Guide Dogs, Service Dogs and You

What’s a service dog you ask? Well it’s a dog that has been professionally trained to provides a service like a Hearing Ear Dog alerts it’s handler to sounds that they don’t hear like a door bell or phone ring. Guide dogs are service dogs because they have been professionally trained to guide a blind or visually impaired handler.

What can I do when I come across a service dog?

The first thing is greet the handler, not the dog. The dog is quite busy doing it’s job and really shouldn’t be distracted by a petting, or coo’s and oos and awws thrown in thier direction. Distracting a service dog by reaching out for it while the dog is actively working can put the team at risk so focus on the handler.

A lot of people have a natural desire to pet a service dog. Each handler has their own way of handing this. The best thing to do is ask first. Some handlers will ask you to wait until they get the dog seated quietly before you can pet them. This way the dog is not having to focus on the handler and can focus on you for the petting. If however they handler says no not right now please don’t take it personally.

There are many reasons why a handler may say no. In my case it’s often when I am in a hurry and don’t have the time to properly spend for a petting session. Other time’s I will say no because the dog is being disciplined for something and I am trying to get the dog back on track by taking away a distraction. Sometimes dogs have bad days just liek we do and they themselves don’t like to be petted so it’s up to me to know this as the handler.

If people ask me first I am more likely to grant a petting session. If they don’t they are told quite bluntly that they are not to pet the dog while it’s working. I need to be blunt sadly because, often a no is not heard when it comes to the dog. If you touch the dog you are actually touching an extention of me and I will let you know it’s not welcome. Petting a guide dog or any oter service dog is not a right, it’s a privilege.

Sadly I have had some close calls due to people petting my guide dogs while they are actively working, even when we are on the move. One person felt it was ok to step in front of me while I was walking and my guide was guiding and reach down to pet her. Of course I ran into them. Guess who got in trouble. Me! for running into this person.

What should I do when I come across a guide dog team when I’m driving?

Treat the team like any other pedestrian.

One common thing I come across is drivers who wave me on.  Think this through lol. You have a blind person at the street corner and you are waving them on. I”m not going to see the hand or any other gestures when being waved on. Honking is also fruitless or yelling through the window. I”m busy listening for traffic to flow so the horn will get ignored while I assess traffic.

Can Guide Dogs play with any other dogs?

Not while working or in harness. It’s a good idea to not bring your dog up to a guide dog while it’s working. My biggest pet peeve are the little dogs that get out of the house and start jumping all over my guide dog and the owner says ” aww isn’t that cute.. she really likes your dog”. Or bigger problem yet are puppies not on a leash doing the same thing and the owner has no clue that hte dog should be under control at all times like being on a leash.

This is serious business when dealing with other dogs. Dogs don’t always like each other and attacks are sadly common because the proper care isn’t taken to keep them apart while out in public. Three of my Five guide dogs have ben attacked by other dogs. I”m a little guarded around other dogs near my service dog. It’s not a laughing matter. Attacks are on the rise now with the introduction of fake service dogs out there who are not properly trained to deal with other dogs or to even do a job yet it’s inssited they be allowed where ever other service dogs are at. I”ll write more about this at a later date. It’s a heated topic with many sides to it.

In the mean time it’s wise to keep the dogs seperte when a service dog is actively working and they have thier working gear on.

Guide Dog Facts

At the time of writing this I have been handling guide dogs for over 20 years now. In my travels I have been asked a lot of questions from the public. Here I”ll address some of the most common questions I get asked.

What is a Guide Dog?

A guide dog is a dog that has been professionally trained to guide a blind or visually impaired person from point A to point B through the use of a harness. The dog walks slightly ahead of the person and moves along a straight line around objects to a destination. The person (handler) uses the harness to feel the dogs movements and follows the dog.

Can guide dogs read traffic lights and signs?

No. It is the handlers job to know when it’s time to cross a street. the handler listens for the flow of traffic and gives the dog the cue to cross.

