[nagdu] should guides be given a second owner if it doesn't work out with the first owner?

[Kolby Garrison]

I am working with my first dog, and she was a reissue. I love her, and
I do not regret for one second accepting a reissue. Will our working
relationship be shorter than it would have been had I been matched
with a younger dog? Yes, but I would not trade Sunny. Dogs have
habbits, like humans have habbits. My guide dog program got it right
when they matched me with my golden girl. The transition time that you
experienced with your dog would occur with any dog. It took about a
year for Sunny and I to become in tune with each other. I have off
days, moments, etc. She has off days, moments, etc. We have off days,
moments, etc simultaneously. That is part of working with a dog. I do
know that I will not ever use the cane as my primary mobility aid
again, because partnering with a Guide Dog is 100% what I prefer. Like
others have said, our dogs are not robots programmed to follow
commands and be perfect. They are living beings with their own minds
and abilities. Every dog is different, and every handler is different.
I am enjoying reading this discussion.
Kolby

On 4/14/11, PICKRELL, REBECCA M (TASC) <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com> wrote:
> Hard to say.
> You're the one that is choosing to live with this dog. I say it this way
> because it is a choice. If these issues are too much for you to deal with,
> then you need another dog. We all have our breaking points and those points
> are different for each situation.
> None of my dogs were reissues. They both had habbits I needed to deal with,
> some by making them go away, some by learning to live with.
> I think, given that this is how you feel, you need to think long and hard
> about the value you are getting from the relationship. Why do you love your
> dog? Has he changed your life in good ways or bad ways? Maybe some of both?
>
> Seriously, ask yourself these hard questions and really listen to the
> answers.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Brittney N. Mejico
> Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 6:20 PM
> To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
> Subject: [nagdu] should guides be given a second owner if it doesn't work
> out with the first owner?
>
> Hello all,
> My dog had another handler before me.  I don’t think that guides should be
> given another handlerbecause the dog picksup a lot of bad habits and they
> are  really hard to get rid of.  I love my  dog very muchand harvard has
> changed my life, but it took me a year to stop a lot of her bad habbits, and
> we still have some work to do.  What do you guys think? am I over reacting?
>
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