[nagdu] My other question:working with a guide dog when you have mobility impairments

[Jewel S.]

Thank you for sharing, and I love your blogs! I am sure your animals
are some of the luckiest in the world. Puff and Shaman and all sound
really great.

Thank you again for sharing, and I really enjoyed reading your blogs
and what you said.

~Jewel

On 4/18/10, Mardi Hadfield <wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com> wrote:
> Jewel, Mardi here. I am a power wheelchair user and I use a guide dog. I
> have had 3 wheelchair guides. All have been owner trained with the help of a
> private trainer.When I became legally blind and needed a guide dog,I was
> told that there were no schools that trained guides for wheelchair users.At
> the time,I already had a service dog.She was a white Siberian Husky named
> Lily. I had Lily trained as a guide with the help of a trainer. Lily died 1
> month after her retirement and then I got another Husky, Nala and trained
> her also with the help of a trainer. I have now retired Nala due to age
> related problems.I now have Shaman,a Belgian Shepherd,also trained with the
> help of a private trainer. I will probably train my next guide as I can not
> travel away from my home to get a school trained dog. Or,maybe by the time I
> need a 4th guide,there will be a school that will be able to home train a
> dog for me.I have enjoyed training my own dogs,but I am now 63 years young
> and It would be nice to finally have a program dog.I find using a dog from a
> wheelchair fairly easy and my dogs are trained to sit if I come to stairs or
> escalators.Shaman will find the elevator for me and he loves to go up in
> them.My dog is also trained to find curb cuts rather than curbs.I can some
> times walk, well hobble,with the aid of a Canadian crutch, for about 10
> minutes using my dog. I can not walk for a long period of  time or very
> fast,but when I use my dog from the chair,we travel fairly fast.I am deaf in
> my right ear and even though I can hear sound,I can not tell where it is
> coming from so I rely on my dog to let me know.I use a halti with my leash
> and it is easier to feel the dog turn his head toward the sound of traffic.I
> think you will find using a guide dog from a wheelchair a lot easier than
> when walking if you have balance and pain issues.It would be nice to be able
> to go both ways if that is what you need. Good luck,and I am sure you will
> be able to find a school that will be able to accommodate your needs.Times
> have changed and I think more schools now realize that people who have more
> than 1 disability,are still capable of using a guide dog.Below,you will find
> the links to my blogs,if you would like to read about the training of
> Shaman,my current guide. The other blog is about my rescued,visually
> impaired Bearded Dragon. Have a great day,Mardi and Shaman and Nala,retired.
>
> --
> http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
> http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com
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