[NAGDU] convention thoughts and a huge thank you!

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> _______________________________________________
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