[NAGDU] guide dog matching process

[Sherry Gomes]

On the subject of matching, though I've been a little quiet about this I feel I can tell this story now. when I'm deeply hurt, I tend to keep it to myself for a while until I process it.

I used to think GDB did such a great job matching, not always, in 44 years, I had a mismatch here and there. But considering my special physical needs, they did okay. But then, they gave me my last dog Petunia. I was born with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, my right knee was fused when I was around three, early 1960s. as an adult, I've had multiple joint replacements. In the 1970s, GDB was the only guide dog school to accept me, knowing about the JRA. I absolutely must have a dog that is easy to manage and focused and calm in work. That means controllability in work is essential. It doesn't mean perfection, but my dogs should always be easy to control in a distracted situation. Due to the lifelong damage in my shoulders from the JRA, if I fall, I cannot get up on my own. There is also the serious risk of damaging one of the artificial joints, which would be a catastrophe! So, my dogs were always fairly calm and focused in their work, until Petunia. 

>From the start, she had a serious dog distraction problem, to the point that she was nearly uncontrollable. But she was very young and I hoped she grow out of it. First thing on my I can't handle this list for dogs, is dog distractibility. During the five years I worked with Petunia, her doggie issues never improved. She bolted away from me, several times. nearly caused me to fall multiple times and the work to control her caused more damage to my left shoulder. A friend who has known me for thirty years and through several dogs begged me over and over to return Petunia, but I'm not a quitter and wanted to make it work. 

Finally, when I realized I wasn't going out independently anymore, because I didn't feel safe and was too worried about what would happen without someone else to help me control her, I told GDB I needed to retire her. Her behavior was, or should have been documented in our record. But during those five years, a new field manager for GDB came to Colorado. She didn't know me or my history. But when I retired Petunia and did the retrain application, she tore me apart for anything she considered negative, and she recommended that I would not be approved for retraining. When I got the denial call from GDB, I was devastated. I can't even tell you. After 44 years, I couldn't believe it. I wrote to the CEO Chris Benninger, detailing my long years with GDB and what I felt happened with Petunia. The darn dog was lovable as can be, but she was not safe. Benninger just told me too bad in fancier words. It took me a lot of months to move away from my bitterness and anger and rejection. 

I've been accepted by two other schools and am waiting for a good match from either one. Both schools' reps immediately when hearing about Petunia's issues, stated, without my comments, that she was dangerous and not a suitable match for me. They didn't have to ponder it for a minute.  I look back and think, maybe I shouldn't have gone home with Petunia, but with an 18-month-old dog, they can grow up and mature out of things, so I was hopeful. And as I said, I'm not a quitter. In the end, I was and am completely at peace with my choice to retire her finally, but I'll always wonder why they picked that dog for me, when they never would have given her to me in the past.

And that's my bad matching saga! Like I said, mismatches come along now and then, especially in a lifetime of working with guides, but overall, I think the schools try hard to do a good job at it. Sometimes, they fail spectacularly, and after Petunia, I'm not going to defend the really bad one. But still, I'm confident that whichever school finds a dog for me, they will give me the best dog they can find for my needs.

Sherry
Sherry.gomes at outlook.com