[nagdu] Trice Update

Wed Dec 9 05:48:55 UTC 2009

Oh!  I get it.  You're answering another post from someone else.  It's late,
and it took me a minute.

Even though I am not the one you were asking, I will say that your
stick-to-it-iveness is a good quality in a guide dog user.  And it does
sound to me like you're learned a lot from your experiences with Trice and
your previous dog (wasn't it Myrtle?).  No matter how much publicity blather
there is about how a precious guide dog gives us confidence and dignity, the
truth is that learning to travel with one day in, day out is a learning
experience.  I'm always really struck by the long-time guide dog users who
describe their learning experience with their 5th or 7th or whatever guide
dog.  And by the long-time guide dog users who have had mahy successful
partnerships who can also describe their bad matches and the pain of having
to retire a dog because it just wasn't working.  That was a real help to me
during Mitzi's guide dog training and the team building process that
followed.  She's turned out pretty great, and the things that used to worry
me quite a lot hav smoothed out, but I went through quite a few months where
every little thing would send me into fits in case it meant she just wasn't
going to work out...  I thought it was just me as a first-time guide dog
user and owner-trainer, but now I realize that it comes with territory.
/smile/

Only you can decide whether guide dog use is right for you.  Despite the
difficulties you've had, you're willing to give it another go because you
prefer that method of travel.  And you've demonstrated you're willing to
deal with and learn from some of the, er, hassles that go with having a
guide dog.

One of my friends who is a new guide dog user was a disgusted as just about
anybody about the whole "guide dogs give blind people confidence and
dignity" PR schtick.  And especially the "blind people can't go out the door
without one of our dogs" routine!

Now that she has a dog, we like to let each other know when one of our dogs
does something completely embarrassing.  Yup!  Good thing I have a dog to
give me dignity!  /lol/  Or there's the self-confidence that comes from
realizing that *everyone* knows your dog's name...  But they've never
actually noticed you were tagging along with her.  /grin/  I answer to "Hi,
Mitz!" shouted from an open car window now.

Anyway, that's just a silly side to having a guide dog.  There's the really
great side like hard traffic checks and the like, like whizzing past all
those obstacles you would have to explore a way around with your cane,
finding the restroom (a big one for sure!), and all the useful things they
do to compensate for the 2 degree midnight potty because they got into
something they shouldn't...  /grin/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Lora
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 2:22 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Trice Update

The times when the dogs have stopped when a very quiet car went in front of
me. The dogs going around obstacles and traveling faster in a black than
with a cane. Do you disagree with me? Do you think that i am not a good
candidate for a dog? This isn't meant defensively at all.

On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 8:56 AM, Pickrell, Rebecca M (IS) <
REBECCA.PICKRELL at ngc.com> wrote:

> Laura,
> If you don't mind sharing, I'm wondering what leads you to feel that a
> guide dog is right for you. You've had two lemmons, put way more work
> into both dogs then I'd have done given what you've written on list, and
> taken time out of your life to get these dogs. What is it that drives
> you to continue?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
> Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 11:26 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Trice Update
>
> Hi Lora.
> I'm sorry to hear that Trice will not work out, but I'm sure you made
> the
> right decision.  You gave it a good try and made your best effort.  I'm
> sure you will both be happier this way.
> I gotta admire your stick-to-itiveness.  I think if I'd had all the
> problems with my first 2 dogs that you've had, I'd have given up this
> guide dog business as a bad deal.
> Good luck.  I hope third time is the charm.
> Tracy
>
>
> > Due to my and leader Dogs decision we decided to retire Trice and send
> him
> > back to Leader Dogs. His fear issues have put me into too many
> dangerous
> > situations. Now I must consider a new school for I feel that guide
> work is
> > still right for me and that I have just got bad matches with not good
> > enough
> > training for the real world.
> >
> > --
> > Lora and Trice
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
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-- 
Lora and Trice
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