Going-Home Letter for friends, family and co-workers

December 6, 2018 Re: Mr. Andrew McKay Dear Friends, All of us at The Seeing Eye are pleased to tell you that Andrew is in our present class of students and will soon return home with his new Seeing Eye dog. We are writing to you because you play a significant role in the success of the new working partnership. We cannot overemphasize to you enough the importance of the first few weeks at home in the development of the relationship between them. In that time, the success of the two as a working team will be determined. Good teamwork develops when the owner follows three rules in dog handling: consistency, praise when earned and correction when necessary. Family, friends and co-workers can help by observing a few simple rules of their own: 1. When owner and dog arrive, greet them in a relaxed manner. Do not rush up to them. 2. Avoid inviting family and friends over to meet the dog during the first few days. Give the dog a chance to adjust to its new surroundings gradually. 3. Let the dog make the first advance to greet you. Don't stare at the dog; it's unnerving. 4. Never follow the team when it is working. The dog will recognize you and look back at you rather than paying attention to its work. This is a serious distraction and will prevent the team from working safely and effectively. 5. Never touch or talk to a Seeing Eye Dog when in harness. 6. The owner should insist upon good manners in the home - this means, for example, no tidbits at the table at mealtime, no barking at the doorbell, no lying on furniture. 7. The owner has been taught to correct the dog by using the leash. A leash correction does not hurt the dog; coupled with affection, it results in efficient guide work and good behavior. 8. The owner has learned how to groom and care for the dog completely. It is the owner's responsibility to feed, groom and take the dog out 3 or 4 times a day to meet its needs. 9. A Seeing Eye dog is not a pet, but the family need not ignore it. The important thing to remember is that the greatest amount of affection and care must come from its owner. 10. Even though the owner has a wealth of experience gained from working and living with a previous dog, a new dog means a new relationship. The owner needs to help the dog adjust to new working conditions away from The Seeing Eye and the instructor. Each dog has a unique personality and will be quite different from its owner's previous dog. We hope that this information will help you become more familiar with The Seeing Eye program and more confident in your role of helping to strengthen a wonderful working partnership. Sincerely yours, David H. Johnson Director of Instruction and Training

Seven Days and counting

I haven't blogged much this class as many know--its been quite the wild roller coaster of emotions. Let me start by saying I got a female lab/golden cross--she is black and primarily looks like a black lab. She is actually 75% lab. She is 21 inches tall and weighs 61 lbs. She shares her birthday with one of the most prolific days in history--the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Yes--she turns two tomorrow. Her name is Richman. Where do I start--she pulls like a train and moves at the speed of light--just what I wanted. We have had our share of communication issues but work wise, she's brilliant. One interesting note for those of you that knew my previous dogs, there won't be any poop picking up with this dog. She has a tendency to walk when she poops so she is trained to poop in a bag. When its her park time, I put the bag on her, she does her business, I take the bag off, tie it up, and off we go. It took some learning for me to get use to this but its a cool thing. So, what has class consisted of besides really good food. We worked three routes, each progressively longer and more complex than the previous. They include street crossing, traffic checks (basically meaning we get tested to see how we both handle getting cut off by cars in the middle of the street, ETC.), dog distractions, barriers, ETC. Most of this is about us as a team learning to communicate so that we can function in real life. This all went well and we worked through issues as they came up. At the end of the second two routes, we soloed them with the instructor only watching from afar. We are now in what is referred to as freelance work. This include such things as going through stores, riding escalators learning how to pattern your dogs to find things such as elevators and push buttons for redlights on street corners, going into New York city, amongst other things. Well, that's all for now, we have a busy week remaining before we go home next Thursday. I will be posting the text of the going home letter they provide for our family, friends, and co-workers. It is important to remember that this is a new dog and old habits just must be that--old. To get ten years out of our partnership, it takes everyone doing there part.

Seeing Eye - Day 2

“I live in constant anticipation of good stuff. It's not being 'Pollyanna' about things, but most stories don't have the ending we would give them right away. The better endings come later.” - Bob Goff Today began at 5:30 for me with an official wake up at 6:00. Today was about assuring the trainer understood our needs and had picked out the best match based on their knowledge by the end of the day. The day began with breakfast consisting of waffles topped with blueberry sauce and a side of bacon, followed by us going into Morristown for the first Juno walk of the day. To give you an idea of what class is like, my instructor has four students assigned to him. At this point, he works each of us separately, so we wait in the school’s down town lounge as the other students go out. I went last, and we went on a six or seven block walk. Needless to say, I like to believe I gave the lovely ‘Juno’ a good workout as I have a very fast pace and like a very, very strong pull in the harness. We did some sample leash corrections, so they can understand what our strength is like if the situation arises that they are needed and then we returned to the school. We rested a bit until lunch and then went back to town for another walk. This was a shorter walk in which I walked with the instructor and the class supervisor to reinforce they understood my needs. I might point out that they also take into consideration things such as our work environment, travel, ETC. so we also had these discussions. The rest of the evening we had a meeting with the president of The Seeing Eye while the instructors met to make final dog assignments. We had dinner followed by a wine and cheese meet and greet with our fellow students. Basically, at this point it is a waiting game—only the instructors know who is getting what dog. Tomorrow will consist of a 6:00 A.M. wake up, breakfast, two short lectures while the dogs are bathed, and finally introductions to our new dog. We will go into town after lunch for our first walk with him or her. This is only the beginning of this journey—it will consist of many highs and lows, good days and bad ones. It will be long and complex—while training over the next few weeks will be intense, it takes six months to a year for that bond to fully mature. It will consist of much anticipation and fears, but the desired ending only comes with hard work and perseverance. Stay tuned until tomorrow….

