Tag Archives: guide dog training

Dog Day, August 20, 1975

20 Saturday Aug 2016

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had to repost. between my screen reader and word spell checker crashing, there were a few errors. I have a problem sometimes with getting the shift key for capital letters especially on letters with the baby finger like A and Q. enjoy this revamped version.

First Guide Dog Training

For those who read this who have had guide dogs, you’ll read about things like the instructors bringing us the dogs’ food bowls, meals already made up. And what is now called a patio outside the rooms was once a dog run, where we let the dogs out for the first two weeks of training. My, how things have changed! And though I don’t like all the changes, this is a good change, handling our dogs’ food ourselves and leash relieving from the start. Enjoy.

Dog Day!
August 20, 1975

It’s the middle of the morning on Dog Day. We just had obedience practice again. I had Juno Underwood. He was very good, except that he did not want to sit one time. I gave him a good correction and he straightened up. When we were through Mr. Underwood told me that I have everything down good. We’re going out with the harnesses to downtown San Rafael in a while. First, the three instructors have to go have a “pow-wow”, (Mr. Ainsworth’s words”, with the big-wigs about their dog choices for us.
In just a few short hours I will have my precious Dog! I’m so excited that I wish I could just go to sleep till then, because the anticipation is super crazy. I even drank two glasses of milk to try and keep my stomach in line. That was at breakfast I had the milk. I’m so nervous too. Will the dog like me? What if the dog doesn’t like me? Damn! How I want that dog! God, please, let the dog like me!!!!!!!!!!!
This morning’s workout was pretty good. I was out with Juno Ainsworth. No more Juno! Hooray! Mr. Ainsworth told me that I am very intelligent and that I have a lot going for me. I was probably blushing a thousand shades of red!
We had a lecture on grooming when we got back here after the workout. It was hard to concentrate because I was getting super excited about this afternoon!
Mr. Post sat at our table for lunch today. He is as crazy as everyone says he is. He kept purposely messing up our names and cracking jokes. I like him.
I don’t know if I’m going to make it till I get my dog!
At 1:15 we all gathered in the loading lounge. We had a lecture about getting our dogs and how we would be doing that. I kept fidgeting around and wished he would just get it over with. People kept asking questions and I wanted to yell at them to just shut up so we could hear about our dogs!
Finally, Mr. Jenkins read the list of who was getting what. He called the name, then would say they were getting and say the gender and breed and name. Then he spelled the name and said it again. I was glad Gomes is near the beginning of the alphabet. Finally, it was my turn. Mr. Jenkins said,
“Miss Gomes, you are receiving a female black Labrador Retriever named Quincy. Q. U. I. N. C. Y. Quincy.”
Quincy! My dog is Quincy! At first I wasn’t sure I liked that name. It’s a boy’s name. But by the time I was back here in my room, waiting, I loved the name.
I’m now here in my room, writing this and trying to keep my mind occupied while I’m waiting to be called to the instructors’ room to meet Quincy. It’s not occupying my mind very much. I’m also listening to the movie Jaws. I snuck my tape recorder into the movie theater in a big purse and taped it. But it’s not occupying my mind yet. Not even Richard Dreyfuss can keep me from wishing they’d hurry up and call me! I wonder if pacing will help. Or tearing at my hair. Or biting my nails. When will they call me! Oh, God, I’m so nervous! I’m shaky, and there’s a sort of empty feeling in my stomach. I sure hope I get her soon!
I got Quincy soon after writing that part. Mr. Jenkins called me, and I grabbed my leash and practically flew down to the instructors’ room. They had me sit in a big chair against the wall, and they let Quincy in from the run and let her sniff around the room for a few minutes, while they described her to me. Finally she came over to see who I was. I petted her and talked to her. She’s so small and cute. And she’s all wiggly. After a few minutes, they told me to snap the leash to her collar and take her back to my room. We don’t have any workout this afternoon. We get to spend the time getting acquainted with our dogs.
I left the room and gave my first command to Quincy.
“Quincy, heel.”
And we headed back to our room.
I sat on the floor with Quincy, petting her and talking to her in silly girly doggy talk. She would roll around and wag her tail a lot. Sometimes she would get up and pull on her leash like she wanted to go to the door and see what else was going on. She’s so small. But she’s happy and friendly. I think we’re going to do good together.
Between 4 and 4:30, Mr. Ainsworth brought around the food. The dogs’ food that is. They told us the instructors would go to the kennels to get the food and when they came back they would come in the dorm and yell “Chow!” when we heard that we were supposed to go to our doors and wait. The instructors would give us a bowl with our dogs’ meal and we would feed our dogs on their tie-down. I could hardly stand still waiting for him to bring me Quincy’s bowl. They started at the other end of the dorm. Quincy was bouncing around on her tie-down, and I was bouncing around in the doorway. She sure knows what chow means. Finally it was my turn and I rushed over to put the bowl down so my girl could eat.
After she ate, she got water and then Michele and I took turns letting our dogs out on the run. Michele got a yellow lab named Felix.
We went down to the dining room for human dinner early, so we could get in to our tables and seated and learn how to get our dogs settled. Quincy was very good throughout the meal. She didn’t get up and down like some other dogs did.
I called home after dinner. I talked to Suzy and Grandma I and Jerry. Poor Diana’s mouth was all swollen from the removal of three wisdom teeth. Dad was at the field watching Stevie play. Joey and Rosie went with them. They were all excited about Quincy. Then I called Barb to tell her every bit about today. She’s doing great and was super excited for me. I also got a tape from her today.
Later, Mr. Ainsworth came to size our harnesses. We had a lecture after that about the water and relieving schedule for the dogs. I think I have that down.

Wake up and offer the dog water then let the dog out on the run for ten minutes.
After morning workout, water then relieve.
After afternoon workout, water then food then water then relieve.
At 7 PM offer the dog water.
At 9 PM final relieving on the run.

