[NAGDU] Seeing Eye

Buddy Brannan buddy at brannan.name
Sat Mar 16 03:12:44 UTC 2024 

It’s by Peter Putnam, and it’s on BARD. A couple recordings of it, in fact. Seeing Eye used to have a plain text version availble. I have it, not sure if it’s still available from TSE as plain text or not.


--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV, WRVB670 - Erie, PA
Email: buddy at brannan.name
Mobile: (814) 431-0962




> On Mar 15, 2024, at 9:12 PM, Lyn Gwizdak via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi guys,
> 
> This is great reading about TSE from many graduates. It was 1993 when the
> first renovation happened. They put a whole new second floor dorm wing
> expanding the number of student rooms so they no longer had to have 2
> people to a room anymore.
> 
> There's a book about the history of TSE called "Love in the Lead: the 50
> year history". Forgot who wrote it.  The book was originally written for
> TSE 50th anniversary. It has been updated since then. It is available at
> the school. If anyone wants to read it, call the school. It may be on BARD
> or from an NLS library for the Blind. I have the print paperback version
> since I can read regular books with my magnifying glasses. There's great
> old photos in it.
> 
> Lyn and Aristotle
> 
> On Fri, Mar 15, 2024, 8:46 AM Vanessa Lowery via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> Dave and I were in class together when he got vanilla. Oh but the story
>> that I can tell about the employee who worked at The Seeing Eye who lost
>> his dog. It's a long story so here goes. David had gone into his room and I
>> guess thought he had put the dog on tiedown. Or at a minimum had closed his
>> door all the way and was just letting the dog hang out in the room. Well,
>> his door was not closed all the way. So unboned Dave, who was beginning to
>> lose his hearing, vanilla snuck out. Vanilla had it into the room of
>> another student (room unoccupied at that moment), and stole that students
>> dogs nail bone.
>> 
>> Vanilla was found by housecleaning staff out in the hallway enjoying said
>> Nyla bone. Dog was collected and handed over to an instructor. Bone was
>> collected and taken down into the office that the instructor used at that
>> time affectionately known as the swamp (Bonnie, you would remember the
>> swamp).
>> 
>> Student and dog and who's running the invasion theft had taken place
>> returned to their room only to find that they couldn't find the not bone.
>> So Joan Markey is summoned to look for the bone in the room. No luck. Joan
>> goes down into the swamp, find an bone that wasn't there before, and
>> determined that it was probably the missing bone.
>> 
>> In the meantime, Dave discovers that he's missing a dog. I was downstairs
>> in the foyer waiting to be picked up to go to church. I hear somebody
>> creeping down the stairs and in a loud whisper calling the dog. Of course,
>> I am sitting in the foyer many many feet away hearing this and quietly
>> laughing. Especially because it was Dave.
>> 
>> Dave disappeared back upstairs, at at some point, he and Van were
>> reunited. Fast-forward to lunchtime. Dave, Joan, and I sat at the same
>> table. Or at least I think Dave was also at the table. Anyway at least most
>> of the involved parties were there, but gosh! That was in 2004. One of us
>> started telling the story from one of the perspectives. I can't even
>> remember which perspective. Missing dog, missing bone, or hearing Dave
>> search for his dog without any luck. As we all told our segments of the
>> story putting the entire situation together, our table was in stitches as
>> we laughed and laughed. One of the funniest memories that I have ever had
>> while at The Seeing Eye!
>> 
>> 
>> Vanessa and the zoo
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Mar 15, 2024, at 2:28 AM, Bonnie Mosen via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I met Mr. Whitstock in my first class. I think he had a Shepherd named
>> Meghan.
>>> I believe he retired not long after that.
>>> Dave Loux is such a nice guy.
>>> He had Abigail when I first met him in 1990.
>>> When I worked at TSE he had Alice and Vanilla. Vanilla was such a sweet,
>> funny dog.
>>> She would steal yvonna's toys, and one day after all the toys were gone
>> she tried to take Yvonna.
>>> I guess she thought the big fluffy golden was a toy dog.
>>> Cheers
>>> Bonnie and Eclipse
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Joy via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Friday, March 15, 2024 11:25 AM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: joy.relton at icloud.com
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye
>>> 
>>> Oh yes, If I'm not mistaken he once had a Saluki which is an Egyptian
>> dog, I think.
>>> 
>>> Also do you remember Mr. Whitstock? For those who don't know these
>> gentlemen, I believe were some of the first blind employees at The Seeing
>> Eye. Of course, there have been and are others.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Margo Downey via
>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 1:01 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
>>> 
>>> Oh, I remember Zilla and David. Awesome people.
>>> 
>>> Margo and Tami
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Buddy
>> Brannan via NAGDU
>>> Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 3:50 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Cc: Buddy Brannan
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye
>>> 
>>> Zilla was a sweetheart. Maybe retired when I got Chet, but even if she
>> wasn’t, she was definitely in evidence and was absolutely delightful. And
>> yeah, David Loux. Great guy.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV, WRVB670 - Erie, PA
>>> Email: buddy at brannan.name
>>> Mobile: (814) 431-0962
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Mar 14, 2024, at 2:33 PM, Vanessa Lowery via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I never met more Frank, but my best friend in North Carolina (my home
>> state) did get to meet him. Did Krokus was there when I was in training
>> with my first dog in 1982. So was Dan Booke pronounced Booker). I never
>> worked with Roger Taylor in class. Nor did I do so with Gary Matoon. But I
>> did get to know both of them. Gary was a hoot, and I must confess, I never
>> was one of the victims of a Roger Taylor prank, but I'm sure that he could
>> be quite ingenious about it. An and then there was absolutely sweet,
>> gracious ROBERT Woodstock. What a gentleman. and David Loux. And for us
>> dinosaurs, how many of you remember the person on the housekeeping staff,
>> zilla husbands. She had the most wonderful laugh, so we would all do
>> anything to get her to laugh. And then there was Paul Parsley, the school
>> mom! You either loved her or hated her, but you grew to respect her.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Vanessa and the zoo
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>>>> On Mar 14, 2024, at 1:57 PM, 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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>>>>> 
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