[nagdu] Why, or why not?

Sat Jun 20 16:24:13 UTC 2015

Daniel, I go new places with my dog wwhenever I want to do it.  Some
people use a cane too in this situation to help explore the new area.
I do not.  I focus very hard on all the information I get from my
environment.  I also use a GPS of some type to give me additional
information.  If I use sighted assistance I make sure I know the
person very well and trust the information that person gives me.  I
think you asked a great question.

On 6/20/15, daniel via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Thank you all for all the input! One thing that I've knowticed is that the
> overall feeling that the public asks too many questions. I think it's
> probably because I'm pretty straight forward and say what I'm thinking. So
> if they do get on my nerves (unlikely) they'll know. But I do generally
> enjoy educating the public so that's not an issue for me. Even though I
> have
> had a dog (all be it shortly) in the past another thing I'm worried about
> is
> exploring new places from time-to-time. When I got my first seeing eye Dog
> the first 2 months or so back home I didn't really want to try exploring
> new
> places without someone sighted to at least have had seen roughly the area I
> would be going so I could know kinda sorta what to expect (it should be
> noted that at that time I had just moved into a new apartment so I had to
> learn new places). But after that initial 2 or 3 month period is when my
> dog
> started having issues with vehicles so I tried my hardest to avoid any type
> of transportation therefore I didn't really get to go new places. Anyway,
> the upshot of this is this: I feel that some people really push me to only
> stay on routes I know unless I have sighted assistance that can help me
> with
> a otherwise unseen route. This just doesn't mesh with me though; I like to
> get out and find something new from time-to-time, maybe go walking downtown
> and find a new place to eat at (Austin has a lot of amazing restaurants).
> So
> I'm kinda curious about what yalls thoughts are on going new places with
> your dog? What do you do in this situation if maybe sighted assistance just
> isn't available? I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone that has
> decided that a dog just really isn't for you and the reasoning behind it. I
> know that isn't related to this topic so if you want, you can email me at:
> Gutz2020 at gmail.com
> Thanks a bunch,
> Dan G!!!
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Star Gazer via
> nagdu
> Sent: Friday, June 19, 2015 6:11 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: Star Gazer
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why, or why not?
>
> 				Daniel,
> I'd suggest that if your previous dog shed *that* much, then she had a
> medical issue, I'd guess hypothyroidism(sp?) I had a dog like this, and I
> didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that I would cringe because I
> heard "You need to brush that dog more" and I could have brushed her
> literally all day everyday and still gotten lots of hair out.
> I did take her to the vet and they swore up and down she was healthy...
> because the school wouldn't send "you home with an unhealthy dog". This was
> nearly twenty years ago, and I lacked the resources to dig into what was
> really going on. I still feel a little guilty about that.
> Now that we've gotten the shedding licked (sorry I had to go there) what
> are
> your other concerns? I ask because you're not wrong for having them. I no
> longer use a dog, and you aren't wrong if you decide you don't want to.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of daniel via nagdu
> Sent: Friday, June 19, 2015 12:05 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: daniel
> Subject: [nagdu] Why, or why not?
>
> Hey guys, I haven't posted to the list in a while mainly because I don't
> have my dog anymore; she was terrified of cars and couldn't do work
> properly
> because of it. I know this is going to come off a bit negatively but I
> don't
> mean it that way: I feel as if, guide dog users we have a tendency to extol
> the greatness of using a guide dog, we always say how amazing it is and
> wonderful having one by our side is but I feel that the cons aren't ever
> really discussed. I retired my dog roughly a year ago and, at the time, it
> was pretty tramatic (I literally cried for like an hour at a time). I'm now
> really contemplating going back to The Seeing Eye again and am really
> honestly wondering what kind of cons or negative things yall have ran into
> while using a dog? I know there is a huuuge range of people from just
> starting out to have had a dog for the past 20 years so I feel like I can
> get some really good feedback. I know one for me was (and this may sound
> odd
> or vain) was excessive shedding. I could brush and comb Irene for 30-45
> minutes every evening and morning and yet, every time I got in a car there
> would be fur everywhere and when I vacuumed I could've probably made a
> pillow every time. I have literally never in my life seen a dog shed as
> much
> as that and am quite frankly not sure where all the fur came from off a 45
> pound dog. However, I think I could deal with it again if I were to get
> another guide dog; I would just have to get even better at managing. I have
> a few others but I'm wondering what are some for yall?
>
> Again, I really am not trying to be negative just really trying to get the
> whole story.again.
>
> I'm also (obviously) trying to decide if I want to go back again (that's a
> whole other post though, I think). I'm also not really trying to say (nor
> do
> I want yet another debate) that canes are better than dogs or vice versa.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dan.
>
>
>
> P.s: This is a sort of spinoff from "would I ever give up having a dog?"
>
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-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053