Then we had to practice heeling our dogs. We walked up and down the dorm hallway, back and forth back and forth. It’s the length of three football fields. I thought we should have had marching music playing and it was super funny with us all walking up and down and talking to our dogs.
When we finished that, Quincy and I went down to the music room for a while and talked to Dan, and his yellow lab, Frisco. Frisco and Felix are brothers.
Now I’m back in my room. I’m going to finish this journal, get my tapes ready to mail and let Quincy out on the run for her final relieving and then go to bed. I’m tired now, and there’s a big day ahead tomorrow for Quincy-Girl and me.
I’m so happy!!!!!!

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1975, First Guide Dog Training, First Steps Growing Up

19 Friday Aug 2016

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Tomorrow, august 20, is the 41st anniversary of when I got my first dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind. Wow, so much has changed! Not the least of which is me. I was seventeen, just out of high school, young, innocent, yet wiser than my years due to life’s experiences up till then. Getting my first dog was the fulfillment of a ten-year dream. It was also my first tentative steps from girl into woman.

GDB has changed so much since those days. Those who’ve been to class since the eighties and beyond, would hardly recognize the GDB I first knew. And those who have gotten their dogs in the last decade or so, might be inclined to think it was a different school altogether, or maybe a different planet!

I kept a journal in braille that first class. I lived close enough that my dad drove me up there, so I brought a Perkins brailer and a binder full of paper. I wrote that journal every night. I still have the original journal and the original binder, though it’s practically falling apart! Going to GDB was about so much more than just getting a dog, and I show that in my journal.

Anyway, for fun, I thought I’d share the first few days. This post has Sunday through Tuesday. Saving dog day for tomorrow. I’m leaving it as written. Grammar not always so great, lovely wonderful 1975 slang, far out, and comments about everything. So often this type of journal is just about getting the dog. I write that sort of journal now. But this first time, it was my first trip away from home. I was dreadfully shy, to the point that I hardly talked to anyone all through high school. At GDB I took my first tentative chances at reaching out, at overcoming the shyness, at making friends outside my comfort zone. I fell in what I thought was love. (and no, not someone on my radar at all in the first three days.) I’m not that naïve idealistic starry-eyed girl anymore, but somewhere inside me, she exists on some level. I recognize me, as I read about her. So, I’m leaving in thoughts on my instructors and classmates. I’ve edited their names, the classmates that is, but I thought the things I wrote, sometimes changing my opinion from one day to the next. One thing is for sure, when I left GDB, I brought home a new dog, but I also brought home a new sherry.

And just for the sake of all the differences from then to now, enjoy!

First guide dog training, August 1975.

August 17, 1975

Dad woke me up about nine this morning. I slept good, though I’d expected my nervousness to keep me awake. I guess I mean excitement, not nervousness.
I was running around like crazy, trying to remember all the last minute stuff. Stuff like toothbrush and deodorant. Little things. I also wanted to move my cassettes from the outside pocket of my tote-bag to the inside.
Well, everything did get done, and when Grandma and Grandpa I came we took off. The drive went quicker than I had thought it would. Before I knew it, we were in Oakland and then we were here. It went quick because Suzy and I sang old camp songs till we reached the San Rafael Bridge.
Dad didn’t have any trouble at all finding the place. He and Diana went in first and then Mr. Jenkins came out. He took me into the loading lounge and the rest of the gang followed. My room wasn’t ready so we went out to look at the kennels. The first things we saw were some golden retriever puppies that Suzy and Diana went hog-wild over. All through the kennels those two were oooing and aaahing like a couple of idiots. It was fun though. They said they thought a golden or a yellow lab would fit my personality. We’ll see how right they are.
We came back to the dorm and the kids had an orange while Dad went to look at the pool. Orange soda that is. Then Mr. Jenkins said it was lunchtime, and my family said goodbye and I went to the dining room.
Lunch was good—fried chicken and green salad. Two of my classmates ate with me—Mr. Matthews from Canada, and Mr. Wakefield, both older men. Mr. Jenkins ate with us too. Mr. Jenkins loves cherry pie.
We went back to the loading lounge and all sat around and talked. Mr. Jenkins likes to tease—me, at least. He was saying I had five suitcases and had to order a rental truck. Then he said they had started training Chihuahuas this class and that I was getting one, Peanuts. I told him that Kitty would eat it.
Finally, my room was ready and I came down here and unpacked. The rooms are neat but I’ll explain it later. I worked on a tape to barb and Bunny and worked on this part of the journal. I’ll finish later.
My roommate just arrived. She’s super, so far. Her name is Michele and she’s from Texas. She has a gorgeous accent. She’s a diabetic. I don’t know her age, but I think she’s pretty young. I like her. We had a nice talk before dinner.
Barbara called me. She said she’d talked to Diana and she just had to call. It was good to hear from her. I heard the phone ring, and then Mr. Ainsworth knocked on my door and said it was for me. “For me?” I asked, shocked. “Yeah,” he said.
For dinner we had tomato soup and ham sandwiches. I hate ham, but I had two bowls of soup and some butter pecan ice cream, and iced tea. Mr. Jenkins sat at our table again. I told him that no one had brought peanuts in.
The people at my table were Dan B from Utah, Anne L from southern California and Jeff something, (I can’t spell his last name, but it’s something weird.), also from southern California. Mr. Jenkins kept teasing everyone, saying he was charging for the meal. Mr. Ainsworth is great too.
After dinner I didn’t do too much for a while. I tried the coke machine three times but it didn’t work. I thought maybe I had the wrong slot for the money. I decided to ask Mr. Jenkins or Mr. Ainsworth later.
I heard Mr. Jenkins passing by my room, so I asked him to show me where the library was. The library is far out! It has four shelves of books on each side of the door. I looked through them all. There are a lot of good ones. I chose Steve and the Guide dogs to start with. It’s in four volumes.
I came back here to my room and started to read. When Michele came in I quit reading and started talking. Then Mr. Ainsworth came in and told us it was time for lecture.
The lecture was an introduction to the school, the rules and the schedule. I found out that Mr. Underwood will be our supervisor. That’s cool. I liked him when he did my interview last year.
After lecture, I asked Mr. Jenkins about the coke machine. He said they’d fixed it and had collected the three dollars I owed him. What a nut! I got an orange soda and came back here. I finished taping to barb and listened to the Beachboys. I think I’ll take a shower and then tape to the family. That’s all for tonight.

