[NAGDU] Your Favorite Dog

Wed Apr 21 13:57:34 UTC 2021

Hi all, the reason I didn't believe Brent with Lena was because she would never do anything like that with anyone else. However, Lena was a male's dog it seemed. She was majorly attached to my dad, it got so bad my trainer said we needed to do something to break them up. The next time I was talking to the trainer I told him dad was going overseas for six months. The trainer thought that was a bit extreme just to break the bond. Well he was actually going for work and when he came back after three months for a break Lena wasn't excited to see him when we went to meet him at the airport.

Another reason I believed she was a man's dog was one time when I was visiting Melbourne I got in touch with Lena's puppy carers. They came and visited us at our hotel but only the mum and daughter were able to come. Lena wasn't very excited to see them but I thought it may have had something to do with the late night we had the night before. However, while we were with the puppy carers a guy who was with our group stopped to say hello and Lena was more excited to see him then she was to see the carers.

Bye for now.
>From Shaz.
Canberra, Australia.

-----Original Message-----
From: Brent Franklin <bfranklin at woolworths.com.au> 
Sent: Wednesday, 21 April 2021 11:23 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Sharon S <koala at areujoking.com>
Subject: RE: [NAGDU] Your Favorite Dog

Hello Sharon,

Such fond memories, I'm laughing as I write.

Much later on I put the piano to the test. I called Jarvis while tied to it to see if he'd do anything. He very slowly started towards me dragging the piano as he came. Once I realized he could move it with some real effort I stopped him straight away untied him while I put the piano back in its place, then tied him back to it.

While we are dobbing each other in it seems, everyone when I first met Sharon she upset me, I was so angry with her. Lena was lying in my lap stretched out. Sharon refused to believe she was there, and then told me she wouldn't stay in my lap. Lena had other ideas, she wasn't going anywhere. Then Sharon thought I was preventing her from leaving which I was not. I told her Lena was free to hop up and go any time, other people then started telling Sharon I wasn't forcing her to stay. Sharon insisted in checking this out further, so she was able to see I didn't have my hands holding Lena at all, I put my arms up in the air.

Silly Brent really cracked it at Sharon for that, it took me a couple of weeks to get over.

Such wonderful memories you've bought back, truly I did nothing for some reason Lena decided she loved me.

Take care.

Cheers.

Brent.
-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sharon S via NAGDU
Sent: Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:21 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Sharon S
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Your Favorite Dog

Hi, something Brent didn't mention was that Jarvis looked like a small horse. I met both Jarvis and his sister when I went to the school for assessment. It was quite surprising the size difference in the two dogs.

I remember one time we were playing swish and Brent had tied Jarvis to a small piano and someone asked if that would hold him? Brent replied probably not if he really wanted to go somewhere.

This big dog suited Brent and Brent treated my Lena as a lap dog. I don't know how he did it because Lena wouldn't even go on a couch when invited but Brent could have her on his lap with no issues.

>From Shaz.
Canberra, Australia.

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Brent Franklin via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, 14 April 2021 3:16 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Brent Franklin <bfranklin at woolworths.com.au>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Your Favorite Dog

Hello Cindy,

I have been told by instructors that we shouldn't have a favorite dog, however that being said I think they say it in the hope we will all give new dogs a fair chance.

That beint the case my favorite dog was Jarvis, my second dog. I'm not going to say exactly what breed he was, because the school purchased him from a very dodgy breeder. His papers said something, but more than one vet told me it wasn't the case.

What I will say is he was amazing, he'd walked with several people as part of the matching process before I claimed him. He was slightly older than the usual dog going out because another client had gone to train with him and it hadn't worked out. Insteadof the school finding a dog for a client, poor old Jarvis was sitting there waiting for the right client to come along which happened to be myself. The school had only just found him a home, three days later and he would have been kicked out of the program, because of not having a match. The school had made arrangements for him to go ande live on a farm. They then had to very quickly ring that farming family and deliver bad news, the nice dog they were about to pick up and take as a pet had met me and we were a match.

>From my first meeting him we clicked, that matching walk before training started he was telling me all he wanted to do was work. I put the harness on for the matching walk, and this dog did not put a step wrong, he payed particular attention to make sure he wasn't walking to fast. This was because of the bad experience he'd had with the client he'd been matched to.
I needed him to speed up because I'm a fast walker, at first he was walking so slow.

I thought this dog needs to walk faster, the instructor told me he could, so I set about convincing him to speed up. Once he did his head was right up in the air, we just walked perfectly, he didn't put a foot wrong. I noticed he was paying very good attention to area's where I might slip, He'd move his body against my leg to tell me to watch my step. The instructor told me he hadn't seen him take such good care of anyone, it was all due to his bad experience.

I decided to take him, my class was then booked. The amazing thing was I didn't have to show this dog anything more than once, once was more than enough he picked everything up first time around.

When I purchased my house in an area I didn't know, I had no mobility instructor come to work with me, I got all directions to shops from local neighbors, that is thecomplete truth.

Jarvis was my second dog, and it got to the stage where I didn't need to correct him for anything, and this was very early on in the relationship, he worked out what I expected and he delivered.

When training with my current guide the instructor asked who'd shown me the neighborhood I explained Jarvis did, and he was amazed, but it was the truth, no help from family, just local neighbors giving me directions.
We'd get out and explor, we learnt so much.

Another instructor filmed us walking home, me listening to music, putting complete trust in my dog, I did not speak one word the 17 minute walk to my home from the time I got off the train. We had busy roads to cross, and my dog did it all without an instruction from me. The instructor who filmed this told me in his 40 years as an instructor he'd never seen anything like this.

I very much doubt I will ever get another dog as good, it just couldn't happen to that degree with another dog.

Cheers.

Brent.

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy Ray via NAGDU
Sent: Saturday, 10 April 2021 11:51 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Cindy Ray
Subject: [NAGDU] Your Favorite Dog

Good morning,
I love to hear our stories about our dogs. So I have some questions. I will preface it by saying that once while I was training, probably with my first dog, my instructor said that he believed everyone had a favorite dog, and this would be true even if you truly love working with each of them. So tell
me:
Who was your favorite dog and why? This would include some of the little things that made his work so good.
Did you train that dog? If not, from which school did it come?
How long did you have her?
Thank you.
Cindy Ray
cindyray at gmail.com <mailto:cindyray at gmail.com>

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CAUTION: This email, links and files included in its transmission by Woolworths Group Limited ABN 88 000 014 675 and its group of companies (Woolworths Group) are solely intended for the use of the addressee(s) and may contain information that is confidential and privileged. If you receive this email in error, please advise us immediately and delete it without reading or copying the contents contained within. Woolworths Group does not accept liability for the views expressed within or the consequences of any computer malware that may be transmitted with this email. The contents are also subject to copyright. No part of it should be reproduced, adapted or transmitted without the written consent of the copyright owner.