[nagdu] Guide Horse, was: Have to Ask

[Ann Edie]

Hi, Tami,

Hey, I used to have dreams about going somewhere with my guide dog, like to 
work, and then leaving without the dog!  Don't know how that would happen 
though, as I wouldn't get too far without my dog (or my cane, which was 
never in evidence in any of those dreams either.)

But then, I used to have the same sort of dreams when my kids were young, 
that I had taken my baby somewhere, like to the park, and then just left and 
forgotten all about the baby!  I don't know if that was a parent's worst 
nightmare or perhaps a wish fulfilment dream.  But unlike my parents, I 
don't think I ever did actually leave one of my kids behind.  My parents had 
nine of us to keep track of, and one of my brothers had the knack of 
disappearing just when we were about to leave some place.  He got left 
behind at the beach once when he was about 5 years old.  Nobody noticed 
until we were on the road for about 5 minutes.  We used to put as many of 
the little boys as possible in the back of the station wagon and let them 
fight it out among themselves.

So that's why school teachers always count heads before allowing the bus to 
start when they're returning from field trips, it's considered poor form to 
leave a student behind on a field trip, especially to the zoo!

I've had lots of dreams involving Panda.  But she is always being her cute, 
smart self.  Sometimes I dream that she is curled up at the foot of my bed, 
which is interesting because I never let my dogs on my bed.  Once I dreamed 
that my full-sized Arabian horse, Magnat, was curled up on my bed, on the 
second floor of my parents' house!  In the dream, I was concerned about how 
I was going to get him to go back down the stairs.  But he just walked down 
the stairs like he had been doing it all his life.

Dreams are certainly very interesting.  They reveal what we are wishing for, 
and what we fear, and sometimes it's hard to know whether a particular dream 
is one or the other.

Best,
Ann

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Horse, was: Have to Ask


> Hey, ann!
>
> I had one of those "guide dog creating fracas" dreams last night, 
> involving
> a convention, a large, luxurious airplane, and a really funky hotel that 
> may
> or may not have been the plane.  I could not keep Mitzi from disappearing
> for more than a second, and there were tons of people around to tell me 
> how
> important it is to keep my dog under control...  Oh, how I love those
> dreams.  Not!  /grin/  Anyway, it got very confusing when she turned into 
> a
> grey pony that was still acting like the world's worst poodle.  /lol/ 
> Don't
> know where that one came from, but when I remembered it after I woke up, I
> thought of you.  If I ever do decide to go guide-horse, I really hope I 
> end
> up with a Panda-type pony, not that snotty grey thing of my dream!
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Ann Edie
> Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 1:41 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] Guide Horse, was: Have to Ask
>
> Hi, Nicole,
>
> I guess that would be me, Ann Edie, and my miniature horse guide, Panda.
> Panda has been my guide for almost six years now, since the summer of 
> 2003.
>
> I'm not sure exactly what you mean by the differences in behavior between
> guide dogs and miniature horse guides, but Panda performs all the same 
> guide
>
> tasks as a well-trained guide dog does.  The care of a miniature horse is
> generally similar to that of a dog--feeding, grooming, relieving, and
> providing exercise, mental stimulation, and companionship.  Some of the
> details are different, of course, due to the different species.
>
> As far as access issues are concerned, I have had very few instances of
> reluctance on the part of business operators to allow me into their
> facilities with my guide horse.  The exception has been one of the major
> guide dog training programs and airlines.
>
> The major differences between working with a guide horse and a guide 
> dog--I
> worked with 3 guide dogs before getting Panda--from my point of view, are
> that I never have to worry about Panda bolting off to chase a cat or other
> animal, and that I can expect my partnership with Panda to go on getting
> deeper and more wonderful for decades to come.
>
> I'm happy to answer any other questions you have about working or living
> with a guide horse.
>
> Best,
> Ann
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Nicole B. Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, May 25, 2009 4:11 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] Have to Ask
>
>
>> It has come up twice recently and I can't help but asking.  Who owns the
>> guide horse?  I would be interested in knowing more, especially how the
>> behavior, care, and access issues compare to those of a dog.
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