August 18, 1975

This morning I woke up about two hours before time to get up. For breakfast, I had cream of wheat, sausage and toast. With coffee and orange juice for my pills. It was all good.
We had our morning lecture at 8—describing obedience. Then we got our leashes and fetch blocks. Mr. Ainsworth showed us how to do short-leash and long-leash. I was glad I already knew that stuff from barb and Bunny.
Then we got to try our hand at doing obedience with Juno. Mr. Ainsworth was my Juno. I think I did pretty good although I was nervous.
We also met Mr. Underwood and Miss Sullivan today. In a few minutes we’re going outside for walking exercise.
I just got back from walking exercise. We were divided into three groups of four each. One instructor took each group. Mr. Underwood took ours. I was with art, Anne and Jeff.
We walked to the road and turned around to come back, about twenty feet. Then we each had to walk in a straight line from Mr. Ainsworth to Mr. Jenkins and back again. Mr. Jenkins said I couldn’t have gone any straighter.
After that, we came back to the loading lounge for more practice with the leashes and fetch blocks.
We practiced obedience twice after the walking exercise. The first time I worked with Juno Jenkins. The only mistake I made was to say “Juno” before the command “stay”. The second time was with Mr. Underwood and I did it perfectly. So that makes three times so far, once with each instructor. Between the two obediences, we got our harnesses, or, the ones we’ll be practicing with till Wednesday.
Oh God, I just can’t wait till Wednesday!
For the afternoon workout, we all took our harnesses and leashes and went into downtown San Rafael. We waited for our turns in the downtown lounge. It’s different than the loading lounge. A narrow room with padded chairs along each wall and a bathroom. Plus fruit and things for the diabetics and a water fountain.
I went out with Mr. Jenkins. He first showed me how to hold the harness and leash together. We’d already learned the commands and hand signals back here at the school. Jenkins was a pretty good Juno. A couple of times he pulled a smart one and stopped for nothing. Usually though, he was a good dog. But I can’t wait to have a real dog in that harness. I don’t remember the route but I liked it. Mr. Jenkins went at a good pace, not too fast, but fast to me. If my dog goes like that I won’t have too much trouble.
Oh! I can’t wait!
It’s now before dinner. We just had another obedience practice. Mr. Jenkins was a super naughty Juno. I worked with Juno Underwood and he was naughty once. When I gave the fetch command, he fetched ok, but when he was going around me to sit at my left side, he just kept going. I had to give the come command again, taking in the slack of the leash quickly. He was a good boy after that.
For lunch we had something called Joe’s special, hamburger spinach and mushrooms, with fries and iced tea. For dinner we had roast beef, mashed potatoes and peas, with peach pie or jello for dessert. I had the pie.
After dinner, I did more taping to catch people up on the day’s activities. Then I read more of the book. Michele came back and we talked for a while. Art came along to ask if I’d brought my dymo tape braille labeler. He wanted to see it. I promised to ask the parents to bring it Sunday.
Michele, Art and I talked about his three previous guides, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, a black lab and a golden.
Then Gary came in to see Michele. I’m not sure but I think those two like each other. Michele said yesterday, that she didn’t want a blind boyfriend, but I’m beginning to wonder about that. Both times he’s been in here today, it sounded like they were kissing. Who knows?
Mr. Jenkins came along and told us to go to the loading lounge for another lecture. The lecture was about the three breed of dogs trained here. After that, we had another obedience practice. Mr. Ainsworth was the only instructor playing Juno. I think Mr. Underwood had already gone home, and Mr. Jenkins just sat and watched. Mr. Ainsworth said that any time a student did something wrong—forgetting the hand motions, voice inflection or praise, or if we said the name with the stay command—Juno would not respond. It was a blast! Michele said later that I had good voice inflection, especially when praising my dog.
Afterward, some of us sat and rapped with Ainsworth about dogs. It was so interesting. I went back to the room with Michele and worked on more tapes, after getting an orange soda. Gary came in and he and Michele went off to the music room.
We were assigned our official tables in the dining room today at lunch. I sit with Marvin, Gary and Kevin. I hate to say it, but I’m not too keen on Gary. He’s like the jerks my brother hangs around with and he thinks he’s tough stuff. My favorites in the class so far are Art Dan and Michele.
Enough for tonight. I have to wash my hair and work on my family’s tape. More tomorrow.