How long does a guide dog work for?

That all depends on the dog and the situation that it’s in. The average working span is about 8 years give or take a couple of years. Each dog’s situation is different. and it’s health, work circumstances and environment can play a role in how long a dog works for.

What happens to the dog when they can no longer be a guide dog?

Guide dogs retire after they have been working. They can either stay with the handler and live out their retirement or they are placed in retirement homes where they get to be a pet dog for the rest of their lives.

Why don’t you keep your dogs when they retire?

Many guide dog handlers choose to keep their working dogs after they retire but a larger number do not. People are quite surprised by that. I choose not to keep my dogs for several reasons. The most important one is financial. The cost of two large dogs can be high especially when you have an older dog and a younger working dog in the house. I don’t have the space for 2 large dogs. The other important factor is loyalties. When you retire an established working dog and then bring a new one into the house, the older one can have trouble watching the new dog go out with the handler and enjoy all the attention that a guide dog requires. Imagine you worked at a job for 30 years and then all of a sudden a newer younger coworker comes in and fills your shoes and you have to stay and watch that. Kinda the same thing. I think my dogs deserve the best life can offer in a retirement home that can give them all they need and then some.

When does a guide dog get to be a dog?

When the guide dog is at home and the harness is off, they can play and run and have fun like a regular dog. Play time is encouraged when off duty. A guide dog like any good pet dog must also mind proper house rules though to help them stay well rounded for work.

Can the guide dog go with you where ever you go?

Yes. a guide dog can go every where I go. As long as the dog is wearing it’s harness and I have our Identification car I can take the dog anywhere the public has access to. There are some common sense places I don’t take my dog though, like to a zoo or an open air kitchen or certain wards in a hospital for obvious reasons.

How Did I Get My Guide Dogs ?

Deciding to get a guide dog is one thing, actually going about getting one is an entirely different matter and it can be a very long process. You are going to need patience and diligence to keep going with it and be willing to wait.

When I first decided to get a dog the process took about 6 months to about a year. In some cases it took longer. Why so long you ask? Well it depends on a number of factors like; current waiting lists at the various schools for dogs, dog availability at different schools, and how quickly I could get the paperwork in accurately.

Where does one start to get a dog?

First, I did my homework. I did a lot of research into different schools. I started locally and then I went online and did google searches, went to forums and talked to folks who have gotten a service dog, I talked to folks I knew that got a dog and asked how they got thier dogs. I asked about the schools they went to and what it was like. I also asked questions about what it was like to have a guide dog and what it means to have one. Getting a guide dog is truly a life altering event so the amount of work you put into the research and the effort into learning about what it means to have a guide dog will benefit you as you move through the journey to getting one.

Second, after narrowing down which schools I liked I made some phone calls to the schools to ask questions about their process for enrollment and about the training process.

Third, I filled in a number of applications to the schools I and followed their protocol to apply. Pay close attention to what the school requires because they can be different

Fourth, I waited and there was a lot of waiting involved. Waiting for phone calls, for forms to come back, and for the next steps in the protocols.

While I waited I learned about the laws in my area and my country. Each country and even provinces/terrirotires within a country has it’s own access laws so it’s wise to learn about them early.

I also started exercising. Living a Guide dog lifestyle requires you to be in shape so start right from the beginning and keep going even long after you get your dog.

Cane Versus Guide Dog

When deciding to get a guide dog, there are many things to consider.  Which is better for you, a cane or a guide dog all depends on your preferences, situation and abilities.  The first thing to look at is how you prefer to navigate the world.  Do you prefer to have a tactile touch to your world through a cane or do you prefer the convenience of fluent motion of movement.

In my case I preferred the fluent motion of movement.  The cane for me hindered my movement especially in the winter.  the cane got stuck in cracks in the side walk, on the grass and even other objects.  With a dog I don’t have to worry about how close I was to objects because the dog looks after that for me.  I can weave in and out of objects, and cracks in the sidewalk easily with a dog who does the work of clearing both sides of my body and in some cases my forehead as well.

