Hello Friend!
It's Renee again! I decided to blog a bit this morning. My mom and I are a little bummed since our training friends who are here for their second, third, fourth etc. dogs are leaving today. Us newbies stay for another week. We have made such great friends and will miss them very much! I thought blogging about happier things might raise our spirits.
As my mom promised, I want to tell you about how we work together. A lot of people think that I do all the work for my mom and that she just walks along for the ride. That's the silliest thing I've ever heard! I'm a dog for goodness sakes! Can you imagine what would happen if my mom just let me take us anywhere I wanted? I can guarantee that we would not end up at my mom's favorite coffee shop or the bank for errands. We would be at the pet store or out to play every time!
Basically, my mom is the brains behind our team. She is so good at knowing where to go! She knows how to get to all the places we need to go each day. I'm not really sure why people think that my mom doesn't know how to get around town. Someone told me that her eyes don't work as well as mine, but I still don't get it. Her brain still works!
Anyway, my mom gives me commands to tell me where to guide us. She will say "forward" to get me to move ahead and "right" or "left" to go in another direction. She even uses "Left, left, left..." or "Right, right, right..." to suggest that she thinks the destination is coming up on one side. This clues me in so that I look to where she might want me to go.
My mom's favorite command for me is "Steady." This is both verbal and physical as she rocks my harness back and forth. I am a VERY happy girl and kind of get a little excited at new things. I walked into Walmart the other day and was so interested! There were so many smells! There were so many people! It was SO cool!! But my mom didn't really feel like running up and down the aisles with me. I'm not positive why not, but I obeyed her requests to slow down.
Sometimes I get so excited that I just can't control myself. My mom puts a "gentle leader" on me. It's this little thing that wraps around my nose to help control me. It doesn't hurt, but I act all mad when she puts it on because I would rather be excited than wear it. It's probably good for me, though, because it makes my mom feel like she can take me everywhere!
As you can tell, my mom is the leader. She tells me where to go. So what do I do? I'm the protector. It's my job to make sure that we both get to our destination safely. There are all kinds of ways I keep my mom and me safe.
Traffic is probably my biggest job. My mom still gives me the "Forward" command when she knows it's time to cross the street. Some people think that I am the one who decides when it's safe to cross, but that's actually not true. My mom might not always see the cars as well as I do, but she hears them. She's also really smart at telling how traffic patterns work. Most of the time my mom nails it and I go forward at her command.
There are some times when I have to disobey my mom. Once in a while she gets tricked by cars. This can happen with the new hybrid cars that are really quiet. It can also happen when cars turn right on red or when drivers aren't paying attention. I have some options when it comes to making sure we cross safely. Sometimes I just plain don't move. By not going forward, I suggest to my mom that it's not safe to cross. At that point it's her job to decide why I'm not moving. Once in a while I trick my mom by not moving not because of a car but because I'm distracted by something. She might repeat the "Forward" command and gently push my leash forward to encourage me to go. If it's safe, I start to move.
The other option I have is to change our speed. If we are crossing a street already and a car is turning in towards us, I might slow down ever so slightly to let the car go. I do it very gracefully so my mom doesn't have to worry a bit. I'm really good at crossing streets.
Sometimes I keep us safe from cars when they pull out of alleys or turn into driveways, too. This time, my mom doesn't give me any commands. I just judge whether or not I should stop us fully or just slow my speed. My mom follows me direction. Once it's safe, I just keep walking. My mom is always surprised when these cars pull out. I think it scares her a little, although she keeps her head held high. I hope she doesn't get too scared. I've totally got her covered!
Another way that I help keep us safe is by guiding around obstacles. Seriously, sidewalks are so cool! They are like agility courses for me! I get to weave around poles, guide through crowds of people, navigate around signs in front of stores, and even change my speed based on walking conditions. I get to navigate in tight areas where the snow isn't plowed to find the safest route for my mom and me. If you see us walking, you might notice that we don't take a straight path. I don't like straight lines. They are way too boring! Instead, I weave all around to be sure to take the safest route. I would feel so bad if my mom bumped into something!