August 19, 1975

Today didn’t start off to well. I bumped my head twice and flubbed up in obedience. My right ankle is swollen too.
We were doing leash correction in obedience this morning. I’ve got to build up strength in my right arm. I just don’t jerk hard enough. Juno Underwood was inexcusably naughty this morning. We’ll be going downtown again soon. Maybe I’ll do better with the Harness. I can’t even braille right!
I did do better with the Harness! I had Juno Underwood. We did all right turns. Well, of course we walked straight down streets and crossed at corners. The only mistake I made was when we were coming back to the lounge. The lounge was on my right. We would go all the way to the corner, then turn around and backtrack a few steps. Then I’d give the command, left inside. Well, I guess I wasn’t paying attention, because I didn’t realize Juno had stopped. I just kept truckin along and stepped right off the curb. We laughed. Juno asked me where I was going, and I said I don’t know. The rest was easy after that. It was funny though.
Back at the school, we had another obedience practice. I had been practicing leash corrections with Dan, when the instructors came in. I jerked so hard on the leash that it flew out of Dan’s hand and fell on the floor. Mr. Jenkins teased me by saying I threw it at him. So, he started with me. And he was a brat, of course.
In the afternoon, we had obedience again. As Mr. Ainsworth led me into the hall, he started quoting the pome that begins with “come into my parlor said the spider to the fly.” He told me I should try to find that poem and recite it to him. He played even more tricks than Jenkins had played. Once he wouldn’t sit, and I had trouble with him on fetch too. But it was a blast.
Then it was time to grab our harnesses and hop on the busses, off to the downtown lounge. I was one of the last one to go out. I went with Mr. Jenkins. We were learning leash corrections in harness. Juno liked to sniff and I had to correct him three times. We also met a cute German shepherd pet dog on the route. When we got back to the bus, Jenkins said I’d done real good and the walk had been nice.
Since yesterday, I’ve talked more to Gary, and now I understand him and like him. Not saying I agree or believe all the things he says, but I like him. He’s crazy! He likes to joke around about eating exotic things, like rattlesnake meat. Yuck.
On the walk today, Mr. Jenkins asked me about my dog preferences. I told him I’d let them decide, since I couldn’t get a German shepherd. He told me Peanuts would be happy to hear it, and I said No way!!!
Oh man, tomorrow we get our dogs! I can’t wait!
By the way, Mr. Bensler sat at our table for lunch today. We had (or I had) two grilled cheese sandwiches and a chocolate roll for dessert. Dinner was okay, pork chops, rice and zucchini. I didn’t eat much, but I did have raspberry sherbet for dessert.
I finished reading Steve and the Guide dogs after dinner. I liked that book a lot, all about a teenage boy raising guide dog puppies. I took it back to the library and then got Mystery of the Pharaoh’s treasure. I also got a copy of the June Guide dog News.
Our lecture tonight was about equipment for our dogs. Tomorrow! Oh God, tomorrow! I can’t wait!
I really like all my classmates. They are all such good people. Anne is the quietest. Hazel is funny. She gives Juno as bad a time as he gives her. Art reminds me of what little I remember of Grandpa Gomes. He kind and comforting but he has a great sense of humor too. I don’t know marshal, chuck or Marvin very well. And Gary is still as crazy as it’s possible to be. He’s going to kill his liver if he really drinks as much as he says he does when he’s at home, but that’s his business. Jeff and Kevin are pretty quiet, though Jeff is quite nervous during workouts. That’s natural.
Michele is great. She’s 25. She’s really different from me, and I feel young and innocent around her sometimes. But I love her. She’s a good friend already.
Dan is my very best person in class. We seem to just understand each other perfectly. I hope that after we graduate, he will let me write to him and his wife Doreen and maybe visit them someday.
After our lecture about equipment. The instructors told us to go do what we want. They will be calling us, one by one, into their room to talk to us about our training so far. While I was waiting, I went into the music room where Dan had some country music on the stereo. We talked and looked through all the records, until Michele called me to go to the instructors’ room.
The instructors were very nice in that meeting. Jenkins asked me if I’d be going right home after graduation. He said the dog they had in mind for me was a “happy little dog” and they referred to it as she. Mr. Ainsworth was a big tease and told me I was very hard to work with and was a spoiled brat. Jenkins said that I am a very understanding person, that I do everything they tell me to do, and that I have good retention of the material. That all made me feel so happy inside. And those clowns kept joking around about Peanuts!
I went back to the music room and talked to everyone there. I danced around and played the Maracas. Then I went back to my room. I’m starved. I must have danced off all my dinner. Think I’ll get a soda and work on tapes.
I feel so sorry for Dan. He’s so lonely for Doreen. He can’t call her very often because he has to charge it to his in-laws’ phone. I feel so lucky that my family is only an hour and a half away, and that I have spending money. I wish I could help Dan and Doreen.
I get my dog tomorrow! Oh damn! I can’t stand the wait! Maybe my stomach will calm down after I get the dog.

HER NAME IS

21 Friday Aug 2015

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HER NAME IS

I meant to post this yesterday but I forgot. A little story of the moments before I met my first guide dog.