The disadvantage of a dog is if you have no vision or very poor vision you loose the connection to the surroundings.  Those who prefer the cane say tehy like knowing that’s under them before they step and they like the tactile clues they get to help them navigate the world like a curb ahead of them.

Canes are great because you don’t have to pick up after them.  That means you don’t have to go out side with them in the dead of winter to relieve them or to pick up after them.  You don’t need a yard or extra space for it or worry about feeding it.  Having said that, having to do those things adds to the quality of life.  There is something to take care of and care for.  That creates part of he rhythm of a guide dog team.  That sense of purpose and reason to get up in the morning.

I find with a cane folks tend to steer clear of me.  With a dog they draw near.  People will do anything to get near them and will do anything to cater to them.  That is a door that opens on it’s own with a dog.  It’s hard to isolate when there is a dog in the picture and with a dog I am never truly alone.

 

Niecy is Next

At the time of writing this, Niecy is my current guide dog.  She has been with me for 4 years now and we have been a “dream team” the whole time.  She is number five.  She came to me after a very long wait between dogs after Felice passed away.  She came at a time I was still struggling from Felice’s loss.  Niecy came to me through Guide Dogs for the Blind.  Guide Dogs for the Bllind

Even after all these years I still feel the loss like it was yesterday but Niecy has been my saving grace.  She brought my spark back to me in ways I never knew possible.  Losing a guide dog is really intense like most losses are but there is a thread that runs deep in a guide dog team that isn’t typically there in a pet/owner relationship, and that’s the dependency you develop.  Kind of like a co-dependancy of sorts.

Niecy brought back for me the rythm I had missed in being in a working team,  Being able to go out without being so exhausted all the time.  She helped bring back the confidence I had been lacking for so long and the desire to get out and do things.

Looking back on our first meeting I remember she took my breath away.  I remember thinking that she was an old soul.  She had an air about her that was all knowing but yet innocent at the same time if that even makes sense.  She came into the room and came right u to me and instantly starting licking my hands and leaning agains’t me.  Our meeting was that dream meeting I had been looking for.  When the trainer left the room she stopped and looked briefly in her direction then continued to lick my hands and climb on me.  It was a grand meeting and one I treasure.

The Big Decision

One problem with being between dogs is there’s just to much time to think. I’ve been thinking back to when I got my first dog. All the excitement that surrounded the anticipation of actually having a dog that will help and guide. Not just a dog but a large dog at that. That was a novelty to me because I had only ever had small dogs in my past with one outside large dog when I was a kid. My other worry was whether I was going to be able to keep it in the apartment. I was so new to the idea that I had no idea how the living arrangement would work.

How did I decide to get a guide dog in the first place? Well it wasn’t my idea initially. The topic came up during coffee with a friend. She felt I would benefit from a dog because of the struggles I had getting from point A to B. I had been complaining about bumping into a lot of the white poles we had in our down town area and about missing curbs or even the sidewalk for that matter. I had also mentioned the trouble I was having dealing with people in stores and how much work it was just to go get something and dealing with crowds.

When my friend first blurted out “maybe you should consider getting a guide dog”. I looked at her sideways and said, “nahh.. I’d never qualify, I have to much vision, they only train dogs for people who can’t see at all or who don’t have useful vision.” After a bit more discussion she let it go but brought it up again a couple months later. Again I gave her all the same excuses. She didn’t let it go this time, she simply said “You never know until you try”. Well what could I say. She was right.

I started to think about her side of the issue and started to wonder about some of the things she said. If it makes things easier why not go for it and what will you loose if they say no. I realized that if she was bringing this up she was seeing something I wasn’t. So I decided to at least apply. If I qualify I qualified, if not, nothing changes. I just do what I’ve been doing.

