[NAGDU] Seeing Eye
Sunshine
halogirl817 at gmail.com
Fri Mar 15 14:16:26 UTC 2024
When I was introduced to velvet, she found the crate. She wasn’t able to get into it and she wasn’t happy. So, I decided to give it a try! In the crate she went. My instructor asked me why I did that and I told her it was because she kept wanting to go into it so I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t force her to do anything. She must’ve had a good razor who taught her to go into the crate. To this day, that is where she likes to be. We used to have a crate in our living room, but since our house is smaller, we can’t do that. So, she likes to go into her crate in the bedroom. She knows where I am and feels very comfortable. When she’s ready, she comes to see me and I go to find her as well. I like her to be with me, but she still wants the crate. There are times when she just comes looking for me and I will be in my office doing things and she lies down right by me. I was so astonished because I had another dog that didn’t like the crate at all! Therefore, I wasn’t able to use it. Nonetheless, things have changed for the better. I like the fact that we have food in the room. No longer did we have to stand in align at another school. The instructors at The Seeing Eye don’t have to bring the food to us anymore, which is nice. I like all the changes that I’ve taken place. Having a refrigerator in the room was always good for me. I used to buy cookies because I liked them so much and I would put them in the refrigerator in the common lounge. When I go to get some, they would be gone. Yes, somebody like those cookies, but I never found who they were. It was OK. It didn’t bother me. didn’t mind sharing at all. Smiley! I’ve been enjoying the discussion very much.
Have a very blessed day today!
Sunshine and Velvet
Sent from my iPhone 12 Pro
> On Mar 15, 2024, at 1:12 AM, Vanessa Lowery via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> My understanding is that prior to the 2013 major renovation at The Seeing Eye, the dogs to some degree were exposed to crates, but we did not necessarily use them in class. However, because we were staying in a hotel, eyebolt could not be added to any of the walls in the hotel room since that was not our property. So how do you solve the problem? You buy a bunch of crates. So each student had their own hotel room, and there was a crate in each room. The crates were used for the dog to sleep and was also where we fed the dogs. We liked that so much that at exit interviews, we ask that the crate situation be continued back on the main campus. It was a way for the dogs to have a quiet place to hide and for Dog and student to be separated from each other when they just really needed a break. The other thing that was brought back to The Seeing Eye from the dolce hotel was the vaults in a room. There was not enough physical space for The Seeing Eye to store tons of dog food for each of the incoming classes during those five months. So we were supplied with vital vaults that already had food in them, measuring cups, food bowls, a small bottle of dishwashing detergent, and a sponge. Actually, we may have had two bowls (one for water, and one for Food. But can't remember. Anyway, we liked the vault set up so well that we also asked that we brought back to the main campus. Why? Because While in the hotel, we were becoming experienced was feeding our own dogs early in the process of bonding with them. For us retrain, that was no big deal, but for the first time Murs, it was helpful. But in addition, the fact that we were all feeding our dogs ourselves rapidly increased the bonding process. It was amazing how quickly many of the dogs turned over to The students because of that one factor alone.
>
> Also, the dogs became more quickly socialized in a very realistic restaurant like situation for the following reason. This hotel had a restaurant/bar. After the 8 o'clock park, if we so chose, we could gather in the restaurant for late night snacks. So 12 or 13 of us, almost every evening would gather in the restaurant. Staff would put us in a side room where we could all sit together, hang out, and chat. it was a great way for the dogs to already be exposed over a period of our training time to a restaurant situation with a bunch of people and dogs all in a specific space (we sitting in our chairs, and the dogs line quietly under the table). We didn't have a leisure path, but we sure found ways to enjoy ourselves while we were in the hotel.
>
>
> Two rooms were set aside to serve as our dining room and as our common lounge. The dining room was a typical room with a bunch of tables (long tables. However, several of us in my class decided that we would rearrange the configuration of the chairs and couches in the room that was used for the common lounge so that it would more realistically mirror how the common lounge at The Seeing I actually looked. It made it easier for everybody to negotiate their way around that room when we had class meetings or just wanted to hang out there.
>
> I can truly say that I enjoyed my experience at the hotel. Trust me, we now know that it is possible to move in entire Guide Dog school (or at least the parts that absolutely needed to be moved, to a hotel, run a class, and keep the organization going without any hitches or glitches.
>
> Vanessa and the zoo
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 14, 2024, at 5:26 PM, Julie A. Orozco via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> All of this info about The Seeing Eye is so interesting.
>>
>> I literally cannot imagine having a roommate in guide dog school, and I'm an extrovert. I feel like the introverts would really suffer.