August 20, 1975. Wednesday
I sit waiting, not patiently, eagerly, anxiously, but definitely not patiently. My classmates surround me, and I wonder briefly if any of them are as eager and anxious as I. They must be, but have any of them been waiting ten years for this very day? I don’t think of my classmates long; my concentration is on what will happen to me in the next minutes and hours.
We sit in a room the staff calls the loading lounge. It’s directly across from the instructors’ room, and I can hear their hushed voices.
Come on, come on! The thought spins and twirls in my brain. It’s time, surely it’s time. Come on!
I hear the instructors come out of their room. They join us and find seats, papers shuffling. I focus on the sound of those papers. Is that it? Is that the list? They give me my answer. It’s not the list yet. It’s a lecture. They tell us how the afternoon will progress, what the procedure will be.
Yes, yes. After this meeting, we return to our rooms. We wait. (I know that waiting will mean pacing the floor for me.) When they call us, we bring our leashes to the instructors’ room, and there we will meet our partner. We will spend the afternoon getting acquainted, then feed, then let the dogs out on the run. And then? Oh goody, more lectures.
I’m listening to their words, but in another part of my mind, a frantic desperate refrain plays over and over again. Will the dog like me? What if the dog doesn’t like me? How long will this take? I want my dog. But what if the dog doesn’t like me? Of course the dog will like me. This is my dream, my goal, the first important goal I have accomplished in my life, a whole seventeen years now. I’ve waited and worked for this so long, and I just know the dog will like me. But—but, what if it doesn’t? What if I can’t keep up? What if I do something wrong? Oh, will the dog like me?
I’m quiet. I don’t speak up much in groups. I listen. I fidget. Cross my legs, uncross them. My hands are constantly moving. I can never keep them still when I’m nervous. Now, my fingers twine and untwine. I fiddle with my fingernails. I twist my fingers together. I rub one hand over the other. I force myself to fold my hands and try to keep them still. It doesn’t work. In seconds, the fidgeting starts again.
Oh, when will this lecture be over? Will the dog like me?
At last, it’s over. Is it time? Are they going to read the list? Damn! People start asking questions, and I just want to scream for them all to shut up!
Please, please, please. Can’t they ask their questions later? The questions have gone on for at least fifteen minutes. Oh, please, I just want to hear the name! Does anything else matter at this moment? No!
Finally! Finally people become quiet; the questions stop, and now we are waiting. Everyone knows what comes next. The instructor shuffles papers again and clears his throat.
Now my brain goes on a new track. Will they read the list in alphabetical order? By last name? Or maybe first name? Maybe by dog name? Perhaps by room number? Birthday? Application date? Oh no, what if I don’t like the name? Could that be possible? No way, I’ll love the name. But what if I don’t? What if it’s a dumb name? Oh, never mind, I’ll love it. But, but, what if the dog doesn’t like me? And the frantic moving of my hands begins again.
Suddenly, the instructor begins to read. I freeze; even my restless fingers are still. I catch my breath. I feel my smile grow with each name he reads. Soon, soon, it will be my turn. I’ll hear the words I’ve been waiting so long to hear. Well, just one word, that name, that all-important name!
I listen as he reads one person’s info, and then the next. And the next. When will it be my turn!
And then, at last, he says:
“Miss Gomes, you are receiving a female black labrador retriever named Quincy. Q u I n c y, Quincy.”
Quincy! Cute. It’s cute. I beam. I think if my smile muscles stretched anymore they might just break right out of my face! I’m so happy, so happy.
They tell us to go to our rooms and wait to be called. We will meet our dogs one at a time. Did I think waiting for the name was too much? It was nothing like waiting to be called to meet my dog. Pace, pace, sit at the desk, write in my journal, pace more. Don’t want to write too much because the braille writer is noisy and what if I miss them calling me? Flip up the face of my watch to feel the hands. How long, how long? Pace, pace. I hear others go down the hall; hear them come back, the sound of doggy toenails clicking on the floor, tags and leash jingling.
Are they ever going to call me? Did they forget me? Did something happen to my dog? What if the dog doesn’t like me?
“Miss Gomes, it’s your turn. Grab your leash and come down to the instructors’ room.”
I answer calmly. I don’t scream out the things hiding behind my lips. “Finally! Far-out!” And all the rest of the joyful exuberant words pushing to be screeched at the top of my voice. But I don’t act like that. So, I feel that smile break out. I take the leash and not calmly at all, I go down to the instructors’ room, ready, oh so ready, to meet my destiny.

Home sweet home!

12 Monday May 2014

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Yay, Petunia and I made it home. It feels so good to be here. I was surrounded in such peace when I walked in the door last night. Yes, last night–I’ll get to that in a bit. I slept in my own bed, and I’m sitting on my rocking chair, Tuney at my feet, and my wireless keyboard on my lap. The music is playing. Beanie is off to the side. Coffee on my entertainment center beside me. I’m home, home, home!

 

 

 

 

 

I honestly don’t remember what I wrote about graduation, but I’ll go back and read it again, and if anyone wants more details, let me know.

 

 

 

 

 

My classmate, Dawn, and I, flew out together, both coming back here to Colorado. A volunteer for GDB drove us to the airport and made sure we got our bags checked and that someone came to escort us through security and to the gate. Since I had Petunia with me, I couldn’t do the auto imaging booth thing. There wasn’t anyone to hold her, and it’s not the responsibility of airport personnel to do so. So, we went through security the normal way. Again, as with the trail during class, Tuney was excellent. One of our instructors had told me that Petunia got the gold star for airport behavior on our workout there, best behaved dog. And the trip home was no exception.

 

 

 

 

 

Dawn and I are both afraid of flying, and we were both stressing badly over the fact that Colorado was under a winter storm warning. Before we left campus, I went to her room and suggested that we pray. We did, and it really helped. I felt at ease about the trip for the most part from then on. So, once we were at the gate, I felt like we’d probably get home. But I had a little concern over the fact that we were flying on a commuter jet. Would it be worse flying over the Rockies in a snowstorm, worse than a big jet? oooooo, shiver.

 

 

 

 

 

Dawn and I had hoped to be able to sit together again, but since it was a commuter jet, there rows only held two seats, and there definitely was not enough room for two big dogs. So we sat same row opposite side of the plane.

 

 

 

 

 

The first guy who sat beside me was pissed about having to sit with my dog. There just wasn’t anyway to keep her out from under his feet as well as mine. But he was rude in how he dealt with it. I understand that not all people are going to be thrilled at the idea of sitting with a dog. I get that. But he said something like,

 

 

 

 

 

“I can’t believe they sold me this seat! How am I supposed to sit here?”

 

 

 

 

 

Well, he and his wife were flying together but somehow didn’t have seats together, so she convinced the man sitting by her to switch, and a much nicer man came to that seat next to me. His name was Terry, and he’s a firefighter. He was traveling somewhere else, and he was a great flying companion, friendly, loved Tuney and a little talkative, which of course, made my trip comfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

The takeoff was one of the gentlest I’ve experienced in a long time. There was no turbulence going out of Portland, and the rest of the flight was almost completely smooth. We got some bumps as we neared Denver, and as we descended, but it wasn’t anything like what I expected. I thought that little plane would be bouncing all over the sky. I’m not sure how many seats there were, but there was only one flight attendant, so you know it wasn’t big.