Seeing Eye - Day 1

With a new day comes new dreams, hopes, and experiences. Today I embarked on my first day at The Seeing Eye in Morristown, New Jersey. I came by train to New Jersey to train with my still to be matched new Seeing Eye dog. I will be training with some 20 other students over the next two and a half weeks, focusing on building that bond with our dogs and each human/dog pair learning how to work together as a team. On arriving at the school, I met my instructor Ryan Walters. He’s one of five instructors in this class and seems like a good guy focused on helping assure I have a successful match. Today was about getting settled in—familiarizing myself with the layout of the building, unpacking, and going on my first Juno walk. You might ask yourself what a Juno walk is. Over the next day they will be assuring they understand the pace that we like to walk, the pull we want to feel in the harness, and our temperament and lifestyle. They do this through asking lots of questions but also by taking us on simulated walks in which they hold the other end of the harness. The fictitious dog is named Juno thus you get a Juno walk. Being at the Seeing Eye is like being on a rollercoaster ride at a nice resort. While here, they provide us with three cooked meals, clean our rooms, wash our towels, and so much more. This is done so we can focus on our dogs, learning how to work with them. I say rollercoaster ride because it is a whirl wind of emotions. Some days will be great—everything is clicking—while others leave one questioning how smart that dog or human really is. In the end, it will pay off with the freedom that only a Seeing Eye dog can provide. Well, that’s all for the night, until tomorrow…

Retirement

"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is merely the comparison of one state to the other. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss."—Alexandre Dumas Today I felt the bottom of that pit of sadness and despair, for one door closed, with the hope and anticipation of another one opening. I retired Navajo today after 2848 days of being my eyes, my companion, my best friend. The truth is, these bonds are never broken but rather only grow stronger. As he so valiantly watched out for me over these almost eight years, it was my job to watch out for him, giving him the opportunity to rest and live out his years in retirement. Over the last few days, he worked until the very end—shopping, going out to eat with the family, enjoying every moment of it. As I previously wrote, he has slowed down, his hips give him trouble, but we compensated for that as necessary. Last night we went to Logan’s to eat and with that complete I took the harness off one last time. It was sad, scary, life changing; I couldn’t explain to him the significance of the event, just reward him for another night of hard work. I knew in the morning I’d get on the plane to Maryland alone, he’d stay in the hands of my mom and we would be apart for the first time in almost eight years. The night was filled with tears of happy memories and sadness of the pending separation, but I was comforted by the knowledge that he would be taken care of. The morning came early for my 6:55 AM flight and it had been agreed that my mom would stay home with Navajo and dad would take me to the airport. Separation didn’t come easy. I sat in the floor for a while talking to him, crying some more, and building my strength to say goodbye. I finally forced myself up to finish packing and moved on to the kitchen for the final goodbye. I hugged and kissed him and told him it would be okay, his tail wagging with his normal happiness, and I was finally forced to walk away. Mom took him into another room, so he didn’t have to see me walk out of the house. We left, no harness to fill my hand nor a dog to guide my way, only the hope of tomorrow to come, that somewhere tonight another dog rests in a kennel to be my next set of eyes, to be another light in the darkness. No dog will ever replace Navajo, just as Navajo didn’t replace Asher or Phil. A successor dog will step up and shoulder the responsibility of our next adventure wherever that leads us, allowing Navajo to take his seat to rest. For every door closed, there will be another one opening. Unhappiness and sadness always have a path, no matter how tough the walk is, that leads to happiness. Tomorrow that path will take me back to The Seeing Eye.

