Back at Work, Final Blog

OK, OK. I know; I missed a day. Trishna's and my first day at work was yesterday. Let's face it. Our fatigue caught up with us, and we went to bed at 9 p.m. yesterday.

So work is going pretty well. Most people have read my tips on what to do around Trishna and are following them to the best of their ability, except the eye contact thing, which apparently is pretty difficult for you sighted people. I'm telling you; don't look into her eyes, because after that, it's all over. You will turn into a big, giant mush, and you won't be able to keep your hands off of her. At least, that's what I've been told.

Trishna's adapting very well to campus. She guides well and hasn't run me into anything. My coworkers are very sweet, because they get nervous if we walk close to an obstacle. But so far, Trishna's done very well. I think it's going to take a little while for folks to get used to our new speediness, and to the fact that it's not their job to tell me where obstacles are anymore.

So, many thanks to all of my coworkers who are working very hard to be very good around Trishna and for working on adapting to this new relationship.

I wish I had more stories to tell, but to be honest, I've been in all-day meetings for both days, and she lays quietly by my feet. She didn't even pick up the Hershey's Miniature that someone dropped right by her nose earlier today. Good girl, Trishna. However, she had not had quite enough exercise today, so Heather's stray socks seemed to be fair game.

Well, it looks like we've come to the end of an experience. I wanted to write this blog so that you would know the transition I have been going through with Trishna. I hope you've learned something and had a few laughs. I know I have. It warms my heart to know that so many people found this blog through their friends and have truly enjoyed it. Many of you have sent me comments and kind words, and they really do mean a lot. It's been my pleasure to share this time with you, and Trishna and I will continue to have new adventures every day for a long time to come. Be well.

Welcome Home Trishna

Well, we all made it. Heather, Trishna, and I arrived home at about 3 p.m. today. And then all three of us proceeded to take a nap. Trishna did very well on the long drive; she had very nice car manners. Although she is a bit of a princess, and she doesn't like to lie on the seat belt buckles on the backseat. Yes, I let her ride on the backseat. She rides on the floor in other people's cars or on public transportation, but in my car, I make the rules. Well, Heather makes the rules, but she doesn't mind either.

Trishna is a very resilient dog, so she doesn't get stressed by new restaurants, traveling, or things like that. So the trip was quite enjoyable. She even wove her way through In-and-Out Burger when there were three bus loads of teenagers in line.

I wanted to share with all of you a few tips for meeting new Guide Dog teams, and some things to think about. These are things that I'm going to need to ask those of you who are close to me to follow for the next four to six months. They're not easy things to do, but you have my gratitude for trying your best. And if Heather can do it, you can too. :-)

OK, I'm going to give you the hardest one first: As hard as it is, when you first meet us as a working team, please do not touch Trishna, talk to her, or even make eye contact without asking my permission. I know how hard this is, because Trisha has big brown eyes and cute little eyebrows. Everything about her encourages you to touch her, so you must stay strong. It is so important for Trishna to bond to me in this new relationship, and if she views other people as "the fun ones", she may be less inclined to work for me. And that would put our safety at risk. The rules were much more relaxed with Stacey, but remember that Stacey was a much older dog and we worked together for years.

Next, when I do let you meet Trishna, we'll probably have her meet people one at a time. Approaching her calmly and letting her sniff your hand is always best. She's an active, enthusiastic dog, so I'm going to want to keep her as calm as possible. Be warned: she is a kisser. If you don't want to be kissed, you might not want to say hello. We're working on it.

Finally, please know that Trishna and I are a young team, and she is a young dog. She, and we, will make mistakes. You may see me have to rework a situation or even correct Trishna. Trust me, the correction doesn't hurt Trisha; it just reminds her that she needs to keep her mind on the job. I've been very well trained on how to correct her, and I promise I will not hurt her. But it might surprise you. Remember it's been 13 years since I've had a new dog, and Trishna is only 2. We're both very well trained, but we're still figuring each other out.

Those are the three big things. We'll see how things go at work tomorrow. :-)

Graduation

It is official. We are finished! I am writing from a hotel room in the middle of nowhere. Trishna is chewing on a bone; Heather and I are together; all is right with the world.

On to more important things---Graduation!

Twelve people graduated today with their new Guide Dogs. Morning started out very slow, with a dormitory meeting and description of what was going to happen at graduation. Then I was off.