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived, we weren’t at a jetway, but at a ramp. It was outdoor–commuter flights area–and it was pretty steep and narrow. The pilot, whom Dawn and I had already thanked profusely for the smooth trip and soft touchdown, walked ahead of me, helping me get off that ramp. He handed us over to the escort who had come to help us get to baggage claim, and that’s where things fell apart.

 

 

 

 

 

First of all, they sent one person to escort two people with dogs. So, she decided, without informing either of us, just to take me partway and then go back for Dawn. And then she took off running, dragging me through the airport! I wasn’t having Petunia follow or work at that time, because this woman would not have talked to me to keep me oriented and to ensure Petunia was going where we needed to go. So, I was holding her arm, heeling Petunia. I kept asking, “Where’s my friend; where’s my friend?” She’d mumble something and keep on running. I tried to tell her to slow down. I told her I had walking disabilities too and I couldn’t run that fast, but she just kept going. At last she stopped by a man with one of those carts and mumbled something about going back for Dawn and took off. The cart man was kind, helping me climb in and get Tuney settled. When Dawn finally arrived–mad as hell and quite vocal about it–the cart man told us he was taking us to a central location where two people would meet us and take us the rest of the way!

 

 

 

 

When we got there, two people were available to escort us, which made things so much easier. They actually had a wheelchair, and I took them up on it! I was sore from the first lady dragging me, and I wasn’t sure about how well I’d manage Tuney while standing on the train through the airport. We got safely and happily all the way to baggage claim, and I gave the woman who escorted me a huge tip, because she was such a treat after that first person.

 

 

 

 

 

So, Dawn’s husband had offered to take me home, since we live near each other, but Becky was bringing Bianca home to me, and she said she and her daughter and grandkids could pick me up at the airport. I thought that made sense since she was going that way anyway, so I took her up on that. Dawn and family left when they were sure Becky was with me. And Becky and I went out to meet her family who were driving around till we came out. Petunia did beautiful work in the airport then, by the way!

 

 

 

 

 

So, we met Becky’s family and we got beanie out so I could greet her and then let the dogs say hello. I almost cried seeing my old sweet dog again. Then we got in the van and started what we thought would be a quick trip home!

 

 

 

 

 

Hmmm, should I leave it here? Do we all want a cliffie? Oops, wait, this isn’t a fic, okay, if you insist, read on.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, Laura, Becky’s daughter, started having car trouble right before they got to the airport. The oil light came on in the car and they had to stop and add oil. And when we left the airport, you guessed it, the oil light came on again, and there was a sort of burny smell. Oh dear, oh dear. We stopped at a gas station to get more oil, but Laura, rightly, knew she didn’t dare drive or try driving to Longmont in that condition.

 

 

 

 

 

Dawn, help!

 

 

 

 

 

We found a Walmart auto center place and drove there. It would be a while before they would look at the car, so we went in and hung out. I was starving, having not eaten that day; Petunia needed to relieve; it was snowing … crazy crazy day. This Walmart happened to have a subway in it, that’s subway sandwich place. Becky and I walked over there while Laura waited. I got a yummy turkey, bacon, avocado sandwich. Sigh. You know, my stomach did its bad thing from about mid first week and GDB, so I really couldn’t enjoy the incredible food. And now, here I was, back in Colorado and gobbling down a Subway sandwich. Ah well. Oh, and of course, Tuney got to relieve as well.

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back to the auto service area, Laura told us that they said she could not drive the car. So she and Becky thought for a while. At last they decided that Becky would take a cab to the airport to rent a car–we weren’t far from the airport–and Laura would get a tow truck. She also found someone to pick her and the kids up.

 

 

 

 

 

Did I mention that Laura also had a ten month old guide dog puppy with her? It was quite a crew of us, hanging out in the Walmart auto service area. lol.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, Becky came back with a rented car. We loaded me, Petunia and Bianca, my stuff, Bianca’s stuff and we were at last on the road to Longmont!

 

 

 

 

 

We pulled up to my condo at about 8 PM. So, I’d arrived in Denver around 2:30 or so, and I finally got home at 8. Oh my.

 

 

 

 

 

I let Petunia go out in the yard, brought her and Beanie in and let Tuney explore the house. I fed both dogs, unpacked some things, got the computer set up and relaxed. It was amazing to go to sleep in my own bed.

 

 

 

 

 

And today, our new life begins.

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned here for Tuney Tunes and other cool stuff! Thanks for following our journey.

graduation and heading home

11 Sunday May 2014

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I’m here in my dorm room, unable to sleep, freaking out over the trip home.

 

Graduation was nice. since my girl’s raisers didn’t come, it was kind of strange for me. Normally, you meet your raisers an hour or so before graduation. you get to see your dog go nuts and hear wonderful stories. since Petunia’s weren’t there, I just stayed in my room and read.

 

The graduation is a simple ceremony, with some videos about guide dogs and then a presentation of the grads and dogs. Afterward, my friend Mary and her husband had attended, so we hung out in my room and talked about an hour or so. It was great to see her again.

 

Last night, I just finished packing and that was really it.

 

But toda, I’m supposed to fly home from Denver. and it’s supposed to snow at home. Will we be able to fly out? Will the arrival into Denver be horrible due to the weather? I hate flying as it is and now I’m totally worried and scared. wish I had a tranquilizer! What will happen if we can’t fly out? what if we can’t get home? where do we go? As Richard Dreyfuss said int he Goodbye Girl, I am freaking petrified!

 

So, if anyone reading this believes in prayer, please pray for safe smooth travel and a nice trip home today.