Retirement and New Days

Some seven years and nine months ago in early 2011, I wrote in this blog about my return to The Seeing Eye for my third guide dog. As many can recall reading about, or perhaps have seen over this time, I was matched with a yellow lab named Navajo. He brought some semblance of a closure to a tough chapter in my life, bringing me independence once again after retiring my second dog Phil due to his health issues. Navajo has been everything I could have hoped for--smart, loyal, playful, serious, calm, dedicated. For the last seven and three quarters years, he's went everywhere with me--work, the beach, conferences near and far, Disney World, baseball games, boat rides, airplane flights, meals with famous and not so famous people, shopping, hikes, crossings of thousands of streets, the list goes on forever. There was rarely a moment that he wasn't by my side and me by his. Loyalty was a trait that is never questioned about Navajo; As Josh Billings so nicely put it, "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." No truer words could ever be said. I write this post today reflecting on our partnership together, and as I look forward as to what is to come. With a tinge of sadness in my heart and yet a smile on my face of the good times we have had together, I made the decision around June to prepare for Navajo's retirement. There comes a time that all handlers know. I can't point to just one thing; it wasn't just him slowing down, or the loss of his pull into the harness, or the fact he was over nine years old; no, more so, I could tell that his loyalty was undying yet his body was ready for a less strenuous life, I could tell that while he would be loyal to the day he couldn't walk, I had a responsibility to love him more than this; it was his time to have some rest. I had always known that I wanted to retire my dog’s around ten years of age to give them time to finish their life’s journey in relaxation, but while this was some months before that milestone, a dog that has had an amazing working life, deserves their days to relax and be shown the love that they have shown us. First things first, I had to assure Navajo had a place to retire. Somewhere I could see him regularly, that he would be unquestionably taken care of to the degree that I would accept, somewhere that he would be happy, and most of all someone that would understand the endless gratitude that these dogs deserve after their lifetime of service. I was lucky; I had endless request of people more than willing to take Navajo. However, I had already had these conversations with my mom before; would she take Navajo, would she be okay with him being an older dog, ETC. A long story short, the answer was generally always yes. The decision was easy, when the time came, Navajo was going to my parents in Alabama when he retired. This started the process to reapply to The Seeing Eye. I will not bore you with the details, but one must get on a waiting list to get a successor dog. I completed my application around July and was given a tentative date of 22 October. It was a waiting game. As we neared the date, I was in contact with the school. It became clear that there was not a dog ready for me for the 22 October class. Life has a way of working itself out and the next class started on 26 November. and It was a waiting game again. Luckily this wait didn't last to long and on 22 October, I was called and confirmed into the 26 November class. They have a dog for me. This was relieving, scary, exciting, sad. I would be able to go on long walks without worrying about if Navajo could handle them; I would be able to get places quickly again; I had to face the retirement of Navajo face on. Navajo is still going to work with me every day right now; He mainly sleeps under my desk and enjoys the attention of my coworkers when the harness is off. The vet has confirmed that the cause of his slowness is arthritis in his hips and thus he can't hold up to real long walks. Outside of his slowness and the like, he's still in relatively good health and I'm sure will enjoy putting the harness on to go to work until the last day. Retiring a dog is one of the hardest things in life. Its like losing a part of myself to only have it replaced by a 'new' piece, that will work different and have its own unique behaviors. Each dog is different; each dog brings its own challenges and successes. Most of all though, they bring a blind person freedom. Most of all, we will learn to love each other just as much as Navajo and I love each other. I will learn to trust this dog with my life, he or she will learn to trust and respect me as part of their pack. Navajo will ultimately thrive in retirement, I truly believe this; however, change isn’t easy, it was never meant to be. He may be sad, I will be sad. New rules will be established, a new pack formed. Yet one thing will always remain; no one, nothing, not even time, will take away the last seven years and nine months of independence, of conquering life, that Navajo and myself unleashed on the world. I will fly to Alabama on 20 November for Thanksgiving to retire Navajo and take that harness off one last time. It won’t be easy; frankly, it will probably be sad. But for both of us, as one door closes, another one will open. I intend on blogging about my journey at the Seeing Eye again starting on 26 November, I find it enriching and informative to some, a time capsule of what has been and what is to come. Feel free to follow along and take in the journey with us.

The Seeing Eye - Home coming and more

Hey all,

I apologize for the lack of updates--the last week was busy.

During my stay in class, I made some really amazing friends. Trisha
(such an awesome girl), Jenifer, Ryon, and Shelley were some of the most
amazing people that I had the privilege to get to know and now call
friends. Leaving them to come home was the hardest thing I've done in a
long time. Its not the end of friendships however, many of us have plans
to meet up again in April and others later on. I'm posting pictures that
were taken the last night of class, enjoy.

As for the last week of training, it was a busy schedule. We went into
New York two days for me and Navajo to work. It was an awesome
experience to see him succeed. We worked trains, subways, buses, stores,
crowds, you name it, we did it. Back in Morristown, we worked
escalators, country work (places with no sidewalks), stairs, more street
work, etc. Navajo did great.

I was a little apprehensive about coming home to Maryland and did
request follow up training here at home. The school agreed and a trainer
is coming out to work a few days with me on Monday to help get me and
the dog familiar with routes here in town. This is a little extension of
the planned training but will do us both good.

Keep us both in your thoughts--its a continual learning process for man
and dog. Coming home from school is a huge change for us both
emotionally and physically. Time has a way of working things out like
that so I'm confident it will in time all be great. I luckily have a
few good friends here in town to help support me through these difficult
changes.

Anyways, I'll keep you updated, hopefully more frequently now.