[NAGDU] question about living with dogs

[Al Sten-Clanton]

Hi, Madison.


I'm on my fifth guide dog.  All of them have been in the way and fairly 
easy to trip on.  Sometimes, I've realized I should have expected it as 
my foot kicked the poor dog, sometimes not.  I don't remember actually 
tripping over the dog a lot, but I probably have done it some.  Only 
sometimes will the dog move aside from my scary human feet or my 
wife's.  What's weird is when I step on a tail or paw and can't tell 
right away what this thing is under my foot.


I regard it as a minor nuisance.  I don't have an assigned place for my 
dog except when I'm feeding him or, often, when my wife and I are 
feeding ourselves.  I don't know whether Sheldon would assign us places 
to stay in the house if he could, but I suspect he knows in his way that 
we don't mean to step on him.


Sheldon's toys, of course, will not move for us.  Soon after I brought 
him home, my wife tripped on one of them as she was climbing the 
stairs.  She fell and hurt her finger.  Sheldon came and stood over her 
in what looked almost like an effort to help her, one of the many times 
he's shown what we call "dog empathy."


I don't know that what I said was any help, but at least you know you're 
not alone.


Best!


Al


On 8/14/21 3:53 PM, Madison Martin via NAGDU wrote:
> Hi all,
> I know I don't have a guide, but since you guys are also blind/visually impaired
> I'm going to ask you guys about this since I'm sure many if not all of you can
> relate. Jessie our 11-year-old spayed female Golden Retriever is very sweet, but
> she loves to lay right where we're trying to walk, or just in the middle of the
> floor period. Now we do have a bed for her, but it seems that she'd much rather
> be in our way and be a tripping hazzard/furry speedbump, whether that means
> lying in front of the fridge dorr, the pantry dorr, right in front of the step
> going into the sunroom, right in front of the back dorr on the mat or anywhere
> else where we might trip over her or have to climb over her. Now the rest of my
> family is fully sighted and they still trip over her, luckily no one has gotten
> hurt, but I worry that someone will. So I'm curious to know when your dogs are
> at home or out of harness in general, do you have a certain spot where they're
> trained to stay, or do you use a cane around the house? I'm simply curious,
> please be 100% honest, hope you don't think I'm weird for asking such a
> question. Look forward to hearing what you guys do!! Thanks Madison
>
>
>
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