[NAGDU] The first time you met your dog.
Tara Briggs
thflute at gmail.com
Sun Apr 15 04:16:58 UTC 2018
Hi Charlene! Thanks for your reply! It is fun to look back on the memories. Your story about your shepherd reminds me of my first guide. One day at guy dogs for the blind, we were told we would all learn how to give our guides massages. All our dogs were sitting quietly and happily on the floor. Then the dog massage instructors came in. My yellow lab just went crazy! I got after her and told her to stop it. So she started crawling towards them like a frog tail wagging wildly in the air. That dog always made me laugh! She passed away nearly 6 years ago now and I still find myself missing her. I’ve never met anyone, dog or human, who loved life as much as my beloved lab Honny!
Tara
Sent from my iPhone
> On Apr 14, 2018, at 10:09 PM, Charlene Ota via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> My labs and the golden that I ahd were all fairly friendly, we had to get to know each other, but it was pretty uneventful. My shepherd was a little different. Those labs were pretty compliant and that's what I had been used to. When I got my shepherd, he was an alpha dog and he definitely had a mind of his own. When we went out to the lecture the evening that I got him, I put his leash by my foot like I would the others, and was just sitting listening to the lecture when all of a sudden the trainer is telling me to please call my dog. He had snuck off to go sit with the trainer and I hadn't even noticed, he was a sneaky one, that's for sure! I knew he decided he would bond with me a few days later when we came back from our walk and I was sitting on my bed after I'd taken his harness of and the next thing I knew, he had jumped up and thrown his front legs on my shoulders and was hopping up and down and his feet were patting me on the back and he was licking my face. He was a big shepherd, very long, we used to call him the stretch limo because he was so long.
>
> It's kind of fun to looook back on those memories once in a while. It's been a long time since I had that shepherd but I have such good memories of him.
>
> Charlene
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Julie McGinnity via NAGDU
> Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2018 10:54 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Julie McGinnity <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] The first time you met your dog.
>
> This is a good question.
>
> When I met my first dog, I was super excited and maybe a little nervous. My first dog, Brie, didn't really care for me at first. I had to earn her love. Our first afternoon of bonding time was spent together sitting by the door as she waited for her trainer to come back. Despite her indifference, I loved her from the beginning and never doubted that we would be a good team.
>
> My second and current dog... O, he is night to Brie's day. The trainer brought him bounding in, his tail awag and his big heart ready to love a new human. It was I this time who didn't warm up right away. I missed my first dog, and Bill was and is... everything she is not. He and I spent our first morning spinning in circles with his bone between us. I'm pretty sure I needed a nap before our first walk. And I was like, what did you give me? Right from the start, I was not pleased with his name, with his mailness, and with his crazy.
> But slowly, I totally bonded with him. I absolutely adore this giant Labrador. His pace and pull are perfect for me, and he has made me laugh so many times when all I want to do is cry.
>
> I say that Bill will never retire because I'm just not sure what to expect anymore with getting a new dog. You never really know how it will go, and being up for anything is probably part of the game.
>
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>> On 4/14/18, 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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>
>
> --
> Julie A. McGinnity
> President, National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division, Second Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Missouri "For we walk by faith, not by sight"
> 2 Cor. 7
>
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