When I see something that I need to tell my mom about like steps or the entrance to a cross street, I stop. My mom reaches out her foot to find the curb or step and praises me. Once in a while I get too excited and mess this up. The other day we went to the courthouse to practice going through the metal detector. We walked beautifully to the courthouse. I was so excited to show the place off to my mom, especially because she said we will be frequent visitors of courthouses when she's a lawyer. I got so wrapped up in the excitement that I leaped up the steps to the building. My mom corrects me by saying "Fue" which means "No!" and tugs on my leash when I do this wrong. She then shows me the correct thing to do by tapping the step with her foot and praising me. Then we go back a few steps to try it again. My mom says we really have to work on this, and she's probably right.
Other times I stop a little to soon. I want to be sure that we don't go into the street or that my mom doesn't trip on a step. If she can't feel the step or curb with her foot, she might say "Hop up" which encourages me to tiptoe forward. I'm really good at this.
I'll write more next time about how we train together. I'll also write about my favorite kind of training called "Clicker" which helps me to find specific things for my mom. Until then, keep a happy smile on your face!
Wagging all the way,
Renee the Seeing Eye Dog
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Background to Our Journey
Dear Friends,
I see that Renee has shared her story with you. She is a lovable little girl! I want to give some background to my journey to get here.
I have been legally blind as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed with cancer in my brain (optic nerves) when I was one. The cancer caused my vision loss. In basic terms, I have no vision in my right eye and 20/200 vision in my left eye. This means that if someone with 20/20 vision and I were standing 20 feet from an eye chart, that person could read size 20 print while I would only be able to read as small as 200 sized print. In the blindness community, 20/200 is actually pretty good. I can read and write with reading glasses and have some distance vision. The tricky thing is that my vision is tunneled, which means that I only have a small pinpoint of vision. I can't see to the sides or up and down without moving my head.
I have learned to adapt to my disability. I don't know anything different! It can be difficult to describe my vision, because I don't know what it's like to have "normal" sight. I am extremely independent. I travel on my own all the time and have lived on my own for years. I do everything like everyone else...I have my bachelor's degree and will be starting law school in the fall. I walk or take public transportation wherever I want to go. I navigate through airports, bus stations, restaurants, churches, and towns without assistance.
Choosing to get a dog was difficult for me. I was raised in a sighted world and didn't see myself as blind until after high school. I grew in confidence and independence. I also had a dog from a different dog guide school earlier in college. I won't go into details, since this blog is about the success of this new team. In short, the dog I received was not ready to handle the serious nature of attending classes and crossing streets. She is a happy pet now and can play all she wants.
I used to think that dog guides were only for people who needed help getting from place to place. It took meeting incredible smart and talented people in the blindness community to show me that the person has amazing orientation skills for navigating around in the community. The dog isn't the one who decides where to go; that's the person's job. The dog is the one who helps the team get to the destination safely and confidently.
For me, navigating through crowds of people, crossing busy streets, and finding new places can be a challenge. My dog helps me to gracefully walk in all of these situations. I don't have to worry about the obstacles around me. I can trust her to guide us and focus more on enjoying the views or the company of others when I travel.
I chose to come to the Seeing Eye because it has a special program for people with remaining vision. The way I learn to work with my dog is different in many ways from people who have no vision. I will explain this program more in future posts, but I am grateful for the opportunity to learn how to best use my vision in our team.
Thanks for reading about our journey. Here's a look at our next posts:
Renee will talk about how she guides me and how we train together.
I will talk about the history of the Seeing Eye and dog guide schools in America as well as the low vision program at the Seeing Eye.
Sincerely,
Sara
I see that Renee has shared her story with you. She is a lovable little girl! I want to give some background to my journey to get here.
