Meeting a Guide Dog on the Rec Trail

Today, was a truly lovely day; although the sky was overcast, normal for July, we met a lovely couple walking toward us on the Recreation Trail. The lady acted as "sighted guide, even though her husband had his Guide Dog on leash with the harness lying flat on the dog's back. As we approached each other, my husband naturally reached out to say hello to the couple and the woman said to her husband before we met, "I think I know that man". I'm not sure if she really had ever met him, but we got to talking about Guide Dogs. He had a yellow 8 year old Lab, a real mellow sweet dog. He quietly told her to sit, then touched her ear and she lay down. She was so mannered. He said this was his third dog and all three he'd gotten at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael. They were both very enthusiastic that I was going there, feeling it was a very positive environment. We didn't talk too long, but she did say over the years they have not discouraged people, especially children, to come up to the dog as they felt people needed to learn more about blindness and Guide Dogs. It certainly gave me more inspiration to my Great Adventure!

Training My Cat Like a Guide Dog?

I decided to train my cat, Minime, to find food items I drop on the kitchen floor, like a frozen pea or corn. She used to go right to them because she's always hanging around the kitchen during meal preparation. Well, as soon as she found something, I'd praise and rub her but didn't give her any special treats. Because she likes to eat too much, I try to be careful of her diet; however, after a while she wouldn't go right to the food item, she'd just sit and stare at it andwatch me try to find it by myself. After hearing how Guide Dogs are trained to perform certain actions with praise and one small kibble treat, I decided to try it on Minime. Well, it's been working like a charm; every time somethng falls from the kitchen counter, she runs right to it, sits there and waits for her praise and one bite of her kibble. Now, she's running all over the house looking for things to bring me. This girl can't get enough treats!

Dog 101 (TV Series)

I've started recording and watching Animal Planet's TV series Dogs 101. It showcases various breeds, including the Labrador which is widely used in Guide Dog work. Today, was a real fun show because it focuses on Lab pups from the time they're born to when one was adopted at about 8 weeks of age. They're so darling, it would be fun to start off with a pup. Of course, I'm lucky not to have to go through the usual puppy problems, chewing shoes, clothes, and the inevitable "accidents". But the program had a real positive spin and was follow up by another program which focused on the adult Lab, mainly what a loving, eager to please animal it is plus being a quick learner. I'm sure going to need that part of it.

My Million Dollar Guide Dog

Well, this will be a really pampered Guide Dog. We've replaced 3 carpeted rooms with bamboo flooring, while the rest of the house has tile floors, except for one room. I've got one corner of our bedroom already set aside for the "Dog" and will be starting to place tie down hooks at various locations in the house so that it just can't wander around and scare the cats. And to top it off, we now have the whole half of our back yard, which was just full of weeks and diret, covered in artificial turf. They say dogs love it and I believe they must, because it feels so soft and looks like grass. He/she should have a great time back there during play time and when it rains the dog won't be running arond in the mud. Certainly, all of this improves our home value, but really it should improve the Guide Dog's disposition. The cats aren't too happy about losing all that carpet they were clawing up, NOW WE HAVE TO GET ANOTHER CAT TREE!.

Meeting a Lab on the Rec Trail

Today, while walking on the Rec Trail, we met a woman and her husband who has a pet Labrador Retriever and a Golden Retriever. We stopped and chatted and when we mentioned I would be getting a Guide Dog from GDB in San Rafael she just lit up. She said she had been an ophthamologist and knew of my RP eye condition. She said they were a great organization and that it was her understanding most of the dogs they use are coss-breeds of labs and golden retrievers. Her lab appeared to be an older dog and, true to the breed, very calm. The golden retriever was already far ahead of us, so I didn't make its acquaintance. She wished me luck and was glad I was so happy about the prospect of getting a Guide God. Me Too!