First, I took Trishna to the fenced enclosure to run off some of her energy. Because here's the thing you need to know about my golden girl. If she doesn't work or get exercise, she gets a little crazy: really hyper and mischievous or destructive in the room. Yes, she is still a dog, not a saint. And as we did not have a workout in the afternoon the day before, I knew her energy had been building all night, and I didn't want her to be a crazy mess during the ceremony.

After her exercise, it was back to the room to finish packing and then off for one last trip to the gift shop to purchase the items that I just couldn't live without. Then, we had an early lunch and a quick change of clothes, and all of a sudden, Trishna's puppy raisers were at my door. They are a very nice family from the San Joaquin Valley; they've raised 16 puppies for Guide Dogs, and the mom is a puppy group leader. They brought me a photo album of some of Trishna's puppy pictures, which I thought was very sweet. She was quite the ball of fuzz.

After about an hour of visiting, they took Trishna, and I was escorted the stage. Each of us graduates was given an opportunity to speak in turn, and then we were presented with our dogs by the puppy raiser. And then each puppy raiser said a few words. All in all, a nice day. Good weather, nobody spoke too long, and people seemed to really enjoy themselves. This is the time where it really sinks in that this is really my dog, and we get to spend probably the next decade or so together. I couldn't be luckier.

I want to thank everyone who came to my graduation today. I had quite the crew; eight people decided to come and sit in the hot sun to support us.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading. This experience has been life-changing for me, and it's touching to know that so many of you were experiencing it along with me. I'm going to do two bonus posts, one tomorrow when we actually make it home with some tips on how to support a new Guide Dog team and one after our first day of work together. I've really appreciated all of your support and kind words. I really do believe that I have the best dog for me, and I have to say, as many of you know, I loved Stacey-dog with all of my heart, and she was also the best dog for me. But Trishna is probably the best dog I could've had for me at this point in my life. And sometimes, when I look at her, I sense a little spark of Stacey that has been sent back to me. So, here's to our safe travels for tomorrow and the days to come.

Last Full Day

Tomorrow is graduation. Yay! But let me tell you about today.

This morning we woke up much the same as always. But after breakfast, we took the dogs to the redwoods. It's the traditional last workout at Guide Dogs. We basiczlly got to work our dogs on paths through the trees. It was beautiful, and actually quite cold this morning. There were chimpmunks, squirrels, and all kinds of things to sniff and eat. It was a great place to just relax and work a dog. Everyone in my class has made it all the way through. We are cleared for graduation, so we just had a good time. And I'm bringing home a baby redwood tree. I wonder how big it will be when it comes time to retire Trishna.

After lunch, we had the lecture where they give us our papers for the dog. We have our IDs, vet records, etc. After tomorrow's ceremony, we are official. Tonight was mostly packing, saying good bye to new friends, and resting up for tomorrow. I know I was going to give people all kinds of Guide Dog tips, but I'm too tired. So you'll have to wait until tomrrow's post. And perhaps there will even be a picture!

By the way, Trishna and I are sponsored. I'll tell you what that means tomorrow.

Oh, I almost forgot. I met Trishna's trainer today, and I talked to her puppy raisers. Trisha was a raised by a family that's raised 16 dogs for Guide Dogs. That's quite a commitment. And as I shared with you, Trishna's trainer is also Apple's trainer. Her trainer was very excited to see her, and I have to say the feeling was mutual by Trishna. I've never seen a dog in a sit bounce until today. Yes, it can be done. I'm not really sure how to explain it, but she was sitting and bouncing all at the same time. She was so excited to see her. Her trainer said that Trishna was one of her favorite dogs ever to train, because she was big and tough and sweet, and her work is very precise, and you can watch her think about it a lot. By the way, word on the street is that Apple is very sweet, and she's doing well. She didn't give me a lot of information, but she said they're working on jumping; no surprise there. She said that Apple and Trisha have a lot of the same traits, so this bodes well for Apple.

Almost Finished

All in all, Trishna and I had a very good day. I am really ready to go home. The food is great, but this 5:30 in the morning thing is getting old. So you remember when I said Trishna was running me into overhead obstacles, and I said that they were going to run me into things. You thought I was kidding, but I wasn't. They set up an overhead obstacle, which Trisha proceeded to run me into three times yesterday. It's this weird contraption of PVC pipe wrapped in foam. The pipes kind of look like wind chimes, and they hang over a main sidewalk here on campus that the instructors make us walk past every day. I'm happy to say that we did not hit it at all today. Go Trishna!

