(VICT) Re: Three years as a team...
- From: "Sarah Calhoun" <sc-tico@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:05:26 -0600
Hello Jen & Nixon,
Congratulations on your 3 years together! Your story is so inspiring and
full of love on how you two bonded so quickly! I received my first guide dog
in August of 2006 and we have been inseparable ever since. It's so amazing
how wonderful our dogs make our life! Good luck with school and thanks for
sharing.
Sincerely,
Sarah & Teco
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jen" <jenandnixon@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <vi-clicker-trainers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 1:15 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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