[NAGDU] New member, and newbie questions!

[Cindy Ray]

Hi Param! Welcome to the list. I think you ask some good questions. Number one. It’s fine for the couple to one be using a dog and the other be using a cane. Before I got my first dog, my husband was using a dog. It was plenty fun, the dog, and and the cane got along just fine. Let’s say adjusted to one another. I got a dog after a lot of years of using a cane. It took me a while to trust the dog because with a dog you don’t search for shorelines in the like as you did with the cane. You kind of want to take control, but you just have to bite your lip and do what you’re supposed to do. It gets easier as you experience it. I currently am not using a dog and I’ve been using a cane, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to have another dog. I’m one of the older folks in this list. I think the school isn’t certain that I can cut it.  so instead, I’m running around with a Yorkshire terrier that everybody thinks is working dog. Can you even believe that!? I hope I’ve answered your questions, a little, and I know you will get some good responses here. Again, welcome to the list. Cindy, Lou Ray, moderator Cindy ray at gmail.com. 
Cindy Lou Ray
Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 22, 2023, at 3:45 PM, Parham Doustdar via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> My name is Parham. I'm originally from Iran, and I've moved to Amsterdam as an expat and recently become a citizen.
> I'm here because I don't speak much Dutch, and the information I can find online on guide dogs is very limited. So I thought I'd join this list and talk to some real people having real guide dogs! :-)
> I had some starting questions if you don't mind.
> First, I and my wife are both blind. What would your advice be to a blind couple? Should we, or should we not, walk with the guide dog together? Since I'm the one getting a guide dog, can she ever take the dog out in a harness? Would the person with a cane be walking behind? Any other points?
> Secondly, we love experiencing new things. That's why we'll regularly go on new routes. We have very few "regular" routes, so most of the time we'll be using GPS software and going on a route we might never go on again. How does this affect a guide dog? Is that even something that a guide dog user should be doing? Most of the accounts I can find online, including in Allison's book Paws That Change My Life, is from people who have routes they frequent.
> And lastly, I know this comes up often, so sorry for opening what might be a can of worms, but what was the experience of a highly skilled cane user switching to a guide dog? I am completely blind and can go almost anywhere with a cane, but I'm trying to (1) increase my speed, and (2) go out more confidently in windy and rainy weather, which is too frequent in NL for my liking, LOL! I'm curious what people with good cane skills found on the other side of the switch.
> Thanks a lot for all opinions in advance!
> Best,
> Parham
> Sent from my iPhone
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