 

and don’t worry. just because training has ended, doesn’t mean I won’t still be posting. Tuney Tails will continue, along with whatever else happens along.

 

 

week 2, variety

08 Thursday May 2014

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The morning workout was back to downtown Portland. Petunia did even better than she has done. Most of her curb approaches were right where they should be. She wasn’t distracted much, except by one child. She seemed very confident and responsive, tail out and wagging happily. I felt as confident and sure as I had the day before. and our mutual positivity ran up and down the leash to each oter, giving us both even more confidence.

 

 

In the afternoon, we drove out to the airport to do a trial ru through security. There were a couple of TSA instructors there, and they asked us to rate our experience afterward. It was just like going through security, so I got the usual pat down. Ugh. But the person was professional. Petunia loved the airport. She liked the new environment. There are all kinds of people and smells and fun things to see after all. She led me through it beautifully.

 

 

On the way back to campus, we stopped at an area with a rounded corner so I could practice a little with Petunia, to prepare me for the corner I have at home with the light and the major intersection. It was just a brief intro, but it was good to do it a little.

Keith talked with me a lot about how to teach Petunia about the crossing at Nelson and Airport, a major intersection I must cross to get to the coffeeshop in my area and to other destinations. He looked it up on google and didn’t really seem to like what he saw. It is tricky because you have to go around the corner, find the light pole then turn around and get oreinted to cross, all before the light changes. I find the return trip even more confusing. He wants me to do a lot of patterning to the crossing, do some timing of the light cycle and how long it takes me to get across, that kind of thing. He’s also arranged for an instructor to come out and work with us a bit, but they won’t be there until around the 21st, so of course, I need to be working Petunia a lot before that day. sigh.

Last night I received a call from Petunia’s puppy raiser. She will not be able to come to graduation. I’m disappointed, but since she lives in Colorado, we’ll meet in a month or two I think. she seems very nice and she is thrilled that Petunia is graduating.

 

Sunday is going to be a long long day. I’m glad I’m not going back to work till Tuesday, and I wish I’d given it o

ne more day even.

i’ll probably take a cab home from the airport. It will be frightfully expensive, but after doug’s last shuttle experience, I don’t want to risk waiting three hours for a shuttle and not getting home till after 6 or later. Not with a new dog and all my luggage.

 

 

 

Here’s something fun to write about, the crazy pet names I call Petunia.

 

Tuney

Tuney-wooney

Tunesy

Tunesy-woonsy

Petunia-bedunia

Tunes

Sweet one, Sweetness, and sweety girl

 

I also call her sweet P and sing the old sixties song to her.

 

Oh, sweet P, won’t ya guide for me? won’t ya won’t ya won’t ya guide for me?

 

yep, singing to her already! Are you thinkin I love her? grin.

 

week 2, Tuesday, becoming a team

06 Tuesday May 2014

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Well, I was pretty discouraged last time I updated, but today has seen a complete turn around.

 

This morning she became quite silly and playful. This was a good sign because she hasn’t shown that side to me much. I took her outside and played with her which was fun for us both. I was happy she wanted to engage me in play.

 

Our workout this morning was traffic training. This means we walk a quiet route with one instructor while someone else purposely drives toward us or in front or behind or blocks the path by pulling into a driveway. when you finish this route, you have a whole new level of trust in your dog. Petunia was absolutely brilliant. But it was more than just her traffic responses. BTW, the dogs do a variety of thngs, stop, pull forward or back, depending on what the car is doing.

 

But there was something different today, in just the regular part of the route, walking down the sidewalk, approaching curbs, crossing streets. She felt and acted confident; I felt and acted confident, and somehow, the two of us, after seeming to struggle to find our groove, well, today, we felt like a team. finally! I told both my instructors that, and I received some high praise from them about how I was handling her and how much confidence I gave her. The dogs can become very stressed on the traffic training route, but Petunia didn’t. she was happy and sure of herself, and that’s because I let her know I was happy and sure of myself and of her. It was a beautiful thing, and now I’m not freaking out about going home.

 

When we got back we had our vet checks. Petunia weighs 60 pounds and is in good health. We got to go over their medical histories with the vets.

 

I had the afternoon off with just a brief intro to handling sidewalkless areas. It’s been nice just to relax and be quiet this afternoon.

 

 

day? I forget, so saturday

04 Sunday May 2014

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I think I forgot to write yesterday. sorry. seems to be a pattern of mine in guide dog training, as the days go by and the fatigue sets in, writing eases up.

 

Yesterday was a fun day. In the morning, we went back to Portland and I worked in a mall. Great place for practicing turns and obstacle/pedestrian clearances. I had a blast. and the short walk to the mall was brilliant. No bad curb approaches, nothing. Petunia and I worked together like a smooth seasoned team. It was a total contrast tot he day before. We had a couple clearance errors in a store with aisles pressed too close together, but other than that it was perfect.

 

In the mall, I stopped a a little place called Moonstruck chocolates, an Oregon chocolate company. they actually had little Labradors made of milk chocolate. I had to buy some, and I got half a dozen. I’m sharing with my classmates. Then I stopped at a store called made in Oregon to find a charm for my bracelet. I got a rose, since that represents Oregon.

 

In the afternoon, we did several different things. I learned a little campus orientation but I know I’m never going to work that route. The daily workouts are already enough. We ended that route doing omverheads. It isn’t natural for a dog to look up, over their heads, so teaching them to handle overhead obstacles that could cause problems for their handler is a lot about patterning. Fortunately I’m short enough that I go under most overheads.

 

And after that, I finally got to do clicker with Petunia. and wow, she loved it! since she isn’t very food motivated, I didn’t expect her to be thrilled with it, but damn she had a blast. He was into it, smilling, wagging, doing play bows. It was so much fun for us both.