>>
>> Does the Seeing Eye do crate training, or do they use tie downs? I am fine with either but was wondering what my dog might be used to.
>>
>> Thank you to the person who shared about the classmate who went to the preschool with her dog. I may request this. My daughter is at an unpredictable age, two years old. So I have no idea how she will react when I change up our traveling by making her walk on my right. At the very least, I want my dog to be solid and to go with the crazy toddler flow. I'm sure the instructors will give me tips and help me prepare for whatever.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Julie
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Don Marr via NAGDU
>> Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 5:07 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Don Marr <dpm51 at earthlink.net>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye
>>
>> Roomates were okay, but much prefer my own space, don
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Margo Downey via NAGDU
>> Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 4:10 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Margo Downey <margo.downey at roadrunner.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye
>>
>> I enjoyed having roommates twice but I enjoy more the private rooms.
>>
>> Margo and Tami
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vanessa Lowery via NAGDU
>> Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 2:26 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Cc: Vanessa Lowery
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye
>>
>> Same location. Just slightly altered configuration in some parts of the building. When I started out in 1982, I had a roommate. But from 1993 Forward, I did not. My roommate in 1982 and I happen to both live in Maryland and we're on the same flight. We became very good friends during that flight. When we arrived at The Seeing Eye, we had not been slated to be roommates, but we pushed to have them let us be roommates, and they granted our request in some respects, having a roommate was great. But I also like the fact that we do have privacy in our own rooms where we in our dogs can just chill out, particularly if we've had a bad trip. Sometimes that privacy is just needed.
>>
>>
>> Vanessa and the zoo
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>>> On Mar 14, 2024, at 2:05 PM, Jessica Sears via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Wow. Love it. In 1976 were they located at the same place? Was the
>>> bldg laid out the same? Did you like having roommates? I think I
>>> would've loved that part but I am chatty. I also love how they just
>>> seem to respect us as independent blind people also. That is the vibe
>>> I atleast received. So blessed I went and Jane was my instructor.
>>> Jess
>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Mar 14, 2024 at 11:57 AM Joy via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hi Jessica,
>>>>
>>>> My first class was in 1976. I didn't meet Mr. Frank. I did meet Mr.
>>>> Crocus and Mr. Debeta. Of course, I also got to know Mr. Gary
>>>> Mattoon. Please forgive my spelling in the names. Mr. Mattoon trained
>>>> my second dog Zenith but Lucas Franc trained Zenith and I together.
>>>> Lucas used to call him Atoshi.
>>>>
>>>> Mr. Roger Taylor my first trainer with Vicki (my first Vicki) was a
>>>> story teller. Since my dad was also a story teller I was right at
>>>> home. He was also a practical joker. He once swopped the harness of a
>>>> 1 hundred pound shepherd for a 40 pound shepherd during dinner. In
>>>> those days, I can't remember if we still do this, we hung our dogs'
>>>> harness on the back of our chair during dinner when we first started
>>>> using them because they were stiff and hadn't yet gotten enough
>>>> softening by the saddle soap. Anyway, the man who used the larger
>>>> shepherd was a very tall man from Louisiana and he has the wonderful
>>>> slow southern accent. The woman who had been matched with the smaller
>>>> shepherd, and my roommate, was a smaller woman from Canada. When we got up to leave after dinner and began to put on our dogs'
>>>> harnesses I can still hear Joe say "something sure is wrong here
>>>> because there's no way this is gonna fit on my dog."
>>>>
>>>> In those days everyone was called by their last names. It was to
>>>> maintain an atmosphere of respect.
>>>>
>>>> Once when I was walking down the street with Vicki a man came up to
>>>> me and told me that he was with the police and wondered if I had a
>>>> license to operate my dog. I sputtered for a while and then asked "do you know Mr.
>>>> Roger Taylor?". The man started laughing.
>>>>
>>>> There are some things which have changed and become more modern at
>>>> The Seeing Eye, but, to me, the one thing that remains the same is
>>>> the emphasis on quality of breeding and training of dogs. In my
>>>> experience, if you come with an attitude that you want to learn how
>>>> to work with your new partner and ask lots of questions you end up
>>>> with a partner who will work with you for years. There are going to
>>>> be some partnerships which don't work, but I believe that it is the
>>>> minority of the partnership. Of course, that isn't much comfort if you are the one experiencing the issue at the time.