I have been legally blind as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed with cancer in my brain (optic nerves) when I was one. The cancer caused my vision loss. In basic terms, I have no vision in my right eye and 20/200 vision in my left eye. This means that if someone with 20/20 vision and I were standing 20 feet from an eye chart, that person could read size 20 print while I would only be able to read as small as 200 sized print. In the blindness community, 20/200 is actually pretty good. I can read and write with reading glasses and have some distance vision. The tricky thing is that my vision is tunneled, which means that I only have a small pinpoint of vision. I can't see to the sides or up and down without moving my head.
I have learned to adapt to my disability. I don't know anything different! It can be difficult to describe my vision, because I don't know what it's like to have "normal" sight. I am extremely independent. I travel on my own all the time and have lived on my own for years. I do everything like everyone else...I have my bachelor's degree and will be starting law school in the fall. I walk or take public transportation wherever I want to go. I navigate through airports, bus stations, restaurants, churches, and towns without assistance.
Choosing to get a dog was difficult for me. I was raised in a sighted world and didn't see myself as blind until after high school. I grew in confidence and independence. I also had a dog from a different dog guide school earlier in college. I won't go into details, since this blog is about the success of this new team. In short, the dog I received was not ready to handle the serious nature of attending classes and crossing streets. She is a happy pet now and can play all she wants.
I used to think that dog guides were only for people who needed help getting from place to place. It took meeting incredible smart and talented people in the blindness community to show me that the person has amazing orientation skills for navigating around in the community. The dog isn't the one who decides where to go; that's the person's job. The dog is the one who helps the team get to the destination safely and confidently.
For me, navigating through crowds of people, crossing busy streets, and finding new places can be a challenge. My dog helps me to gracefully walk in all of these situations. I don't have to worry about the obstacles around me. I can trust her to guide us and focus more on enjoying the views or the company of others when I travel.
I chose to come to the Seeing Eye because it has a special program for people with remaining vision. The way I learn to work with my dog is different in many ways from people who have no vision. I will explain this program more in future posts, but I am grateful for the opportunity to learn how to best use my vision in our team.
Thanks for reading about our journey. Here's a look at our next posts:
Renee will talk about how she guides me and how we train together.
I will talk about the history of the Seeing Eye and dog guide schools in America as well as the low vision program at the Seeing Eye.
Sincerely,
Sara
A Puppy Story
Hello Friend! It's Renee the Seeing Eye Dog here! I am so excited to tell you about my life as a puppy and my journey to becoming a Seeing Eye Dog! My puppy raisers helped me write down some of my favorite things about growing up. My new mom won't get to have contact with my puppy raisers, but she says she's going to try to get some puppy pictures of me by having the Seeing Eye staff send a letter from her to my old family. Here is what my old family and I wrote together:
"I was raised by a family of five people. There were Mom, Dad, two college age brothers, and a 17 year-old girl who was a senior in high school and who was my main puppy raiser. Mom and Dad would take me for walks and hikes when my girl was in school. When my brothers came home from college, I loved being with them, too."
"I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey. My home was a house with a fenced yard. I used to love to run around the yard full speed. There was also an in-ground pool. In the summer, I loved to stand on the steps and play in the water. I liked to get wet, but I wasn't much of a swimmer."
"I was raised with a female cocker spaniel. We enjoyed playing together, taking walks, and just watching our yard. I would always make sure I got my puppy raiser's attention by placing myself between the cocker spaniel and my raiser. I grew up in a litter of eleven and during the year I was with my raiser I got to interact with six of my siblings."
"I lived the life of a high school senior, going to school, peoples' houses, to the fire department, sporting events, restaurants, hikes, to Newark Airport, the Morristown St. Patrick's Day parade, carnivals, school talks, on buses, trains, the monorail, YMCA, office buildings, college campuses, college soccer games, to relatives' homes, college family days, and puppy club meetings."
