[NAGDU] The first time you met your dog.

[Sandra Johnson]

Tara:

What a coincidence that you asked  this question today.  Exactly 4 years ago 
today April 14th I was at Pilot Dogs meeting Eva, the 14 month old golden 
who would be my new guide.  Leading up to class I had a lot of mixed 
emotions.  I was very sad to be retiring Tara my 8 year old golden due to 
advanced hip dysplasia and cataracts.  I had begun the process of getting a 
new dog in early 2013 as I noticed that Tara's eyes and hips were getting 
worse.  I had a fear that Tara might be my last guide dog.  I have multiple 
sclerosis and arthritis which drastically effects the distance and speed I 
can walk.  Tara's guide dog school had made it clear that just because I was 
currently successfully working one of their dogs it did not guaranty I would 
be accepted again.  They did not accept me so I began the long difficult 
search for another school.  As the months went on I received many rejections 
because the schools felt I could not walk far enough or fast enough to be 
successful with a guide dog.  I had almost given up when I sent in the last 
application.  Fortunately Pilot Dogs did not feel that way.  Just two weeks 
after they received my medical forms they called to say they had a dog for 
me.  I was told they had a wonderful little female golden who walked slow 
without pulling.  They felt she was a perfect match for me.  I was thrilled 
because I always request female golden retrievers and her pace and pull were 
exactly what I had requested on my application.  I felt it was a miracle 
meant to happen just at the right time.  .  As I called family and friends I 
was crying with tears of both joy and sadness.  The sadness was for Tara's 
retirement and knowing I had to find her a new home.  The Joy was for a 
school that believed in me and the perfect little golden who I would meet in 
2 weeks.  The new match had come so fast that I had not even found a new 
home for Tara.  My parents kept her while I went to class.  As I was loving 
my new guide I was missing my old one at home.  I would hug Eva but at the 
same time feel guilty for loving her and not being with Tara.  Fortunately 
once I got home I did find a wonderful home for Tara with an elderly lady 
who needed a loyal loving companion and did not want to start with a young 
puppy.  Lucy and Tara fell in love with each other immediately.  Now 4 years 
later Tara is 12 and doing fine.  I still miss Tara but am very glad her hip 
pain is under control and that even though the cataracts have continued to 
grow she can still see out of part of her eyes.  The vet says that since I 
let her retire while her sight was still good, for a pet but not a guide, 
she has had plenty of time to adjust to her new home before her sight got 
worse.   Due to lack of transportation I do not get to see Tara but I know 
she is loved and getting excellent care.  My 4 years with Eva have been 
wonderful.  Right from the start I knew she was perfect for me.  Retirement 
is always an emotional time for me but somehow I get through it.  As a guide 
dog user for the past 43 years I have gone through many retirements and 
adjustments to new dogs.  It is always very emotional and stressful so don't 
worry if your emotions are all over the place.  As guide dog users we have 
to deal with the retirement issues.  As you begin your journey with your new 
dog I wish you all the best.
Sandra and Eva
SLJohnson25 at comcast.net
-----Original Message----- 
From: Tara Briggs via NAGDU
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2018 11:41 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Tara Briggs
Subject: [NAGDU] The first time you met your dog.

hi all! I’m hoping that some of you will share stories with me about the 
first time you met your dog. What were you thinking and feeling before you 
met your dog? How did the meeting go? I remember when I met my second, and 
recently retired dog Emmy. Emmy was over the moon! She jumped on me and 
happily licked my face. It seemed like she knew that I would be her forever 
person. For those of you who have owner trained, I would love to hear your 
stories as well and how you made the selection  of the dog you would train.
Tara


Sent from my iPhone
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