(VICT) Re: escallator travel
- From: Sheila Styron <sheilastyron@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:15:33 -0500
Kitty, your explanation makes perfect sense, and it is difficult to
imagine what happened to Sunstar's paw if she jumped in time. I am so
used to doing escalators now that your experience serves as a good
reminder of why schools didn't train this task for so many years. I once
vacuumed my cat's tail with the beater bar of my machine, because I
guess she was playing chicken with me and didn't move. I of course
didn't know she was there, and when she screamed, I thought I was going
to die. The tail hung limply, and as I got us to the vet, I didn't know
quite how I would be able to live normally if Kitty Romba didn't recover
from my unintended assault. Fortunately, the tail recovered except for a
small lump to remind me of the horrible experience. To make this post
clicker related, I was thinking about how someone blind could use the
clicker to help with good timing on escalators for a guide dog, and my
initial reaction is that it is a pretty visual process. It has always
been my instinct to let the dog who was trained to perform this task
have as much freedom as she wants in deciding when to make her moves,
and I don't know how I would click any of the steps in the process. Both
my dogs who have done escalators have been a bit over eager about
jumping off at the end of the ride, and I have had to make certain they
don't leap too soon or energetically, without impeding their ability to
make enough of a move to get off safely. Once off, both have acted as if
they have hit a home run or something and have enjoyed wagging their own
tails for a job well done.
Sheila Styron, President
Guide Dog Users, Inc.
816-363-3172
sheilastyron@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: vi-clicker-trainers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:vi-clicker-trainers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of kitty
hevener
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 4:07 PM
To: vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: (VICT) Re: escallator travel
Hi Sheila, She jumps and I walk. The first person who trained us wanted
me
to get off earlier than I do but I could not do it for balance reasons.
The person who worked with us later watched me do escallators without
the
dog, retrained her, and then had us both do it. I tend to keep my right
foot on the next step, (when going up) and kind of let the thing push me
off. With her, I extend my right arm forward on the railing so that I
can
get an earlier warning of the leveling off process. When it starts to
level, I give longer leash and tell her to jump. Hope that xplanation
makes
sense, smile!!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sheila Styron" <sheilastyron@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 12:00 PM
Subject: (VICT) Re: escallator travel
Kitty,
This is disturbing news, and I can certainly see how such a negative
experience would be more than unnerving? I have a couple of questions
for you if you don't mind. Does Sunstar jump on and off the escalator or
just walk, and did her injury take place right at the end or someplace
before. I hope you don't mind my asking. I have ridden escalators with
both my last two dogs, and there is a little hesitation and jump to get
on board and a fairly pronounced jump to get off which I have to make
sure everyone is prepared for. Gretch may be over exaggerating this
process, but so far, both my dogs have been safe. I am so sorry Sunstar
was injured.
Sheila Styron, President
Guide Dog Users, Inc.
816-363-3172
sheilastyron@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: vi-clicker-trainers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:vi-clicker-trainers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of kitty
hevener
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 11:41 AM
To: visually impaired clicker trainers
Subject: (VICT) escallator travel
Hi Everyone, I am wondering if you take your guide or service dog on
escallators. If so, have you ever had your dog get injured? A few
years ago, at an acb convention, I had an instructor from my school
teach me and my dog how to do escallator travel. I decided to do that
after having to wait forever for an elevator. All went well, and we
traveled by escallator for the past 3-4 years. Unfortunately, on jul
13, 3 hours in to my short stay in toronto, something went very very
wrong!! As we were getting off the up escallator, my girl started
yelping very loudly. I immediately started yelling for someone to stop
the escallator. I was loosing my balance as well. The end result was
that she had to have stitches in her back paw. The vet said that he
could see the tissue, but he did not see any damage to her ligaments
muscles, or tendons. I honostly do not know how the accident happened.
And, I really feel horrible as the last thing I would ever want is to
cause her any pain. Friends have asked if we will continue escallator
travel. At this point, I am not sure I will ever be able to do it
again. Yet, at times, there doesn't seem to be any other alternative.
Any thought as to how such an accident could have occurred? Btw, her
nails did not get caught at all. My vet said her injury is healing
nicely. I
have an appointment on tuesday and am hoping they will remove the
stitches, if there are any left. A friend who is a physician's
assistant changed her bandage yesterday, and, shortly after he left, I
discovered that she had
pulled it off and was licking the paw. Got another bandage on and she
managed to take it and a boot that have had on her when she goes
outside, off and was again licking the area. A neighbor who is a nurse
helped me
bandage it again. She couldn't tell if sunstar had done any damage.
Until yesterday, I had been able to give her bully sticks and other
things to distract her from trying to get the bandage off. I am
wondering if her instincts are telling her that it is time to remove the
stitches and that is what she is attempting to do. Any thoughts?
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