Hi Jackie, Anthony Gordon and all.
Ernie is fine this morning. He was his very normal self when he woke up.
I
still don't know if anyone in the bar gave him anything. I can only go by
my
own sense of how he was acting and the opinions of my friends who
insisted
that Ernie was just not as settled at my feet as usual. His manner through
the evening might have been down to his awareness that his master had been
hurt. Who knows. He wasn't scolded at all for the incident, but perhaps
they
know. . Certainly one does lose confidence when an incident like this
occurs. I've never really felt 100% safe when it comes to doors and
corners and steps on my right hand side as Ernie tends not to give me
enough
room. Last summer I was walking along Helensburgh waterfront, a one mile
walk I enjoy twice a week, when Ernie came up behind two old ladies. Well,
he skirted around them and took me too far to the right and caused me to
walk off the edge of the 7 foot promenade. Luckily this promenade has a 45
foot slope rather than a sheer drop, but it could have been quite bad if
the
tide had been in. I don't know what happened at the station, whither Ernie
skirted a suitcase and took me off the edge or I got disoriented or a
combination of both. I certainly thought I was in the middle of the walk
not
in fact heading for the edge of the platform. This is how accidents happen
though and probably no matter how hard I try, I'll always get disoriented
and lost a time or two. It might only be for three seconds, but that's all
it takes.
The main thing is there's no serious injury and Ernie is running in
circles.
Peter Logue
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of
Jackie Cairns
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 8:42 AM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Doping a guide dog?
Hi Peter
So sorry to hear about your fall and the problems you experienced with
Ernie.
I do hope your dog recovers, and that this experience hasn't affected your
confidence too much as it would understandably do after a fall like that.
Good luck.
Jackie
Email: cairnsplace@xxxxxxx
Skype Name: Cairnsplace
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Logue" <plsd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 11:35 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Doping a guide dog?
Hi all,
Today I was in Helensburgh where my wife and I had just bought another
house. I had gone over the property, was quite pleased with the purchase
and
went to celebrate with a pint or two. My favourite bar is really quite
nice
and caters to all types. However they also cater to a great many sailors
from navy boats that come to dock at Faslane submarine base. Today was no
different and the place was quite busy. After a brief 15 minutes I
thought
my guide dog was a little listless, kept putting his chin on my knee. I
thought he wanted a drink, so I took him a drink. He still kept putting
his
chin on my knee. The place was busy with all kinds of sailors, some were
very friendly, having not seen a lovely dog for some time and wanted his
attention. Still his chin was on my knee though. So maybe he wanted a pee
or
to spend. I took him outside between the cars and he peed a little.
Inside
again he had a sip of water and tried to settle. But it soon occurred
that
he was up on his
Haunches instead of laying at rest. I just could not figure it out. The
place was busy, but its often busy. Sailors are petting him and making a
fuss, as they always do to a fine looking dog. At this time my friends
are
telling me that Ernie is looking listless and apprehensive in a manner
that
they had not ever seen before. Anyway its time to go so I harness up the
dog
and head over to the train station for the train. To cut this short, we
are
heading up the pavement and into the station where the platforms lie. The
train is dead ahead so I tell my guide dog ... Forward Ernie, find the
door.
He moves forward and walks me right off the platform and I go crashing
right
onto the tracks. Apparently Ernie had seen the doors alright, but the
doors
he saw were on the train of the far platform, not any train dead ahead. I
can't see of course, as my vision is just dark smoke so I thought he was
heading for the door, going by the sound of things as I tend to do these
days. It was a close escape I guess. Anyway I felt I had to call my wife
for
an escort home as I was quite shaken, as was ernie. As we got home we
noticed that Ernie was still listless and he went on to sleep all night,
not
wanting to go out for a pee or nothin'. Later at night when called to
head
upstairs he usually bounds up two at a time. But tonight he just barely
made it up. And when we were upstairs and we encouraged him to a little
play, he just laid his head down and could care less. I'm hoping the poor
guy isn't in some kind of extasy nightmare but unable to relate. I'm
hoping
some sailor didn't slip him a piece of blue chocolate. I can't figure why
he'd walk me off the edge of a platform. I can't explain his
listlessness;
he's usually such a vibrant dog. I hope no-one has slipped him something.
As
to my fall, a torm pair of pants, a badly bruised leg, a sore ego and
totally embarrassed. I'll be phoning guide dogs tomorrow to get to the
bottome of why Ernie would walk me over the brink when he has turned
left,
then right, then right these past two years. Luckily I was in the depot
of
helensburgh central. Had I been in Queen street, I'd have met the 25,000
volt third rail.
Peter Logue.
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