Guide Dog and Cupcakes

I had a training session yesterday with my O&M instructor using the "Juno" dog handle. My husband thought it would be a good idea if while on my walk (blindfolded) that I should stop at the new cupcake boutique and bring back a box of their cupcakes. I'm thinking this should be interesting, considering that when I get a Guide Dog I will probably be going to a store now and then and need to figure out howto carry things back with me while using my left hand to hold the handle and leash and my right hand as a directional sginal for the dog. Well, it turned out quite interesting, more like a TV sitcom. My instructor was holding the cupcake I bought for her while I was balancing the box of cupcakes in my right hand. Obviously, no hand signals could be given so I used verbal commands as far as I could. Finally, we just dropped the handle and walked back to my house. This is obviously something I need to work with the GDB instructors. I mean, really, who doesn't need cupcakes?

A Happy Ending

I finished listening to Tom Sullivan's story (with narration by Tom and Betty White) about his "Leading Lady", Dinah, his first Guide Dog. One of his stories told how he went swimming and how Dinah helped save his life after he got in trouble. Guide Dogs are not trained to guard or protect the handler, other than the usual hazards of finding curbs, steps and doorways. Tom knew that his Golden Retriever was a natural swimmer and the only thing he could of was to tell her to find the stairs, the door, anything to get her attention. She did realize his situation and swam over to him and led him to safety. She literally saved hts life that day. I can't imagine that happening to me unless I fall off a boat but like to think there'dbe a way to communicate a harrowing situation in Guide Dog language. I'm prepared that it may never happen the way it did for Tom; I'm just looking for a dog to warn me of overhanging branches and high curbs.

Well, we just finished celebrating July 4th, Independence Day, and made me think that the life I'm embarking on now with a Guide Dog is my Independence Day!

Leading Lady (a lovely Guide Dog story)

A fellow board member (also legally blind) loaned me a audio tape narrated by Tom Sullivan and his friend Betty White (you know, one of the Golden Girls on TV). I haven't quite finished the story, but it's a heartfelt story of Tome Sullivan's first guide dog, Dinah, and how he learned to respect and love her. Tom had been blind all his life and had learned to use a white cane proficiently; however, a friend suggested he could have more freedom of movement, especially as he was such an athlete, actor, traveler, singer, and many other wonderful things, including a husband and father of two children. Tom didn't have any formal dog traiing skills when he got Dinah back in the late 70's, so he really didn't think of her as so much as a companion and friend as just a dog who'd walk him where he wanted to go. After one especially grueling sojourn, where he ended up being knocked down by a bicyclist and getting lost, his friend realized he needed more help with the dog, especially since Dinah ran the other way when he wanted to go out again. Well, things finally settled down and she became his loving companion for almost 10 years, when her age started to catch up with her and he asked his friend, Betty White, to adopt her, as he knew Betty had a couple of dogs and a cat and was very much into animal rights. At first she was hesitant to take another animal, but when Dinah came to her home, it seemed they both knew it was the right thing to do. Tom had gotten a new dog and Dinah could finally relax, even though there was some understandable jealousy of some other dog taking over role. I'm looking forward to the next part of the story.

Parallel & Perpendicular - What's that got to do with a Guide Dog

My O&M instructor has been working with me on listening to the parallel and perpendicular sounds of traffic. What does that mean? If a person is legally or totally blind, usualy the only way to know when it's safe to cross a street is to listen to the pattern of the traffic. If I want to cross a street the traffic traveling from left to right and vice/versa is my perpendicular and the traffic on my left or right is my parallel. Even with a Guide Dog it is important to learn the sounds when the traffic starts up at a light or stop sign letting you know that it's safe to cross. A Guide Dog cannot read the street lights or signs so I have to know so I can tell the dog when it's safe to cross. Fortunately, the dog's instinct for survival may kick in if I give the wrong signal to start when it really is unsafe and may not continue to cross the street. That's still safer than me just taking a chance on my own and getting flattened.