We started our day at the Embarcadero/City Center (San Francisco). We mostly worked on subway platforms and escalators, which means the reappearance of the doggy booties (see previous posts about them). Trishna still doesn't like them, but she will wear them. She did great on the escalators and her platform work near the trains is excellent. She keeps me far away from the edge and directs me right to the open door when the train is stopped. Good girl, Trishna!

This afternoon, we went to Sausalito, lots of dogs, people playing ball along the water, vendors, performers. She pulled out all of her crowd-handling skills, and we did very, very well.

Finally, this evening, we had the lecture on going home with your Guide Dog. I think people are going to have a very hard time keeping their hands off of her for the first six months. Six months is the average bonding time during which you should be the sole center of your dog's world. I can let people pet her for a minute or two, but it really should be me providing everything for the dog. Does that mean that no one's allowed to build a relationship with Trishna? No, it does not. Tomorrow's post will be all about our last adventures and how people can help a Guide Dog team when they first come home.

One last thing before I close. Really, sighted people, can you please explain to me why you mill about in crowds and don't watch where you're going? I really need to understand this. :-)

One last quick note. People love to touch my dog. I'm not even kidding; they love to touch my dog. I worked a German Shepherd, and lots of people were afraid of her and some wanted to touch her. But lots of people will just come up and touch Trishna without telling me or asking permission. It's about 10 times more than they ever did with the black lab puppies we raised. My instructors say that it's very common, because people are more conditioned to be afraid of black dogs and German Shepherds than they are of my golden girl. I'm thinking perhaps that my hairdresser John can give her a dye job. Just kidding. :-)

Long Day

Trishna and I did three pretty long routes today, and we are very tired. In fact, I think she's asleep in the corner right now.

This morning, we worked all around Berkeley's campus, mostly looking for skateboards and bicycles, as those are very prevalent at UCR. She did very well in the campus environment: sidewalks going off at weird angles, paths that look like roads, roads that look like paths, etc. We had a great time. It was kind of cool, because everyone else went to the airport. But I said I already knew how to work the airport, so we went to campus instead. It was great one-on-one time with the instructor.

After lunch, we spent a good amount of time at the mall. Trishna's work in large buildings is outstanding. For those of you who remember Stacey, you'll know that she didn't really enjoy working in buildings and would take every opportunity to find me the outside door. Trishna is a pleasure to work inside. Inside, outside, it doesn't matter; she just likes to work. I have to say, I'm really starting to fall for this dog. I love her.

Finally, tonight we had a very long night route, which is why this post is coming so late. We had to rework a couple of overhead obstacles, which are some of the hardest things for the dogs to see. Nothing dangerous, just some thin branches. We had to rework them a few times, so we'll continue to work on those tomorrow. Apparently, for the next day or so, we'll find all kinds of objects to hit me in the head that are not too hard or sharp.

I got an opportunity tonight to help one of the first-time students who had a difficult route. She got scared about going home in a few days, because she felt like she'd done something wrong. I shared with her that things like this happen to everyone at least once, and that she doesn't have to be afraid when she goes home, because she already knows how to work the dog and how to work through things. It feels good to help someone new, because I still remember the route that made me feel like that with Stacey; that fear of leaving here and going home, of working the dog with there is no instructor. It's pretty intense. But she will do well, and in her heart of hearts, she knows it.

Everyone in the class is starting to anticipate going home. It's an odd mixture of trepidation and excitement, because very soon we step back into our lives. And what I'm learning is that this experience changes you a little bit each time.

Apple, Trishna, and Cupcakes

I learned an interesting fact today that I think is pretty cool. Trishna had a trainer named Emily. I haven't met her yet, but she's going to stop by before I leave. Now here's the cool thing. She's now training Apple. My first thought was, do they give this woman all the crazies? But then, I thought, if she can get a handle on Trishna, Apple will be just fine. Now I have to find out if she trained Berlina. :-) My class trainers saw Apple today too. She jumped on them. Oh, Apple; we thought we broke you of that.

On to our day. Today was another day in San Francisco. We worked another very crowded area of the city, outdoor cafes, dogs, signs on the street, etc. And we had to take a very crowded bus ride, just like the bus after work. We had to walk over all kinds of surfaces. Trishna did a great job. The best part was that we parked the Guide Dogs bus in front of the gourmet cupcake shop. So very serious plans were made for cupcake shopping after the route was over. Now, I very seldom say that things break down on gender lines, but this one sure did. Both of our trainers are women, and there are four women and two men in the class. So in total, there were six women and two men. All six women had multiple cupcakes as we pulled out of San Francisco. The guys had none. I did save one to finish after my blog is over. Yum.

