feel the pressure to bond so much. Either it’s the right dog or it’s not. When I first met my pup, he DID NOT like me. I was convinced that he would never like me, and I didn’t believe my trainers when they just smiled indulgently and said, “Give it a week.” But after we worked in harness for the first time, I was blown away by  how smart this pup was and I knew I wanted to work with him. After a few more days, he decided to tolerate me. Then a switch flipped inside him and now he’s stuck to me like glue. 

So don’t be scared if it feels rocky at first. At the end of the week, my trainers asked me whether I wanted to continue working with this dog, and I knew I did – even though he wasn’t as lovey dovey as some of the other pups in class. By the end of our month of training, I had no regrets. Two years later, I cannot believe how perfect he is for me. 

I have written many essays on this topic if you’re interested. Email me off-list and I can share links. :) 
---
Emily K. Michael
emily.k.michael at gmail.com
Blog: http://areyouseeingthis.wordpress.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authoremilykmichael/
Twitter: @ModwynEarendel

“Science, technology, and the economic uses of nature need not be antithetical to celebration.”
 –Gary Snyder, The Practice of the Wild

> On May 27, 2016, at 2:08 PM, Rachel Grider via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I think I will definitely have a hard time with giving up my cane. I
> love to be able to learn about my environment with my cane, and I am
> used to being in total control. With a dog, I will have to give up
> some of that control, but I will hopefully be trading control for
> better speed and grace when walking through hazardous environments.
> 
> Last week, I began wondering if I really should get a guide dog
> because I thought that maybe the worries I had and the possible issues
> I could foresee were just too much, and maybe a guide dog just wasn't
> the best thing for me at this time in my life. I made a numbered list
> of all the personal benefits of getting a guide dog (which I am still
> adding to as I think of more, by the way) and another list of all the
> possible problems and inconveniences that a guide dog would create. I
> was greatly encouraged because the pros greatly outnumbered the cons,
> and I have even taken some of the cons off the list altogether as I
> think of ways to get around them.
> 
> I still have a ton of questions, but I think that as long as I have a
> guide dog that fits my personality and lifestyle, everything will work
> out. My biggest worry at this point is that somehow the dog they
> choose for me will end up being the wrong choice, and I will have to
> send it back for a new one after having already bonded with it. Does
> that ever happen, or am I being paranoid?
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Rachel
> 
> On 5/27/16, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>> I think the hardest thing for me with the first dog was giving over some of
>> the responsibility that I used to take using a cane to the dog. I wanted to
>> know all of the things about my environment that I used to know with the
>> cane because I trusted me more than the dog. Now I sort of wonder why I
>> felt
>> that way, having retired the dog and gone back to using a cane.
>> Lots of wonderful times and happy trails, Rachel.
>> Cindy
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org>] On Behalf Of Rachel Grider
>> via
>> NAGDU
>> Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2016 5:28 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>>
>> Cc: Rachel Grider <rachel.grider at gmail.com <mailto:rachel.grider at gmail.com>>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Questions About Getting My First Guide Dog
>> 
>> Thank you all for your advice! This makes me feel better. I am leaving for
>> NJ on Monday and should meet my new guide dog on Wednesday.
>> Getting excited!
>> 
>> On 5/24/16, Star Gazer via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>> wrote:
>>> 			I like the compromises others have suggested. In
>> public, I'd bring
>>> the dog, your friend doesn't get to decide that. At home, in her home,
>>> then she does as do you.
>>> Really, you need to realize that relationships always change, people
>>> get married, have children, move away, find hobbies. Only you can know
>>> if you want t his change to happen. If no, then don't get a dog. If
>>> yes, then get one.
>>> I no longer have a dog. When I did, a good friend and I weren't very
>> close.
>>> When I stopped using a dog, we became close. He just doesn't like dogs
>>> and that's fine. It put a crimp in our friendship while I was using
>>> one but he was never a butt head about it... he just didn't want to
>>> hang out when my dog was present, and I didn't want to leave the dog just
>> for him.
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org>] On Behalf Of Tara
>>> Wiseman via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 9:40 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>>
>>> Cc: Tara Wiseman <thflute at gmail.com <mailto:thflute at gmail.com>>
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Questions About Getting My First Guide Dog
>>> 
>>> Hi, first of all I want to say congratulations! I have loved having a
>>> dog from the Seeing Eye! My brother has allergies to dogs and is also
>>> not a dog fan. Here is the compromise that we have come up with. If he
>>> is hosting a family dinner, and I have family taking me to and from, I
>>> leave any at home.
>>> If we were meeting at his house to then go somewhere where I would
>>> need to use Emmy, or if I were coming to his house on my own, I would
>>> be OK to bring Amy. I didn't make it totally clear at the beginning,
>>> but Amy is the name of my dog. Congratulations to you and keep us
>>> posted!
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On May 17, 2016, at 4:01 PM, Rachel Grider via NAGDU
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org <mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>>
>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hello, Friends!
>>>> 
>>>> I don't usually post to this list because, having never used a guide
>>>> dog,
>>> I have nothing productive to contribute. This is shortly going to
>>> change, though, as I will be going to the Seeing Eye to train with a
>>> new guide dog in two weeks! I am very excited, though this decision
>>> has been a very long time coming. I am still unsure about some things,
>>> but I know that I will need to try it out in order to know for sure if
>>> a guide dog will be the best mobility aid for me.
>>>> 
>>>> I have a few questions for y'all about adjusting to a new guide dog.
>>>> I
>>> will probably think of many more as I proceed, but here are a few with
>>> which to start:
>>>> 
>>>> 1. I teach private voice lessons. I have already notified my students
>>>> that
>>> I will be away for most of June, but I have not yet told them why. I
>>> know that it would probably be common courtesy to let them know that I
>>> am getting a guide dog before they show up to my studio and see my dog
>>> there. I am nervout about telling them because I don't know what kind
>>> of reaction I will get. What have some of you done in similar
>>> situations, and how have your students/clients/associates reacted?
>>>> 
>>>> 2. I happen to own a cat who is not only quite territorial but also
>>> extremely emotionally attached to me; I mean, when I am home, this cat
>>> literally follows me around and is always trying to get me to either
>>> play or cuddle with her. The man who did my home interview didn't seem
>>> too concerned about her adjusting to a dog, but because the emotional
>>> well-being of my cat is extremely important to me, I cannot help being
>>> worried. I know this sounds really stupid, but I am afraid that
>>> because my dog will go with me whenever I leave my house, and then
>>> return home with me, my cat will begin to associate me with the dog
>>> and instead of growing used to my dog over time, she will resent me
>>> and not want to be around me as much. Am I reading too much into this?
>>> Regardless, what are some ways in which you have made the transition
>>> easier for your pets?
>>>> 
>>>> 3. I have two good friends who are allergic to dog hair. Both of them
>>>> are
>>> not worried about being around me with the dog, as long as I keep it
>>> brushed, but I am concerned that despite their reassurances, my
>>> relationships with them will suffer. One of these friends told me that
>>> service dogs have been brought to her house before, and as long as the
>>> dog stayed in the back yard, everything was fine. Is that appropriate
>>> to do with a guide dog? How have some of you dealt with this?
>>>> 
>>>> That will be it for now. Any advice would be appreciated. I am
>>>> counting
>>> down the days until I will get to meet my new guide, but I still want
>>> to make sure that all proactical considerations are made.
>>>> 
>>>> Cheers!
>>>> 
>>>> Rachel
>>>> 
>>>> http//www.rachelgrider.com
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