After all the paper work, seeing doctors, and the interview with a trainer I was shocked to find out I was accepted. At first I was mystified as to why lol. I had always thought I was doing a really good job of getting around and being independent. Then my friend suggests a guide dog and then I actually get accepted. What had I been doing wrong?!

I had been raised in a very old fashioned mindset. Was taught not to show my disability, Do it all by myself, don’t ask for help, never use a cane and so on. Well getting a dog was definitely going to highlight that I had a disability. Now that I had been accepted to a school I had to figure out what to do next. There was no turning back. I had to decide if I was going to embrace this new found knowledge or was I gonna back away and miss my chance to try something different and new? I wrestled with it for a while and decided that in fact I had nothing to loose and just go with it.

Once I decided that, I began to feel the excitement and began daydreaming what this new dog could mean to me. Curiosity began to grow and it was something I started telling folks. They all seemed to be excited about the idea. I began doing research and educating myself about what I could do with a dog and what the law allowed. I started to feel more and more prepared and confident in the decision to go ahead.

Thinking back on this, if I had known then what I know now I would have embraced a guide dog much sooner. It truly was a life changing decision for me. One that brought freedom, independence, safety and has opened up a number of doors of opportunity through the years.

Being Between Dogs

Being between dogs is an adjustment to say the least. Working dogs retire for various reasons. All of mine retired at different times and different stages of their lives.

Shasta retired early due to her health and situation. She was adopted by a family that lived about 40 min away and lived a good retirement.

Zora didn’t retire but because of her allergies to the type of climate I live in it was just to hard for her to adapt and to work on all the medications she needed to be on. After 11 months with me she went back to the school and was retrained and matched with someone else. When I was told she was going to be rematched I was ecstatic. She was such a talented and sweet dog and I knew she would make a good guide for someone.

Kendal was the longest to stay with me. She left when she was 9 yrs old and was ready to retire. She went back and was placed in a career change home where she would live out her retirement.

Then we have Felice. She was retired very early due to cancer. Her being sent back was the hardest thing I have had to do with any of my guide dogs. The plan was that she would be placed in a retirement home and let her retire in comfort and peace. Little did any of us know how quickly that plan would change. Six days after she went back she was given a routine vet exam and it was discovered her cancer had come back with full force and aggressively. It had only been 7 weeks since her original diagnosis that she lost the valiant battle for her life.

When a guide dog leaves I usually feel kind of down but I still do what I can to prepare for the next dog and I try to stay in shape. This time being between dogs has been even more challenging. I have discovered that letting a dog go and know they will continue with their lives makes it easier to let them go. When a dog has been a constant source of strength, guide and presence like Felice was and they are taken by way of death it’s a hard emotional toll. In Felice’s case she did so much to help me that went way beyond being my guide dog. The bond was strong and very tight for us both. That doesn’t mean I am not grateful that I was told of what happened. Knowing is far better then not knowing. In knowing I can properly come to terms with such a sudden and early retirement. I know for certain where she is and I am not left wondering how she is, or wondering if she was in pain. I know she won’t ever feel pain or suffering. That means the world to me.

During the past few weeks I have been reflecting on what I had taken for granted. The amount of work that Felice did to keep me in a straight line on a side walk, the avoiding obstacles on my right shoulder, them dang curbs that are a constant source of irritant when you can’t see them and her ability to catch other things that over hang or large cracks on paths.

Now, I am not completely blind and I can see objects. My problem is I am not very good at judging how close i am to them. I may see it and still slam into it without a dog. I don’t always notice how close I am to the edge of a sidewalk and my foot catches the side of it and I end up falling. Going for walks these days as become a major undertaking. I find I am not enjoy8ng my walks as much because I don’t have time to enjoy what’s around me. I am to busy watching the sidewalk with my head down.

I do use a cane but man it’s a pain. I am greatful that I do have something at least that I can use but until you go walking and it gets caught in a crack and it jabs you in the stomach do you appreciate not having to use one heh. Canes are absolutely useless in snow lol.