After lunch, things were pretty simple. I just did a very, very, very long route. Our class supervisor asked, "Who wants to do a long route?" I said, "I would, because I have been eating cupcakes." So he pulled over the bus and said, "OK, get out." And then I proceeded to do what I think was a ten-block route. We walked past dogs, car alarms, strange people that may or may not have been sharing my reality, a little bit of road construction, and lots of neat shops. Thank goodness it wasn't too warm outside, because we were pretty hot and sweaty by the time we got back.

Finally, it was back to campus for a Graduate Services lecture and then dinner. The last thing I have to do today, other than eating my cupcake, is to brush Trishna's teeth and groom her. By the way, Trishna has ended up with a mild intestinal virus. Thank goodness we caught it early. Otherwise, my life would be a whole lot more interesting, and by "interesting," I mean messy.

Alright, my cupcake awaits.

San Francisco Plus a Night Route

Trishna and I are TIRED. We had a very long day.

Our first workout of the day was in San Francisco, Fisherman's Warf to be specific. We had lots of practice weaving in and out people, stopping, turning, and generally trying to get out of the way of a bunch of sighted people who weren't paying attention to where they were. Hey, all you sighted people, why is it that when you get in large groups, you mill about aimlessly and wander and don't watch where you're going? I don't understand. Use those peepers if you have 'em. :-) Trishna did very well. Let me tell you, this dog can stop on a dime. And I can almost stop on a quarter. So we're getting there. Then we had to do obedience down at Fisherman's Warf (doggy pushups, etc.), and several instructors pretended to be very enthusiastic dog lovers who tried to pet and call our dogs while we working.

Then, it was back to campus. In the early part of the afternoon, we had individual meetings with our instructors to talk about final goals that we wanted to meet before we leave. I can't believe that we're already on final goals. One of my goals was to do a little bit more complex clicker training with Trishna, so after our meeting, we went out and did that. I trained her on targeting a pole where audible signals are usually located. I wanted to try one on a busy street with lots of distractions, because that's my campus environment. It's one thing to clicker train in a quiet room; it's another to do it on a busy street. She did very well.

Finally, we had our first night workout. For those of you who don't know, dogs behave slightly differently at night. Like humans, they don't see as well at night either. Although they see better than we do, and certainly better than I do. Thank goodness! They're more cautious, and sometimes can get startled by shadows or critters. Trishna and I did not have a single problem for most of the route. We were absolutely perfect until ten feet from where we needed to be, where she encountered another dog, and I had to give her a pretty firm correction. Oh, Trishna.

Today is the first day that I'm seriously wanting to go home. I think we're ready. Our instructors said we're ready. We really just have to finish out the next few days strong and learn as much as we can, so that we can take all we've learned home to do a great job. Trishna's already snoring, so I'm off to do the same.

Day of Rest, Sort of

Sunday is supposedly a day of rest here at Guide Dogs. I still have to feed the dog at 6:20 and take her out, but I can go back to bed on Sunday. How generous of them! You can actually get an extra two hours, because you take the dogs out again at 8:30, because that is their routine. Understand that I took full advantage of it, down to taking the dog out in my pajamas. No one else can see me anyway.

After brunch, we had a class on doggy massage. It's supposed to relax the dogs and ease the tension in their muscles. It seemed to do this for every dog in the room except for mine. Trishna decided that it was time to wiggle on her back, wave all four feet in the air, and make noise. She had a lot of fun, but I'm not sure she was relaxing. It was a little more like a wrestling match than a massage.

After that, we worked a couple of routes on campus. Here's a picture of Trishna and I officially working. Then, it was visiting hours. Trishna and I had lots of visitors today. My cousins, Stacey and John; Cheryl and Scotty; and of course, Heather. Some of us went to the outdoor area to play with Trishna off leash; it was fun. She ran, ran, ran and then took a nap while we went to lunch. Then, at 4:30 everything got back to the normal day routine, except that it was time for my massage. I can assure you I did not fling all four limbs about and wiggle on my back. It was very relaxing, and now it's time for bed. Back to 5:30 in the morning. See you all tomorrow.