"I'm described as extremely lovable. I will make sure [my new mom] loves me. I will constantly come up to [her] to be petted. My family says I love to be brushed and will just lay there...I'm very smart and watch everything that is going on. I will carry things to people if you ask me to. They used to put a magazine or water bottle in my mouth and the person who wants it would call me to bring it [to them]. I'm secure with thunder. If I have to park (go outside to do business) I will nudge you with my nose, but I really keep to a park schedule."
"I love stuffed animals and like to carry them all over the place. Nylabones were also one of my favorites. I don't like fetching things, although one of my older brothers did teach me to catch a frisbee."
"My family has so many cute stories, but their favorite was when I was about five months old and went to watch Brett (the brother who taught me frisbee) play his soccer game in college. When we arrived at the field about 2.5 hours away I got out and decided to first sit with the girls' softball team who were watching the game. I later decided to sit in the middle of a couple...of course getting a lot of petting from both and keeping them at a proper distance apart. I always enjoyed going to those games."
As you can see from my story, I am a fun little pup. I spent about eight weeks at the Seeing Eye when I was born. I was cuddled and cared for with my mom and litter. Then, I spent a year with my puppy raisers. Being a high school girl was fun! My puppy raiser taught me basic obedience and helped me with my manners in all kinds of places. After that, I had about four months of training at the Seeing Eye where I lived in a kennel. I enjoyed socializing with the other dogs. I still get to see Colin, one of my kennel mates, in class each day now!
I am about 22 months old and will be 2 years old on April 15. My mom says that makes me a Tax Day pup. I have no clue what that means, but that's okay! I weigh 52.5 pounds and am 21 inches to my shoulder. My mother and father were named Freedom and Sunshine. My mom's parents said that means I'm a hippie dog. Once again I have no clue what they mean, but I do love being free to play with my toys and enjoy chasing things in the sun.
I'm a very happy girl, but I am kind of confused right now. I have moved a lot for only being a puppy! I keep getting attached to people. I haven't seen my puppy raiser girl in so long. I love my new mom, but I miss my old family, too. It's also really confusing to be away from my trainer so much. My trainer's name is Joan. I think she's kind of my mom's trainer now, though, since I already know what I'm doing. My mom has a lot to learn! I'm so exhausted right now. My mom has to be trained so much and we are constantly working. I used to only work about 30 minutes a day when Joan trained me. My mom learns slower than me I guess...We work for hours each day! But she cuddles me and praises me, so I really don't mind. I love working together!
I love life and am excited to go on many adventures. I'm looking on the bright side to see all the new people who will love me!
Happily Yours,
Renee the Seeing Eye Dog.
"I was raised by a family of five people. There were Mom, Dad, two college age brothers, and a 17 year-old girl who was a senior in high school and who was my main puppy raiser. Mom and Dad would take me for walks and hikes when my girl was in school. When my brothers came home from college, I loved being with them, too."
"I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey. My home was a house with a fenced yard. I used to love to run around the yard full speed. There was also an in-ground pool. In the summer, I loved to stand on the steps and play in the water. I liked to get wet, but I wasn't much of a swimmer."
"I was raised with a female cocker spaniel. We enjoyed playing together, taking walks, and just watching our yard. I would always make sure I got my puppy raiser's attention by placing myself between the cocker spaniel and my raiser. I grew up in a litter of eleven and during the year I was with my raiser I got to interact with six of my siblings."
"I lived the life of a high school senior, going to school, peoples' houses, to the fire department, sporting events, restaurants, hikes, to Newark Airport, the Morristown St. Patrick's Day parade, carnivals, school talks, on buses, trains, the monorail, YMCA, office buildings, college campuses, college soccer games, to relatives' homes, college family days, and puppy club meetings."
"I'm described as extremely lovable. I will make sure [my new mom] loves me. I will constantly come up to [her] to be petted. My family says I love to be brushed and will just lay there...I'm very smart and watch everything that is going on. I will carry things to people if you ask me to. They used to put a magazine or water bottle in my mouth and the person who wants it would call me to bring it [to them]. I'm secure with thunder. If I have to park (go outside to do business) I will nudge you with my nose, but I really keep to a park schedule."
