(VICT) Re: Our latest adventure - Resend
- From: "Karyn and Thane" <bcpaws4me@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Vi-clicker" <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:34:24 -0700
Thanks Christy for resending that. I really appreciate it.
One thing I have done very differently with Thane that many with guide dogs
do not want or feel is contradictory to their ability to guide safely is I
have not discouraged his visual/ auditory interests in the world around us.
This is something that being deafblind enables me to be more aware of my
surroundings. I say things to him like Thank you, Lets Go and OK so he knows
I have taken the cue seriously. It just takes time though to learn what is
and is not important. It takes teamwork and experience working together in
various places along the way. It's funny though that what others would call
a moments distraction, I consider helpful. He dies not tell me about every
little unnecessary thing any more thankfully. Smile
When one loses a sense others are heightened. I have a very acute sense of
smell. I can smell things most people can not- even through my mask. Some
but not all people with MCS have this ability. This is a sense however that
I do use. It helps me know for instance to slow Thane up before we get
caught right in the exhaust of a bus taking off or to take another path when
that is an option when I smell a lawn mower or gas from a blower. He has
caught on also though to automatically make these alterations for us.
Stress was a factor in my partnership with Met. Its not something I was
aware of that much until that last year. It was the constant focus on
tweaking this, tweaking that- concern for him as he aged, concern for myself
as he retired from guiding. The living with an assistance dog's chronic
health needs type of stress.
The time without an assistance dog was indeed stressful as well, but it was
different than the stress of Met's well being- it was more focused on being
everything for myself without the input of his eyes and ears. I still live
in pain doing all of Met's service dog tasks for myself. I am hopeful we can
at least get retrieve underway this winter.
I've been awed for the most part of the things I can do and the level of
bounce-back I do have now that stress is not my constant companion. If I had
it to do all over again, I would still choose my partnership with Met no
question about it. My partnership with Thane though is pretty close to what
a good friend had wished for me- a boringly healthy successor dog.
Having the stress behind me, the desire to go out and do new things- partly
cuz this new guy needs more than Met did to keep his needs fulfilled and
partly because I am needing it as well.
One thing I had on my side, and this goes with you too Christy is the nature
of progression. I did not wake up one day and find myself deafblind nor was
I born deaf or blind. I have had some amount of hearing impairment however
since the age of about 3 years old. My vision loss did not begin until I was
almost 30. Both disabilities were progressive and I had the ability to adapt
to them over time. This group was such an asset when I first joined with Met
and continues to be so as I trained Thane and work with him. Christy I
encourage you to press forward with your guide training once you are both
settled in at work better. It made all the difference in the world for me
with Met that I did train the key aspects as my vision was deteriorating
rather than waiting until I could not function without a cane or my dog's
guiding me. I must say it was quite the ordeal though training Thane and
using a guide cane and being in a power wheelchair. I'm surprised Rox'E
survived me! LOL
Karyn and Thane
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