[NAGDU] The first time you met your dog.

Tara Briggs thflute at gmail.com
Sun Apr 15 04:08:01 UTC 2018


 Hi Sandra! Thank you so much for your beautiful story! Retiring Emmy has reminded me of your story. Because the family she is now with just found out that their other dog has in operable cancer. So Emmy  

 Has been a big comfort to them. In addition, their pets are just huge part of this family‘s life and it’s really important to  Emmy to feel needed. I think I wrote this in a previous email, but I was hoping to retire at the end of June. However I just felt like the right time and now I have realized why. Thanks again for sharing your story! I really loved reading. 
TaraSent from my iPhone

> On Apr 14, 2018, at 8:00 PM, Sandra Johnson via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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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