Freelancing and Fun Day

Yay, it's Saturday. Oh, wait. I still had to get up just as early and I still had a full day of workouts. Today started out with what they call a "bus to lounge" exercise. It's a pretty complex five or six block route. You start at the bus and leave individually at three-minute intervals. And you proceed down to the downtown lounge, which is really just a building with a couple of waiting rooms in it. On this route, we encountered all kinds of dogs, not intentionally planted dogs by the instructors, just dogs. And several ill mannered ones. The Prius reared it's ugly head again; it tried to run us over and then beeped at us. It wasn't really going to run us over. :-) But it did blare it's horn a lot this time.

After that workout, we got to do our very first freelance, which is basically when you get to go out on a route on your own. This time an instructor went with us, but she gave us no direction other than where the shop was. We did very well. We went to the knitting store, not because I've taken up knitting but because my friends were going there. You see, Trishna and I are all about the community.

Finally, today was Fun Day on the campus. So between workouts, I got a chance to go out amidst hundreds of puppy raisers to find several of my puppy club members, including Heather. It was nice to see them. I only had a few minutes during the middle of the day, but I also had a chance to have dinner with Ron, Shirley, Mary G. and Heather, of course, to regale them (i.e., monopolize the conversation) with stories about Trisha. Thanks for coming everyone; it was a nice diversion.

Oh, I almost forgot; we got to do something fun this afternoon. We just went for a hike. The dogs got to walk on a dirt trail with us. We didn't have to learn special commands. We just got walk and be with our dogs. Tomorrow is a day off for the most part. But I do get to go learn how to do doggy massage, so I'm excited about that. Trishna's excited too. We're off to play in the paddock for a while. It's the end of a very nice day.

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

Don't let me fool you. Trishna and I were not lost in space today; we actually did very well. This morning was traffic check morning (i.e., students and dogs go out on routes, and instructors try to run us over). And they try to run us over with every blind person's nemesis: THE PRIUS. I'm not kidding; there were a couple times that I did not hear it.

Basically, they send you on a three-block route, where the car has to turn left in front of you, back up into you, block the entire sidewalk, rev its engine next to you, and finally turn behind you while you're making a street crossing. In many of these situations, Trishna performed something called selective disobedience. She will back up in harness, which is something that she only does if there's danger. She will stop and not move if that's what she needs to do, and much more.

We did very well. We only made one mistake, and we recovered when the car started backing into us.

In the afternoon, we did escalator work. This is where Trishna has to wear special dog booties, that she would also wear if it's extremely hot outside so that her feet don't burn. She would like you all to know that she does not like them. They do not match either her or her accessories. But she says, if we must use them, we must.

Finally, tonight will be the ear cleaning and teeth brushing lecture. Yay.

By the way, Heather has met Trishna. They seem to like each other very much. Be jealous. Be very, very jealous. But remember, you did not bring me extra clothes, a twelve-pack of Diet Coke, and crackers. Yes, I do feel like I'm at summer camp. The food is too good for prison.

Tumbles and Triumphs

So, in case you are thinking that this is a made-for-TV movie love story where no bad things happen and no challenges are faced, well, you're wrong. Today, Trishna and I hit our first stumbling block. Trishna is having trouble with the Forward command. When I tell her to go forward, she sometimes will just stand there. Believe it or not, though, that was not the biggest trouble of the day.

On the morning route, she brought me to the curb after I crossed the street (which is called the up curb, because you're stepping up and out of the street). My left foot was firmly planted exactly where it should've been, on the line where the curb cut begins. But as my right foot came forward, my toe clipped the edge of the curb where there wasn't a curb cut, sending me sprawling onto the pavement, knocking over Trishna, and generally causing mayhem. I didn't do this just in front of my instructors; I did it in front of our class supervisor who was out with me this morning. He helped me up. The adreneline was running through me like crazy, so my hands were shaking. They were also scraped up, and so were my knees. All of this after Trishna and I had been having a little trouble already was a bit much.

When you're in this class, your perspective becomes very narrow, and many people have a tendency to fixate on the experience. So I was more upset than I usually would be. The instructor was very good. He let me get my composure and asked me if I wanted to just stop the route, but I said no and that I wanted to finish. He then took a minute to remind me of all of the good things that Trishna and I had done on the route, instead of just fixating on the one or two problems. He assured me that this was very normal, and it would be OK. I felt a bit better, but again, remember what I said about fixating. Trishna and I finished the route fairly strong. I got checked over by the nurse, and I'm good to go.

Then, I had the opportunity to sit for an extended period of time while others went out and think about all the mistakes. Mind you, I didn't think about the fact that I've been told numerous times that I'm a strong handler, I have lovely footwork, my gestures are good. I just thought about falling.