>>>>
>>>> Also, in 2005 I collapsed with a burst aneurism in my brain and was
>>>> in intensive care for a month and then in rehab for another month
>>>> before I came home. My husband called The Seeing Eye and got advice
>>>> as to what to do to help Belle adjust to the new situation. The
>>>> support was incredible. I was not aware of anything for about a
>>>> month but my husband had the support that he needed. Once I began to
>>>> recover The Seeing Eye was there to support Belle and I as we began to work together again.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jessica Sears via
>>>> NAGDU
>>>> Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 6:54 AM
>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <
>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Cc: Jessica Sears <jlsears86 at gmail.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye
>>>>
>>>> I am so fascinated by old Seeing Eye stories we are sharing. I would
>>>> love to hear more from people on how things really have changed from
>>>> early 80's to now. I wonder if anyone is here that met the real Morris?
>>>> Jess
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Mar 14, 2024 at 12:49 AM Suzette May via NAGDU
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Everyone,
>>>>>
>>>>> I went to The Seeing Eye in September/October of 2022 for my guide,
>>>>> a large, long, male Sable German Shepherd named Boden. I had Lukas
>>>>> Franck as my instructor and Joan Markey was our class manager.
>>>>> Anyone remember the high school route? Well, Lukas was quite fond of
>>>>> that one and I think I did that beast about 3 or 4 times. They
>>>>> haven't had that as a route for years but we did it. I think that
>>>>> thing was uphill both ways. It sure felt like it.
>>>>>
>>>>> As far as retirements go, I know Lukas retired at the end of September.
>>>>> Lee Johnson retired earlier in 2023, I think. I was sad to hear Jeff
>>>>> McMullen retired. Joan Markey started at The Seeing Eye within a few
>>>>> years of Lukas so that might happen in a year or two.
>>>>>
>>>>> Nice to see all the different schools on here. It's interesting
>>>>> hearing everyones stories.
>>>>>
>>>>> *Suzette May*
>>>>> *PS139.13 at gmail.com <PS139.13 at gmail.com>*
>>>>> *512-564-0152*
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, Mar 13, 2024 at 1:00 PM Julie A. Orozco via NAGDU <
>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thank you for all the comments about Seeing Eye. It is great to
>>>>>> know I
>>>>> will
>>>>>> have an excellent class manager who will answer questions and
>>>>>> listen to concerns. I'll tell a little more of my story below in
>>>>>> case more reassurances are forth coming.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I retired my second dog in the fall of 2021 shortly before my
>>>>>> daughter
>>>>> was
>>>>>> born. I did not complete the application process for my third dog
>>>>>> for a while after that because well, motherhood. So I haven't
>>>>>> worked a dog in almost 2 and a half years, which is the longest
>>>>>> I've gone without the harness in my hand since 2008. I only had to
>>>>>> wait like 5 months between
>>>>> my
>>>>>> first and second dogs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My life has changed completely in the last several years. I am a
>>>>>> mom of a toddler now, and I feel like I need a unicorn of a dog. I
>>>>>> live outside of Washington DC and take the metro a lot, walk a ton,
>>>>>> and definitely deal with plenty of chaos and crowds. But I need a
>>>>>> dog that will be gentle and forgiving of my toddler and tolerant of
>>>>>> young children in general, since
>>>>> it
>>>>>> looks like we'll be taking her to day care on a daily basis.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I am so nervous. Not only do I feel like I'm looking for a dog that
>>>>>> might not exist, but I also fear a mismatch. I know everyone has
>>>>>> them, but I haven't had one yet. My first two dogs were great
>>>>>> matches, and my second dog in particular was an amazing worker and
>>>>>> could pretty much read my mind.
>>>>> So,
>>>>>> I'm not sure I can get that level of awesome in a dog again. The
>>>>>> Seeing
>>>>> Eye
>>>>>> is a new school for me, and although I've seen great dogs come out
>>>>>> of there, I'm still nervous. I will be spending three weeks away
>>>>>> from my family to
>>>>> do
>>>>>> this, and I want that time to count.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There is truly nothing like working a dog though. Even with the
>>>>>> rideshare denials and the airline forms, I have to do it. I have to
>>>>>> try and do my best to make it work. I do plan on asking lots of
>>>>>> questions when I'm there,
>>>>> and
>>>>>> I'm not shy. So hopefully that will help.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm so glad there are so many happy Seeing Eye graduates on this list.
>>>>>> Hearing about your experiences is definitely helping. So thank you,
>>>>>> and thanks for reading.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Julie
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Julie A. Orozco J.D.
>>>>>>
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>>>>>>
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>>>>> .c
>>>>> om
>>>>>
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