Walking with my Guide Dog Pony

It's hard to believe I've beeann here 5 days already. I had 2 walks in downtown San Rafael today, this morning and afternoon. My little Melanie is a dynamo on our walks. I wanted a peppy dog because I'm a fast walker and once we get going, we're flying down the sidewalks. As soon as there's any obstruction or problem she slows down and carefully guides me around it and then we pick up our pace again. It's absolutely terrific. She stops at every street curb and waits for the proper command to go. Right now we're back in our room and she's on her mat on tie-down next to the head of my bed and she's chewing on a brand-new nyla bone and having a ball. I really believe we'll be best friends for a long time.

Talk to you later.

Correction to Thursday's Blog

You know I'm working hard because I said I had a petite 158 lb. Lab. She is reallShe'y only 58 pounds. That one I can handle. Well, I'm getting ready to go out and relieveMelanie for the 4th or 5th time today. She's worth it.

Sorry I'm Late

Today is Thursday and I'm sitting here with my new Guid Dog. Her anme is Melanie, she's a petite 21", 158 lb., black, female Lab. She's adorable. I've had to use GDB's computer because the no one's wireless laptops are connecting to the Internet. They're working on it but I don't when my next blog will be.

This is a wonderful experience at GDB. The instructors are great, the food is great and the students are great. You can see I'm having a wonderful time; but, there's work from morning to night. So, it's not just fun and games.

I send out my thanks to my BVIC O&M instructor especially, because without her help with the Juno harness and O&M, I'd be up a creek. Hopefully, I'll get another chance to blog before too long.

THIS IS IT!

Yikes!! The final night before I go to GDB tomorrow. I'm so glad it's finally here so I can stop cleaning floors, mirrors, clothes, organizing cat menus and cat sitter, packing/unpacking/packing again. I'm about as ready as I can be. Actually, it was good to have so much to do with all this nervous energy building up. Now my husband can have the cats all to himself, etc. I feel like I'm going to the hospital to have a baby. In a way, I am.

Again, I want to thank everyone at the BVIC for their support because without their encouragement, enthusiasm, and training, I don't see how this new life change would have happened. Tomorrow at this time, I'll be in my room trying to unpack all that stuff. Yah, I'm Happy!!

The Final Call

The GDB training staff called this afternoon and we talked on speaker phone. There will be 9 students at this session (a normal number), 3 of whom are first time dog handlers (like me) and 5 who are returning for new dogs, with 1 slot yet to be filled. I'll have 4 trainers, but 1 main trainer for the first few weeks and the others will become involved when specific issues of training arises. She asked if I'd object to using a blindfold during some sessions and I sad I did not and had worked with my O&M instructor under blindfold with the cane. She asked about specific areas I'd like to work on and what was the ideal dog I saw in my mind. I told her a 50 lb. shiny black female Lab who is energetic but socialized to cats. She said she was furiously writing down my wishes, but also asked that if it turned out I was more suited to a yellow male lab, would I object. I told her no, that all along what I was looking for was a dog who could work with me and who I could work with. She also asked if I'd have a problem with a dog that had been reissued (one that had been returned due to some problem the handler was having). I told her no, but that I would hope that the dog wasn't the problem, just the handler. She said they don't reissue problem dogs and, that, in fact, they can be better Guide Dogs than one that is brand new.

She said that the first 2 days would be introduction to the campus and some lectures, but the Day 3 is when I meet my dog. My ANTICIPATION METER is Really High!

Bolts, Buckets and Light

Today, 3 eye bolts were placed for tie down areas, 2 inside and 1 outside. I also got a solar powered flood light with motion detector, as that side of the house where the dog will be relieving is totally dark, especially this time of year when it gets dark even earlier. I got a bucket with a lid for food storage and one when the dog "poops" it out again. So much fun!

GDF Nurse Called

I received a call from one of GDB's nursing staff members, following up on my medical history submitted by my doctor months ago. They need to check to be sure nothing new has cropped up since that report, which hasn't. Every time I have contact with someone at GDB, I'm impressed at how friendly, supportive, knowledgeable they are. As soon as she called, it was like talking to an old friend. Besides medical issues, we discussed the dogs, her new puppy, and the fact that they have a cat who lives in the dog kennel so that the dogs will become socialized to cats, which is very important to me because I have two cats. She said when the dog comes home, the dog will probably be as calm as can be around the cats; it's the cats who will be going Crazy for a while, but she said in time everyone will settle into a new comforable routine.

She complimented me on how healthy I was based on the report and my response and also let me know there is a Yoga class once a week, as well as a massage therapist for hire. Well, that sounds like just what I'm going to need after all that walking and trianing and lectures.