The instructors met with our entire class after the morning workout, and they gave the group (i.e., me) the most valuable piece of information to remember: I have only had this dog for three days, not ten years. Trishna is still under two years old; she's not eleven and a half. Bonds take time. So I started to feel better.

In the afternoon, we were told we were doing our first solo route without an instructor. You can imagine what went through my head: oh, s***. The anxiety came flooding back, but I'm happy to report that Trishna and I were perfect. Spot on, every turn, every command. The one time we reworked something, it was very minor. Perfect. So my hands and knees are scraped, but my confidence is back.

Later in the afternoon, I got the chance to do clicker training with Trishna. She was simply amazing. She loved it so much I thought she was going to come out of her skin. We ended our day with a romp in the large fenced area where you can let your dogs off leash. It was a long day, and I hope you can understand that it was a very real one.

Look forward to tomorrow's post, because it's traffic check day: they pretend to run you over with a vehicle multiple times. Fun times!

License to Click

Today was jam packed with information and experiences. The morning routine hasn't changed much, although I've backed up the wake-up time to 5:40. Woohoo, love sleeping in.

As I'm writing this, Trishna is lying on my foot, chewing on her very first toy that I got give her, a very big Nylabone. It looks something like a foot. I figured out that her biggest preference would be for me to hold onto the Nylabone while she wraps both paws around my wrist, holds on, and chews on it. But that is somewhat inconvenient for typing.

So here's what we did today. Morning classwork always starts with obedience (see previous blog for descriptions of doggy pushups). Today's obedience distractions were much higher value that just a plain old cracker. We had to do obedience while other instructors brought their personal dogs and ran them past us and among us. One of the instructors has taught her dog to bark on a visible signal command, which is oh so much fun for a bunch of blind people with new dogs. Lots of wiggling and spinning around, etc. Trishna and I actually did OK, which is good because she has a fairly large tendency to be distracted by dogs. (I think she really does know that she's being set up.)

Then we were off for our morning workout in San Rafael. This was called a "destination workout," because instead of just walking around a block or two, we actually went to a destination, just like I would do in the real world. Trishna and I went to Starbucks, although our instructor had us take the long way around.

Trisha did very well on the way there, weaving through a crowd a people and around bushes, poles, etc. I was the problem on the way to Starbucks. For some reason, I was overly anxious this morning when we started, second-guessing decisions I was making, doing some nervous stepping, and at least one time, not paying attention to what Trishna was trying to show me. It sounds like I was just acting the fool, but it wasn't really that; it just wasn't neat and tidy. Sometimes, it takes a few minutes to settle down when you start this kind of work with a new dog.

So we get to Starbucks and it's really crowded and really hot inside. I looked at my instructor and said, "It's really hot in here. Can we work some more?" and she said, "Yes." And I have to tell you, the way back was beautiful. There was a giant yellow lab that wanted to be Trishna's boyfriend. She got a little distracted, so we had to do doggy pushups in front of him, so she would pay attention to me and not him. But other than that, it was pretty near perfect.

Now here's where the real fun begins. In the afternoon, we got our ID pictures taken, and then we went to clicker training. So you know all those fancy trainers you see on Animal Planet with that clicky device? Well, now I know how to use it and how to get dogs to do things with it. Actually, I'm beginning to learn to use it, and I can get a stuffed dog to do things with it. Trishna had to go to the room and take a nap while we learned (i.e., made mistakes). To make a very long explanation short, basically, we're learning how to use the clicker combined with a food reward to teach the dogs to target certain things (empty chairs, light poles, etc.) or to keep repeating certain, very specific behaviors that could potentially be useful for guiding. I have to tell you it was absolutely fascinating to learn all of the tiny steps you have to use to teach a dog with this tool but just how quickly they're going to be able to respond to us. I'm very excited to try this with a live dog soon.

Lastly, this evening, all of the retrain students got together to have a tribute to their former Guides. It was very moving to hear how others had the same profound experience I had with Stacey. I always knew that they did, but now I really know that they did. There's nothing quite as emotionally complicated as retiring or losing your Guide. It's a very specific feeling, and it was nice to be with people who had this shared experience. And it was nice, at the end, to remember that Stacey and I had a responsibility for loving each other and keeping each other safe, but that Trishna and I also have that same shared experience. We're just at the beginning of the road.

Moving Forward

Today, for the first time in over three years, I picked up a harness handle with a four-legged furry friend inside it. And I remembered the feelings of being graceful, fast, and confident. I wondered to myself, why did I wait so long?

