[NAGDU] With a sad and heavy heart...

[nellie at culodge.com]

Hello Wayne,

I am so sad your travels with your pup are coming to an end, that has to be very hard.  I have Sully who is 5 and just had to retire him because of a dog attack.  Sully still has an incredible will to guide but it just isn’t safe because of all the other dogs out there.  I was absolutely heartbroken making this decision and I can't imagine how hard it would have been had we worked together for more than 3 years.  On the flip side, I do have a new dog named Rosy who is an absolutely delight!  So my thoughts to you are: treasure your time with Harley and have an open and excited mind for the next dog!!

Best of luck to you and can't wait to hear your stories with pup X!!

-Janell and Rosy!  😊

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Wayne & Harley via NAGDU
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2018 3:06 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Wayne & Harley <k9dad at k9di.org>
Subject: [NAGDU] With a sad and heavy heart...

*     Hello Everyone,*

*This ties in with a thread I saw regarding when to retire a Guide Dog. 
Well, here's my take on it. The dog will tell you when it's time. Just as I describe below...
*

*It is with a sad and heavy heart that I sit down to write this.*

*Harley D is in the process of retiring from "Active Duty". There, I said it...*

*On 17 August, 2018, He "quit" mid-route. He was signaling, but was not stepping out confidently as is his norm.*

*This has continued. While not refusing the harness he is no longer excitedly thrusting his head into the harness when asked to "Harness up".
*

*Originally, I had planned on locating his successor next year when Harley turned nine years old.
*

*Well, plans have been adjusted.
*

*We will be visiting a breeder in late September to evaluate pups.
*

*Once one is adopted in, we will be journeying down that road again. 
Harley will be an invaluable training resource for Puppy X.  Just as LD Patriot was an invaluable resource in training Harley.*

*To reiterate, Harley is still guiding, not with the dash and verve that he previously displayed.*

*He is still safely guiding me, but after five years of traveling in and out of the Chicago Metropolitan area five days a week, he has had enough.*

*I have to respect that.*

*I assure you all, that I will hang up his harness if he stops guiding
completely..*

*
*

*
*

*Buckle up folks, it's going to be a memorable ride...*

*
*

*Wayne And Harley D*



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