I have tried countless times to deliberately “loose” 2 of my 3 canes and it just never works. I’ve tried leaving them in cabs, in theaters, restaurants and many other places. They always managed to find their way back to me. I even left one in a City that was 2 hours away and it STILL found it’s way back. I mean really, left it under the seat at a movie theater. Didn’t think anyone would notice. Well wouldn’t you know it.. Theater manager called group leader and got my name and I got a call. Needless to say it was on the bus for me to pick up the next day heh.

Working with a dog is MUCH easier. Movement is fluent and flowing. I can enjoy my surroundings because I can keep my head up. Makes it easier to determine where I am, what direction I am to be going and pick out land marks. Makes it easier to smile at folks too when they pass by :).

Right now I am tolerating the annoyances of not having a dog. Been walking routs I am familiar with and trying to stick to the walking path so I can avoid curbs for the majority of my walk. Obstcals are fewer on the walking path as well. Right now the path is easy to walk. When teh weather gets warmer there’s gonna be bikes, skateboarders, strollers, other dogs and roller bladers out. That path is gonna get stressful pretty quick. With a guide dog those things are easier to deal with. For now I just have to be very careful and try to hang to the right without falling off the path heh.

Introducing Superstar Felice

Introducing Superstar Felice. Her name is actually just Felice but she was definitely a Superstar in our eyes. She was my fourth guide and third dog from Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. This dog is without any doubt what I would call a blind man’s dream working dog. She started out as my last chance dog and over time she gave me another chance to work another dog. At the time of writing this I don’t know who that dog is/will be yet.

Felice was a very serious worker. She had her own way of doing things and she would let you know if she was not happy with something. She was sensitive, loyal, fun and very funny. She literally made us laugh every day.
Out of all my dogs I think Felice was the easiest to transition to when I first met her. Our first introduction was fun and right from the start she was making me laugh. When she came in the door she came straight to me and started with kisses and all that good stuff. Then she proceeded to check out the bed and the room then came back over to me while I was talking to the trainer and turned around, backed up and sat in my lap lol.

Working with Felice was also quite different then with any of my other dogs. She was the only dog I have ever met that can sniff on the go and still get her job done with accuracy. Usually when a dog wants to sniff they stop or veer off course and let distraction take over. Felice seemed to be able to multitask and she did. Even when shopping she was still able to watch out for obstacles.

Here is a picture that show’s her comical side.

She was that, a comic! One of her favorite things to do was to rub her head on the floor when she was trying to draw attention to herself when the little dogs were getting to much attention or when she was just flying off the wall. She would buck like a horse but would always go backwards. She had this thing for walking backwards around obstacles when being silly. I really wish we had gotten pictures of her bucking backwards or of her walking backwards up stairs. Not sure why she was so “backwards” but it’s what made her so unique.

Felice had a very low tolerance for boredom and she let you know it too. My best example of this would be the time I was in an exercise program to help build my stamina up again. Felice came with me to the sessions and part of the course for me was to walk a track. She was fine walking counter clockwise where she could see the ice rink and seating on her left side, but if we walked clockwise where she had the wall on her left side she would get bored and do what you see in the picture. She’d stop in her tracks and refuse to go any further. Pushing the issue was never a good idea lol.

 

Now is Kendal’s Turn

Now is Kendal’s turn. Kendal was my second guide dog from Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

She was the easiest dog to transition to when I first met her. The introduction was calm, pleasant and playful. I had been geared up for a tough transistion due to the way Zora reacted but we meshed right away.

Kendal was like a bull in a china shop. She was a go getter. She was a very bright dog, mischievous and loved a new challenge. She was the kind of dog that you could take into a mall and deep in the mall you could ask her to go outside and she would literally weed her way out without any prompting or hinting as to direction and find her way back out, even if she had never been to that mall before. We have even tried mixing her up and taking her into several different stores and in the middle of one of the stores ask her to find her way outside. She was flawless at this.