I could give you a million reasons for why I waited, all of which are true: I wanted to keep Stacey as a retired Guide. She retired just before I got married, etc. Time flew, and years have passed, but the magic is still the same. So here's my day, the first day with Trishna as a working Guide.

Morning, as all mornings here do, started out at 5:30, getting myself up and coherent, feeding and relieving Trishna, having breakfast, and so on. Our day started after breakfast at about 8 o'clock. Every morning, we put the dogs through an obedience routine, which consists of a series of Sits and Downs. I call them doggy push-ups. And then, we do some Stays and formal recall (which is a Stay to a Heel). Then we had our first food distraction. I must say, Trishna did a very good job of ignoring the instructor trying to feed her a cracker. (She knows when she's being set up!).

Then the day really began. I got to put the harness on her for the first time and go for a walk. After a quick bus trip downtown, I found myself standing in a doorway ready to head out on our first walk. Now, please remember that my first walk with Stacey was a combination of feeling like I was flying and being dragged, sort of like water skiing but less smooth. I have to tell you, after three years, for the first minute or so, the feelings were very similar. Trishna has a nice, strong pull into the harness. Then we got our stride, and we were off!

She took me around poles, low walls, and other obstacles seamlessly. And that is where the grace and magic happens. She stopped at every curb and let me know about every obstacle. Good girl, Trishna.

Then it was back to campus for lunch and a vet lecture. Basically, we talked about not letting your dog get fat and not letting them get heartworms. So, just so you know, no overfeeding, and give them a pill once a month. Then the afternoon workout. This workout was much like the morning, only longer with more distractions. Yes, everyone, Trishna is still a dog, and she is dog distracted. So any of you with pups, we will be enlisting you and your dogs to walk past me for the next few months.

The highlight (or lowlight?), of my workout was the fact that I got stopped on the street with my trainer by some gentleman with an unruly dog. See above to imagine Trishna's behavior at this moment. He wanted to know if he could buy my harness for his friend. Just in case you were wondering, the answer is "no."

After the workouts, back to campus for feeding, relieving, and grooming, and the evening lecture. Which is actually not a lecture tonight, it's yoga. Not for the dogs, for me. :-)

I was going to get a picture of us working in harness today, but because we have to take turns one-on-one with an instructor, it takes a little longer. So pictures will come when they start to give less individual attention, and people have time for photos.

So while not as exciting as Dog Day, it was pretty amazing nonetheless. For me, this is the truly magical day, because it's fun and exciting to get the dog, but it is an immensely empowering feeling to actually work the dog.

We've been told we're doing very well, and I got a huge compliment today. My trainer told me that Trishna was actually ready to go a few classes ago, but she needed just the right handler who will be consistent and strong. I'm incredibly humbled by that, and I hope we can live up to the expectations.

Dog Day

I won't make you wait for it. This afternoon, I received a female yellow lab named Trishna. She's 64 pounds and 24 inches at the shoulder, i.e., she's kind of a big girl. She has a very soft, fuzzy coat and a sweet disposition. As far as we can tell by Googling, Trishna is an Indian name derived from the word for "thirst" or "drive" or "longing." It's a Buddhist concept for spiritual enlightenment (that's deep). I don't know how deep she is though, as she's lying on her back right now having me rub her belly.

Now here's the interesting thing. Almost all of the dogs in class now wear a collar that's called a martingale, which is sort of halfway between a flat collar and a chain collar. My girl gets the good ol' fashioned chain collar, because she "likes to work." I think that means she's rather spunky, but they don't want to tell me that yet. She's very sweet, and we're getting along very well. I think this could be the start of something wonderful. And she's not smelly like some labs are.

For those of you who want to know, they made us work with fake dogs all morning. The fake dogs are all called Juno. We had to practice obedience, go for walks in harness, and pretend. At about 2:30, we all went back to our rooms and they individually brought us our dogs. No Guide work in harness today, only heeling around the dormitory building. But nevertheless, I am exhausted. And I think Trishna is still wondering what the heck is going on.

On the whole, I think we're off to a good start. Here a picture, so that you know what she looks like.

First Day

I finally made it! I checked into the Guide Dog campus. I am unpacked. I have my dog supplies; food, bowel, leash, etc. are all ready to go. There's a white fluffy dog bed right next to my own. All that's needed is my four-legged friend.

