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.