[NAGDU] convention thoughts and a huge thank you!
Jordan Gallacher
jordangandbelto at gmail.com
Mon Jul 16 21:25:16 UTC 2018
September was like that and had I been smart, I would have retired her much sooner than I did. She was way to stressed no matter what mode of transportation I used, and things such as conventions, I could forget doing when I had her. It is hard retiring any dog but much harder when having to retire one at an early age.
Jordan
-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Julie Johnson via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2018 10:10 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Julie Johnson <julielj at neb.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] convention thoughts and a huge thank you!
It was good to see you too! I hadn't thought that I felt I owed anyone an explanation, but perhaps it was there lying under the surface. Retiring a dog is hard, retiring a young dog is really hard and because of my very odd circumstance I have done both in the past few months. It's been a struggle for sure. Perhaps I wanted to explain to end the criticism or keep it from starting.
I have been told that I should just get rid of Jetta and get a new dog.
Ouch! I have been told that I should just go through a program, with no
inquiry of whether or not I want another dog right now. Perhaps I'm a
little sensitive about all of this, that could be part of it, but I do hope to avoid any further insensitive commentary. Working with a guide dog is a personal choice and where that dog comes from is likewise a personal choice.
I have made my choice. Convention confirmed it very clearly for me. I appreciate that you, Jenine, and others who attended convention respect my choice. Not everyone has.
Julie
On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
also find my products in the Blind Mice Mega Mall <https://www.blindmicemegamall.com/bmm/shop/Directory_Departments?storeid=1916046>
-----Original Message-----
From: Jenine Stanley via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2018 9:34 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Jenine Stanley
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] convention thoughts and a huge thank you!
Julie,
It was awesome to see you at convention this year and share a row with you!
We were a couple tables down from Julie and NAGDU.
I loved getting to take your sport harness for a spin.
Please don’t think you owe anyone an explanation for why you do not have a guide dog right now. Believe me, we get it, and I at least, support whatever you choose to do.
> On Jul 15, 2018, at 9:01 AM, Julie Johnson via NAGDU
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
> Thank you to everyone who stopped by my table in the exhibit hall or
> who attended the NAGDU seminar or board meeting. I appreciate your
> support of my business, On The Go. If you were not able to make it to
> the exhibit hall, still have questions or I didn’t have the product
> you wanted, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m happy to help! email:
> julielj at neb.rr.com phone/message: 402-363-8997 I’m sorry, I’m not able
> to take calls after 7 pm central time.
>
> General convention thoughts...I thought all the dogs were really very
> good this year. I did not personally witness any barking, growling, lunging or
> inappropriate relieving. Lots of the dogs were super friendly and
> willing to visit with their dog neighbors in the crowded exhibit hall.
> Most handlers were aware and addressed the situation appropriately.
> Thank you, I appreciate responsible handlers!
>
> As many of you may have noticed, I had no dog at convention this year.
> I anticipate this will be the case for a few years. I appreciate that
> I was welcomed by other guide dog users and not criticized for my lack
> of a guide. Here’s the situation...Monty is very close to 11. He’s a
> good guide and still does a good job on the short, fairly basic walks
> I take him on. He is considerably slower than in his youth, is very
> affected by the heat and is not able to mentally process complex
> situations with the same speed as in his youth. He still enjoys
> guiding, as in it’s his next best thing to do after eating. So I
> still take him on our short walks around the neighborhood because it
> makes him so happy. However, I do not believe it is fair to him to
> expect him to guide for hours at a stretch, endure the heat or
> navigate complex situations with lots of moving obstacles. So I
> choose to enjoy him and what he can give while respecting his advancing age.
>
> Jetta, my younger dog, is no longer working. She has had issues with
> other dogs for a long time. More recently she has developed a number
> of other fears. She is an excellent guide in regard to the mechanics
> of guide work, but is really not equipped to handle the stresses of
> the ever changing environment. I made this decision this spring and
> have noticed a significant change in her personality and day to day
> stress level. She is all around happier, more at ease and I am enjoying her as a pet very much.
>
> My personal commitment to my dogs is for life, with only a very few
> exceptions including biting, inability to provide for medical care or
> some other pretty serious events. I am keeping both dogs and do not
> wish to add a third dog to my household at this time. This, of
> course, means I will have no guide dog for a while. I struggled with this for months.
> This spring was a really difficult time for me. Then there was
> convention.
>
> My big take away from convention this year was that while I prefer
> working a guide dog and will definitely owner train another guide in
> the future, now is not the right time. My cane skills are a bit
> rusty, but they are coming together decently. I am not afraid to go
> out with my cane. I have noticed that I use auditory cues a lot more now than before dogs.
> Convention helped me to have complete clarity that I have made the
> right decision and am in the right place.
>
> Thanks again to everyone! I hope to see all of you in Las Vegas next
> year!
> Julie
> On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com
> http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
> also find my products in the Blind Mice Mega Mall
> <https://www.blindmicemegamall.com/bmm/shop/Directory_Departments?stor
> eid=1916046> _______________________________________________
> NAGDU mailing list
> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> NAGDU:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/jeninems%40icloud.c
> om
_______________________________________________
NAGDU mailing list
NAGDU at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/julielj%40neb.rr.com
-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2012.0.2265 / Virus Database: 4365/15297 - Release Date: 07/04/18 Internal Virus Database is out of date.
_______________________________________________
NAGDU mailing list
NAGDU at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/jordangandbelto%40gmail.com
More information about the NAGDU
mailing list