I have to tell that I'm incredibly excited as well as anxious. To be very honest, being back in this place that hasn't changed all that much after 13 years, I'm thinking of Stacey more than I ever thought I would, the fun we had and the challenges we faced. I'm excited to get a new dog, but I'm also anxious about whether or not it will be as good. My head says it will, but my heart's not as sure.

The people in my class seem to be quite nice. There are twelve of us total, six first-timers and six retrains. There are several teachers on summer break, so it's nice to have people here who sort of understand what I do. There's someone who does disability advocacy. There are two college students, and someone who's getting her PhD in linguistics. One of my classmates makes a lucrative living by playing the stock market. So as I you can see, I find myself in a very successful and highly animated group. We have folks who live in Iowa as well as folks who were born in China, so it's exciting times.

Tomorrow morning, I get to sleep in, eat, and start at 7 a.m. instead of 6. We have lectures and orientation in the morning, and then Dog Day in the afternoon. Yes, they make us wait until the afternoon. That means you will have to wait until tomorrow night to find out more.

The Puppy Truck Guys

OK, I promise that tomorrow starts the real blog about my new dog. I check into campus tomorrow morning, but tonight, I am in the Bay Area with friends being lazy and eating wonderful food. Thanks Cheryl and Scotty!

This is a tribute to some little-known folks who work at Guide Dogs but make a big difference---The PUPPY TRUCK GUYS! I don't know if they're all guys, but those that I've seen are.

The puppy truck guys drive all around the seven Western states where Guide Dog puppies are raised. Their job is to deliver new, young wiggly puppies to excited puppy raisers and to pick up dogs that are returning to formal training. They're incredibly kind and understanding fellows. They will let you hold a new wiggly puppy for a while after your dog that's going back for training gets on the truck. We gave them Apple, and they let me hold Godiva, a very squirmy yellow lab puppy whose raiser would meet them at the next city. It helped a lot, because frankly, this is the only time that I would ever have turned down chocolate for apple.

The drivers will stay for as long as they can, so you have time to get ready and put your dog in the kennel. They're outstanding with dealing with the joy when you recieve a new puppy and the tears when you say good-bye to your dog. While they're on the road, they exercise and care for a large number of dogs of all ages. They keep their ride an impeccably clean and enjoyable space for the dogs. And every dog gets a toy in its kennel.

So I salute the Puppy Truck Guys!

Tomorrow is the first real day and then what we've all been waiting for---Dog Day is Monday! So stay tuned as the adventure really begins.

Both Ends of the Spectrum

Tonight, with heavy hearts, Heather and I are saying goodbye to our Guide Dog puppy Apple. By sheer coincidence, Guide Dogs has recalled Apple for formal training the same time I enter class. I know this sounds strange, because if we raise puppies, why wouldn't I just get Apple? The answer is that Apple is very bonded to Heather, as she is her primary raiser. And it would be difficult for Apple, Heather, and myself to sort out a new dynamic.

So Apple is going back to school for the next few months to do some very hard work. I am going to school  to become the beneficiary of other puppy raisers' hard work. So, you see, two ends of the spectrum. Our family has lived the full Guide Dogs circle---from having a working Guide (Stacey) to raising puppies (Berlina and Apple) and once again to receiving a new working Guide.

Once again, I'm living the puppy raisers' hardest moment, followed very quickly in a few weeks by one of the greatest feelings of empowerment and freedom you can imagine. So my heart goes out to all the puppy raisers, with the biggest thank you possible. Send hugs to Heather, as she says "see you later" to both of us. And send good luck to Apple; she will do well.

Pre-trip

Greetings all.

This is my first post of the Guide Dog adventure. Not so much an adventure yet, because really, I'm still doing laundry, finishing up work, and not nearly through my to-do list. Mostly, with this first post, I want to share with you that I'm very excited. I've had several discussions with instructors on what kind of dog I would like and my lifestyle, and I've listened to all of my class lectures in advance. (Go me! I didn't even do this in college.)

I also find myself remembering May 23, 1997, which was the exact day I received my first Guide Dog, Stacey. She was a very excited German Shepherd who jumped on my lap and licked my ears. And that was the day that our twelve-year relationship began. I guess my excitement is tempered a bit by some very natural apprehension. Will this dog be as good? Will I love it as much? Will I actually remember the exact date that I receive it thirteen years from now?

I truly believe that the answer to all of these questions is "yes." The staff at Guide Dogs are experts. And let's face it; they matched me really well the first time. So I'm going to trust that magic will happen again.

I hope you all will enjoy the next two weeks. I know I will learn a lot, and I hope you will too.