"I love stuffed animals and like to carry them all over the place. Nylabones were also one of my favorites. I don't like fetching things, although one of my older brothers did teach me to catch a frisbee."
"My family has so many cute stories, but their favorite was when I was about five months old and went to watch Brett (the brother who taught me frisbee) play his soccer game in college. When we arrived at the field about 2.5 hours away I got out and decided to first sit with the girls' softball team who were watching the game. I later decided to sit in the middle of a couple...of course getting a lot of petting from both and keeping them at a proper distance apart. I always enjoyed going to those games."
As you can see from my story, I am a fun little pup. I spent about eight weeks at the Seeing Eye when I was born. I was cuddled and cared for with my mom and litter. Then, I spent a year with my puppy raisers. Being a high school girl was fun! My puppy raiser taught me basic obedience and helped me with my manners in all kinds of places. After that, I had about four months of training at the Seeing Eye where I lived in a kennel. I enjoyed socializing with the other dogs. I still get to see Colin, one of my kennel mates, in class each day now!
I am about 22 months old and will be 2 years old on April 15. My mom says that makes me a Tax Day pup. I have no clue what that means, but that's okay! I weigh 52.5 pounds and am 21 inches to my shoulder. My mother and father were named Freedom and Sunshine. My mom's parents said that means I'm a hippie dog. Once again I have no clue what they mean, but I do love being free to play with my toys and enjoy chasing things in the sun.
I'm a very happy girl, but I am kind of confused right now. I have moved a lot for only being a puppy! I keep getting attached to people. I haven't seen my puppy raiser girl in so long. I love my new mom, but I miss my old family, too. It's also really confusing to be away from my trainer so much. My trainer's name is Joan. I think she's kind of my mom's trainer now, though, since I already know what I'm doing. My mom has a lot to learn! I'm so exhausted right now. My mom has to be trained so much and we are constantly working. I used to only work about 30 minutes a day when Joan trained me. My mom learns slower than me I guess...We work for hours each day! But she cuddles me and praises me, so I really don't mind. I love working together!
I love life and am excited to go on many adventures. I'm looking on the bright side to see all the new people who will love me!
Happily Yours,
Renee the Seeing Eye Dog.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Introduction
Dear Friends,
I see that Renee has beat me to the first post! She's kind of a diva that way. :-) I am looking forward to sharing many of the adventures Renee and I experience with all of you!
I see that Renee has beat me to the first post! She's kind of a diva that way. :-) I am looking forward to sharing many of the adventures Renee and I experience with all of you!
This blog will have two perspectives. I am working to dig deep into knowing my dog in order to write from her perspective. She sees and experiences things in her own way and communicates her feelings with expression and action. Renee's perspective is real although comical at times. Then there is m perspective as a woman who is legally blind.
Renee and I are a team. We will travel, go to law school, work, and play together. She will go with me nearly everywhere I go. Seeing Eye Dogs typically "work" for eight to ten years, so we will have many stories to share!
Renee's next post will be about her journey to the Seeing Eye. In my next post, I will tell you a little about my journey here as well.
Sincerely,
Sara
Seeing Life Together
I'm so glad you decided to read my blog. My mom, Sara, and I will be posting on here. We have so much to share about our journey together. I get to guide my mom around places and make sure we get to our destination safely. It's my job to keep us safe and her job to give directions about where to go.
My mom decided to start this blog because she thinks a lot of people don't know much about Seeing Eye Dogs and how we work. I've only been with my mom for a week and a half and we already have lots of stories to share! Some of our stories will be silly. Others will be serious. In all, I think it's pretty cool that we get to share our adventures with our friends and families.
In my next post, I plan to share a little about my journey to meeting Sara. It's been kind of a crazy time for me! I'll try to let my mom get a word in once in a while, too.
Happily Yours,
Renee the Seeing Eye Dog
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)