[nagdu] getting lost

[Ann Chiappetta]

Hi Marty;
What a good dog! Verona is like Nala, remembering a route or location after 
only one trip to and from. They sure are amazing.

Annie C. & Verona
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mardi Hadfield" <wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 05, 2009 3:44 PM
Subject: [nagdu] getting lost


> Hi every one,    I used to get lost a lot when I actually had more sight
> than I do now. I think it was because I was trying to use the vision I had
> rather than rely on my dog. The echo technique is good for some people, 
> but
> I am deaf in one ear,so even though I can hear the echo or the sound of
> traffic, dog barking,ect., I can't tell where that sound is coming from. I
> hate to go some place that I have never been to before, unless I have some
> one with me as I still get lost some times. If I can't find some to go 
> with
> me, I will ask that some one ,meet me at the bus stop if possible. If I 
> have
> been to a place at least twice, Nala will recognize it and she will keep 
> me
> from getting lost. For a while I used a braille compass and that was a big
> help, but I seem to have lost it now so I really rely on my dog and she 
> does
> keep me from getting lost most of the time. Once I was coming home from a
> friend's new appartment and it was very late at night. I turned down the
> wrong street and got lost.. I finally realized the the dog knows where she
> lives and told Nala to take me home. She did. I don't have a very good 
> sense
> of direction. I think part of it is being deaf in one ear and some brain
> dammage. Before my accident, some times I had trouble finding my way to a
> place, but could always find my way home. This has nothing to do with
> getting lost but, the other day I went to the grocery store and got 
> carried
> away with buying all the stuff I needed. I had more stuff than I could
> saftly carry home on my wheel chair. I had one large bag on my feet, one 
> on
> my lap, one on the back of the chair, and two bags tied on either side of
> the chair. I could not hold the harness handle, because of all the grocery
> bags. I could hold the leash though. Nala has never been trained to leash
> lead, but she did leash lead me home from the store. She stopped at all 
> the
> right places,and she stopped and stepped backwards when a car backed out 
> of
> a driveway. She took me around several paked cars on the side of the 
> street,
> and when a dog ran out of it's yard towards us, she stopped and kept it 
> from
> getting to me as it was barking and growling and lunging. She did not bark
> at the dog , she just kept getting in front of me  so the dog could not 
> get
> to me. The owner came out  and dragged her dog into her house and we
> continued on our way . I hope that Shaman will be at least half as good a
> guide as Nala has been. She has been a very special dog for me.  Have a
> great day,   Mardi and Nala, semi-retired and Shaman gdit
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