[NAGDU] convention thoughts and a huge thank you!

Tue Jul 17 12:07:25 UTC 2018

Well Julie, I did enjoy meeting you last year though this year I got a 
bit overwhelmed with everything but I bet I passed by your table a few 
times--smile. And I thought your Monty, the dog you had with you last 
year, was just stellar...whatever decision you make is the one that's 
right for you and your dog and no one else need voice opinions on the 
matter.

You take care and be good.

Dan the man with Parker the nut

On 7/17/2018 6:33 AM, Julie Johnson via NAGDU wrote:
> Dar,
>
> I will always work with Jetta.  She needs exercise and deserves a 
> chance to learn to be at ease when out.  However, she is no longer 
> working as a guide dog.  My commitment is for the life of the dog and 
> whatever they need. Right now we are working on loose leash walking, 
> because this is something that got rusty with pulling into the harness.
>
> I will get another dog, eventually, but not anytime soon.
> 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: Dar via NAGDU
> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2018 8:55 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Dar
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] convention thoughts and a huge thank you!
>
> Hi there,
> Are you saying you need to stop working with jetta§
> I am so sorry, i know you put lots of work in your ttttraining with 
> your dogs.
> I hope you can train another one soon if this is what you need to do.
> Blessings,
>
>
> Dar
> Every Saint has a past,
> Every sinner has a future, Sent from my iPad
>
>> On Jul 16, 2018, at 9:09 AM, Julie Johnson via NAGDU 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> 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?storeid=1916046> 
>>>
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>>
>>
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