Kendal being so smart would often get into trouble. She taught the cat how to break into the closet and steal what they wanted and how to get into the food bin. Then she went on to “share” her skills with our two little dogs who came into our home as babies. Kendal was very instrumental in helping us raise our little guy’s. One of them (Beamer) was much to young to leave mom and the rescuer in me came out and I took him in. Kendal literally raised Beamer.
She allowed both Buzz and Beamer to hang off her ears, pull on her tail and even chew on the same bone as her. As they grew she taught them boundaries that only a dog can teach to a young dog. If they were being to rough or making to much noise while playing in the living room she would bark from my bedroom.

Kendal was also the keeper of the cats. When I first brought Kendal home I thought I was gonna see blood. Her reaction to Haillie was way over the top, it scared me. She soon settled and became the “guardian”. If there was any kind of hissing, spitting or fighting between cats, Kendal would literally stick her head right in the middle of claws flying. That would be enough to make me gasp. I can’t believe anyone dog or other wise would stick their head in the middle of flying claws! Even though She and Haillie had a rather frightening beginning they eventually became fast friends. They would even get into the same crate and nap together. Go figure lol.

Introducing Zora

Today I am introducing Zora as my Second Guide Dog. She was my first guide dog from Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

What was she like? She was a very sweet, sensitive dog who gave me the most colorful introduction I have ever had out of all of my guide dogs lol.

When you are sitting in the room waiting to see who you are paired with and the door opens, there’s all this anticipation of a great meeting where a dog rushes over and gives you kisses all over and all is happy. In Zora’s case I was in for a shock lol. The trainer brought her in and all seemed well. She was gentle and gave me kisses on the hand and seemed to warm up to me nicely. Then the trainer left the room. She put her head down and walked away from me. I tried to coax her back but she wasn’t having any of it. She started howling, groaning and even screaming at the top of her lungs. I was shocked lol. I sat wide eyed wondering what the heck I did! This went on for what seemed an eternity until the trainer popped his head in the door. I sat on my hands and said I didn’t do it.. didn’t touch her ! He looked at her and said “What’s your problem”. He spoke softly to her for a minute or two but did not approach her. He said “lets just give her a minute or two to calm down.” He left and it just continued lol. I sat on the floor trying to make myself look less threatening and try to coax her but she wasn’t buying it. Instead she’d go to the door and howl. I cried.  I was taking it as rejection at that time.  I had visions of me being sent back home with no dog.

Finally the trainer came back and he said to just ignore her.. do things around like mess up the bed and re-make it. move things around and so on. So I did. She finally was getting the message that howling and screaming at the top of ones lungs just wasn’t gonna work lol.

It took a little while but eventually we were allowed out of our room and things started to shift a bit. She was completely different then Shasta. I learned how to communicate with a much gentler approach to things and with a whole lot more patience. Shasta had been so easy going and difficult to drill things into that it was a little bit of an adjustment. With Zora if you raised your voice she’d cower so I had to learn to be soft and encouraging. I had to think about her confidence level a bit.

  In time though things were looking up  You know you have won over your dog when you start seeing things like this. I came into the room one day and could not find her. I had a hunch to look under the bed and what do I see. She had taken my slipper and put it under the bed and kept it near her nose. :). A true sign of acceptance. From then on it became a common site even after we got home.

Even though Zora was a quiet soft dog she did thing that just didn’t make sense sometimes. Like the day I decided to give her some alone time and spent time with classmates. I left her in the room. I came back about a half hour later and I couldn’t get into the room! I pushed on the door and it wouldn’t open. Alarmed I went and got the trainer who managed to shove the door open enough to see that Zora had dragged that red bed she was laying on over to the door and blocked our access. We laughed and he said might as well let her have her space. She’ll eventually need to go out sometime lol