[NAGDU] escalators..

Mon Jan 15 04:14:19 UTC 2024

Hi all,

I live in the DC area and use the metro often. The escalators are
unavoidable here. You can take the elevator, if it's not out of order,
but sometimes if you do, the elevator will let you out of the metro on
a completely different street from the one you want. Also, to be
honest, the elevators at the metro stations here are not very clean. I
avoided them even when I was pregnant and facing a stopped escalator I
had to climb.

Here's how I did elevators with my dog. I'm hoping to get my third dog
soon at the Seeing Eye, so maybe they'll tell me I've been doing it
wrong for years.

I ask my dog to find the escalator, and my dog is expected to take me
up to the moving staircase and stop. When my dog stops, I drop the
harness handle and hold on to the moving handrail with my right hand.
Then I say, "let's go," and my dog and I step onto the escalator at
the same time. I usually tried to stand level with my dog's front
feet, and I put my right hand on the railing as it moved so I could
feel when the escalator would end. When the escalator was about to
end, I would tell my dog let's go again at the right moment, and we
would hop off together.

My first dog loved escalators and would wag and wag when she saw them.
My second dog, the one I retired shortly after moving here, did not
love them so much, but he did them well. I don't think I would attend
a training program that did not teach escalators. It's just not
practical to avoid them around here.

Julie

On 1/14/24, Joy Relton via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Sherry et al,
>
> I, too, had the attitude of not wanting to take escalators with my first dog
> in the 1970's. At that time they weren't as safe as they are now. In
> addition, I was living in a rural area where there weren't any escalators.
> However, I am very glad that I paid attention and participated in the
> training at the Seeing Eye with the lessons on what to do when using a guide
> on escalators. Because, a few years after I received training with my first
> dog I moved to the Washington, D.C. area. Wouldn't you know, I took the
> subway to the airport one day and found myself in a quandary. I was ready to
> enter the subway system where the escalators were working but the eleavators
> were not. This is not unheard of, in the D.C. metro system. So, I followed
> the instructions given to me from The Seeing Eye on what the proper
> procedures to safely use an escalator with a dog guide and off we went. It
> went well and wasn't as horrible as I feared. Like most of life, having an
> understanding of what you are facing and the ability to assess the best and
> safest way to navigate the  situation brought me through the situation.
> After that, I never feared having to take either moving side walks or
> escalators. It is my preference to avoid both and walk the stairs or the
> airports without these so called conveniences because I and my guide benefit
> from the exercise.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sherry Gomes via NAGDU
> Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2024 11:27 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Sherry Gomes <sherry.gomes at outlook.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] escalators..
>
> It's okay to decide not to take escalators too. I've never been somewhere I
> couldn't take stairs or an elevator. That's a good thing since I can't do
> escalators! I know there are places where there isn't an elevator, but I
> haven't run in to that situation yet. I'd just have to go somewhere else. I
> admit, that I was still getting dogs from GDB, in fact working there when
> they started giving out the boots for escalators. I was not happy that they
> were doing escalators at first, Back in the 70s or 80s, I knew a person with
> a guide dog who took her dog on an escalator with not idea how to do it
> safely, and her was injured and had to be retired. I was traumatized by
> that, though I knew GDB had to find a way to teach it, because all the other
> schools did. When I was working there, a trainer under blind fold was
> working a dog on an escalator and something went wrong, and the dog was
> injured. That's when they started the booties. I think it's great that all
> the schools are teaching safe way to do this, but as a kid I was terrified
> of escalators, and now my arthritis and balance have gotten bad enough that
> I can't risk escalators anymore.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Debbie Gabe via NAGDU
> Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2024 11:19 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Debbie Gabe <debbiegabe at live.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] escalators..
>
> Hi,
> I was taught at GDB that one of your feet needs to be one step ahead of your
> dog. Then you hold near or at the collar and you maintain control. When you
> feel the escalator start to even out, then you tell the dog to get ready to
> leave.
> Also, really important, is to put those doggie booties on her back feet. It
> will prevent super bad injuries to her paws.
>
>  I usually take the escalator because I know where I am when I get off. If I
> take the elevators, I won't know where I end up because they're usually out
> of the way, whereas the escalators are usually in the middle.
>
> Good luck
> Debbie from Hawaii
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Diane Graves via NAGDU
> Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2024 4:19 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: rdgraves2007 at gmail.com
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] escalators..
>
> I often use the escalator to go down to the basement level when Izzo and I
> are at work at the government center. I will simply tell her "find escalator
> down." She then runs to the escalator because she knows she is going to get
> praise and a treat. I'm always careful to find and grasp the handrail before
> we go forward to step on. I typically keep hold of the harness, but thanks
> to scott's suggestion I may try putting her on "heel" and see if that works
> a little better. She hops off so fast at the bottom or the top that not
> having a very firm grip on that handrail would cause me to lose my balance.
> It may be because she is too far in front of me.
>
>
> Robin (Diane) Graves
> rdgraves2007 at gmail.com
> 317-238-9262
>
> “TGIF: TODAY GOD IS FIRST.’—OS Hillman
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Scott Wilson via NAGDU
> Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2024 7:41 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Scott Wilson <s.wilson661 at icloud.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] escalators..
>
> Hi Madison, I believe most schools train for escalators, but some do not. I
> use them on occasion. If your dog has not been conditioned to use them, you
> may find he may not want to., it will require lots of praise and reassurance
> that they’re doing a good job. And when you get to the top, you need to
> throw a party to let them know they have done a great job. here is an
> example of how I approach an escalator, first, I work my dog all the way up
> to the escalator onto the metal plate finding the handrail on the right.
> Next next I drop the handle and hold the leash firmly in my left hand, I
> find the rubber rail that is moving with the stairs. On the right. Once I
> have orientated myself, I proceeded to walk on with my dog. I praise my dog
> all the way up until I feel the stairs starting to level out, a helpful hint
> is to spread your left leg across so your dog can’t walk up past you. Onc
> once the stairs start to level out, we begin walking forward to step off the
> escalator and keep walking until we’re on a firm surface that is not moving.
> remember keeping your dogs focus on you is key. finally throw a party and
> praise them all up for a job. Well done. To go down you do the same thing.
> You you may need to practice with your dog so you can get comfortable with
> it and your dog can as well. I hope this is helpful on how I travel on an
> escalator. If you wish to try it and see how it works I wish you lots of
> luck and safe travels.
> Best regards
> Scott Wilson
> 727-423-4312
>
>> On Jan 13, 2024, at 1:11 AM, Madison Martin via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>> I was in a store a couple of weeks ago where the only way to get to
>> the second level was via an escalator so I got to wondering how do you
>> work a dog on one or is it better to avoid them whenever possible
>> because of the risk of injury to the dog? Just curious that's all;
>> look forward to reading any insight that anyone can provide me!
>> Madison
>>
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-- 
Julie A. Orozco
MM Vocal Performance, 2015; American University Washington College of
Law, JD Candidate 2023