NEW BEGINNINGS

When a guide vacates a harness, it brings floods of emotion weather by retirement or by death. In my case, Sydney retired somewhat arbitrarily on March 28, 2010. She was slowing down for sure, but there was still a lot of enthusiasm in that little golden tornado. At age ten, I wanted her to have some retirement time before she was too old to enjoy it. I also wanted to plan for my own transition to a new dog. It was my hope to go into class for my fifth partner on April 25, but I learned when Sydney was already gone, that there was not a match for me until the class starting June 19.

I have gone to NJ to train in February where wind chill temperatures dipped into the sub zero temperatures, sometimes 15 below 0.

Now, I anticipate the very hot days of June and July.

Many have asked me what happened to Sydney. She has gone to live with a new family in Denver, CO. All reports are that she is having a wonderful time with her new people and with her golden friend Cleo. She and Cleo knew each other in their years of guiding because her person and I were friends. The two greeted each other in a way that it was clear that they remembered and loved each other upon their Colorado reunion. Now we are all related as she and Cleo are living with the brother-in-law of my friend.

The next thing that people want to know is about my new dog. The fact is that they have told me nothing. They train Goldens, Labs, and Shepherds and some golden lab crosses. There are few shepherds in the June class, so it is unlikely that I will be partnered with that breed. They likely have more than one potential match for me because one never knows when something could happen to any dog that would cause it to be career changed at any stage of the training process. Males and females are equally suited for guide work.

Many have suggested that I am going to pick up my new dog. The fact is that the training process for me is three weeks as I have had dogs from this school before. First-time students complete four weeks of training. This is after the dogs have already trained with professional trainers for four months. Even from earliest puppyhood, though, they were raised differently from most other dogs. The puppy raisers work at exposing their charges to as many life experiences as possible. They teach them good house manners and actually attend classes with other raisers and plan group events to include the puppies. Prospective guides learn to rest quietly at the feet of their people and on the floor of the car. They learn to sleep by the bed of the raiser. Great care is taken with the puppies from birth onward. When they reach about 16-18 months of age, they return to the school for formal training with professional trainers. Then we go into class and the trainers, turned instructors, choose from their 4-footed pupils the dog best suited for each of us including life style, city or rural living, children or other pets, and on it goes. Pace and pull are important factors to be considered.

I would be very glad for you to follow me on this journey. Some important dates to watch for include the following:

June 19 Class begins

June 21 Dog Day. That is if their schedule has not changed from my last class in September of 2001

July 8 Return Home with my new partner

We will begin our work together on the quiet, residential streets of Morris Town and, before coming home, we will hit the streets of New York City. We will have traveled on busses and subways, trains, vans and cars. We will have walked on routes with sidewalks and on rural roads without curbs or sidewalks. We will work in buildings and shopping centers.

I plan to give you as much information as seems appropriate without taking lots of time writing as my primary focus must be on my dog and not on a computer. If you ask questions, I may choose to answer them in my next post so that others who may be wondering about the same thing can benefit by your questions.

I want to thank Vivian and her friend Danielle for setting up this blog site for me. Vivian will also be supporting me by posting my messages if I am having difficulty with this unfamiliar process.