(VICT) Re: Three years as a team...
- From: "Ann Edie" <annedie@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:34:38 -0500
Congratulations to you and Nixon on a wonderful 3 years together!
It is a good sign that you were matched with your partner so close to the
holiday for true friendship and love!
Wishing you many more years of togetherness!
Ann
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jen" <jenandnixon@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 2:15 PM
Subject: (VICT) Three years as a team...
>I didn't attach picture, as mentioned below it says I did attach one, but
> didn't...
>
> I wanted to write this today since I have the time, and share this
> wonderful, amazing moment that happened three years ago.
>
> February 15th, 2005, at the Boring, Oregon campus, near Portland, of Guide
> Dogs for the Blind, after lunch, we all met in the lecture room, to
> receive
> words the names, gender, and breed of dog we were going to be matched up
> with. Names were selected pulling them out of a hat. All of us were
> quietly
> awaiting this moment sitting on the edge of our seats. There were 9 of us
> in
> class at the time. I was a four-week retrain, since I was a new student,
> but
> was a retrain since I had a guide dog previously before switching schools.
>
> "Jen... You are getting a male yellow lab ... named Nixon."
>
> At that point, IU was shaking, and asked my instructor to repeat his name,
> and I spelled it back to her to make sure I heard her right... N-I-C...
> "No,.." My instructor came over closer to me to my good side, and spelled
> it
> out slowly for me. "N-I-X-O-N". She used her arms to make the X so I knew
> what she meant.
>
> After everyone found out their dog's names, we all went back to our rooms.
> My roommate and I were pacing back and forth, getting nervous about
> meeting
> our dogs. Amy got to meet her dog first, then it was mine. 1 1/2 seemed
> like
> a long time to wait! It seemed like a long wait!
>
> Then it was mine turn.....
>
> My instructor came to get me and take me to the instructor's office, where
> I
> would first meet my new dog. I sat down on the couch, gave my instructor
> my
> camera, and all of a sudden as I turned to face a door, here comes Nixon,
> bounding towards me and greet me, and comes right up to my face and gives
> me
> a few good sniffs. Exactly as it is shown in the picture attached! The
> first
> thing I noticed about Nixon was his *HUGE* brown eyes and how *WHITE* he
> was!
>
> My instructor, as I was petting Nixon, gave me Nixon's status
> (height/weight, sire/dam, etc), but at that time, all that information
> went
> one ear and out the other, so I don't even remember all that information
> at
> that time. His instructor showed me a spot on his belly that was healing,
> so
> I was aware that he had something, and wasn't going to go crazy over
> something that was already there! <grin>
>
> After that, my instructor walked behind me, while I heeled Nixon bak to my
> room, sat on the floor with him while he was on tie-down. I talked to him
> for the two hours we were to bond with our dogs. THe whole two hours,
> Nixon
> sat there, staring at me, not moving the whole time. It was a hard moment
> for me since I retired my first guide dog 9 months prior to meeting Nixon.
> The following day though, in the morning, when I inserted my hearing aids
> on, I heard, "thump, thump, thump..." I knew right then and there, we were
> going to be a team for many years. Our first walk was smooth-sailing. I
> couldn't believe how smooth and slow he was!
>
> Today, he still will stop and wait for me, and look up to me waiting for
> me
> to give him the next command. He does have a stubborn streak, though and
> will try to guide som place else! This is the case on our college campus,
> where I've been attending college for the last years!
>
> So, in a way it is like the best Valentine gift I could ever have gotten,
> Nixon, although he came to my life the day after the "holiday!"
>
> Jen McEachen and "Nixon" (Class OR109)
> Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc.
> Alumni Association Board of Director, Secretary
> <mailto:jmceachen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> jmceachen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx /
> <mailto:jenandnixon@xxxxxxxxx> jenandnixon@xxxxxxxxx
> Check out GDB at: <http://www.guidedogs.com/> www.guidedogs.com
> Join us in our "Virtual GDB downtown Lounge"!
> GDBLounge-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
>
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