 

That was about it for the day. I rested all evening.

 

Today is our day off. I’m doing laundry and have company coming this afternoon. No work or anything else. and the break feels very good. Starting tomorrow, our work will be more customized to try to reflect what we have in our home enbironments.

day 6, difficult days

02 Friday May 2014

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Any guide dog handler or trainer will know that days like this come along, indeed must come along, as part of the becoming a team process. But as much as you might know that in your head, it is still sometimes discouraging.

 

We had a lot of trouble on our routes today. Poor curb approaches, distractions, me giving wrong cues, her not stepping out and losing confidence. It was hard, though a necessary and important part of it all.

 

We did the same Portland route today. Petunia’s curb approaches were not the best. sometimes she’d walk right up to it,a nd other times, she’d stop quite a ways away from where she should be. My instructor also had to get on me a few times for talking to Petunia too much. I’m the sort who like to praise and encourage my dog, so I’m saying things like, “atta girl. come on, all the way …” and so on. But I needed to let her focus on her work and getting to the edge. It’s such a change from how I’ve handled my dogs all these ears and it’s a very hard habit to break. I felt like I must be giving her all the wrong messages and cues and input.

 

But we eventually made it to the coffee shop where again I sat and had a latte with Debbie, the nurse.

 

After lunch, April asked me what I want to do for m secondary destination route. Did I want to continue going tot he coffeeshop, or did I want to do something else? After tomorrow, we will start customizing our work, so it is concentrating on the things we need. But we all have to have some kind of destination route, so we are still building a solid foundation with the fundamentals. Naturally, I picked the coffeeshop.

 

This afternoon was the hardest workout yet. Portland was very busy, tons of people out, distractions everywhere. We were on a tight schedule so shortened the usual route, and yet we dealt with at least six or seven distractions.

 

People cutting in front of us at the curb so Petunia couldn’t make her approach.

Young child with father. have I mentioned she loves kids?

Homeless person and shopping cart.

class of thirty third grade students walking across the sidewalk in front of us and then crossing the street.

Barking dog in car.

People kneeling on sidewalk.

 

I think there were more.

 

Plus, Petunia’s curb approaches pre and post street crossing were iffy. We had to rework two things that I remember. Rework means that if the mistake is important enough, you retrace your steps and do it again. Until you and the dog get it right. Poor golden girl was losing a bit of confidence as the route went on. We stopped a few times, just for me to hug her and praise her, to try to get her feeling more happy.  On my part, I had to work on sounding more excited and silly when she did good things. Since she doesn’t care much for food rewards, she needs that to help keep her motivated and feeling confident. She depends on my as much as I depend on her. We’re a team, and if one team member isn’t getting what she needs it can cause problems.

 

But having said all that, as the route wet on, she improved, her confidence grew, her tail was out and wagging and her pace and pull intot he harness picked up. and I was able to get back into my stride and really give her that upbeat happy silly verbal stuff she needs. So though it was a rough workout I many ways, we got through it and got through it well by the end.

 

Afterwards, we came back to campus to do some clicker training. I did this with Juno, april, and we ran out of time before I could try it with Petunia. Since clicker involves much food reward, click and feed, click and feed, we’re not certain she will go for it anyway. Clicker is used to mark an action, finding a chair, finding a door, a pole with a walk button, things like that.

 

After the human dinner, we had a meeting about ear cleaning and teeth brushing, all familiar to me. Then I took her  out on our patio and palyed with er a little. She had fun and so did I. I felt like she needed that, needed to know that she can have fun with me as well as working with me.

 

Tomorrow, most of the class will do escalators. since I don’t do them, I’ll work a route in the mall. I’m hoping to find a place to get a charm for my bracelet to commemorate my time here in Oregon. In the afternoon, we’ll do a variety of tings, including goal meetings with our instructor, to discuss our individual plans for the rest of class.

 

And that’s that for today.

day six, a little different day

02 Friday May 2014

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Yesterday we went back yo downtown Portland. I went out first and worked to a coffee shop. We had a rough start to the route. We had distractions ont he first corner or two, and that meant a bit of difficulty getting Petunia to focus and pay attention to what she should be doing. ugh. But once that was handled, we had a nice route to the coffeeshop. We’re having a little trouble with curb approaches, either she’s quite hesitant and stops well before the actual downcurb, or she’s run them a little. So we eed to work a bit on that still.

 

The instructors gave me the option of hanging out in the coffeeshop while they took my team mate out on his route. each instructor has two students and the supervisor works with everyone. So, yeah, no argument from me. I was all up for hanging at a coffeeshop. I had a lovely latte and talked with the nurse the whole time.

 

Once back at the Portland lounge, or center as they call it. I hung out, ate lunch and got to meet the new CEO. She seems nice but we didn[t get to chat. Pat Glines was escorting her, so he sat at my lunch table and kept us all entertained with his goofiness. He was one of Bianca’s trainers so it was nice to catch up with him.

 

We did a short route to the coffee shop again and then back tot he van to come back to campus Yesterday was May Day of course, and there are often protests on that day so we got out of Dodge early! yeah, Portland, for those who don’t get the reference to dodge.

 

Back on campus we had a session of putting booties and head collars on our dogs. For those who want to use escalators, booties are mandatory. Dogs feet can get caught and seriously injured on escalators. I don’t use escalators as I’m pretty scared of them. But the booties are also good for extreme hot or cold weather. Petunia put up with my clumsy efforts putting on the booties. what a champ! she tolerated the head collar too but didn’t seem to like it much and kept rubbing her face on my leg to try to get the darn thing off. But the head collar can be an easier gentle way to help keep the dog focused around distractions, so I’m sure they’re gonna have me work her in it probably today.

 

My stomach was up to its old tricks the last few days, so I haven’t been eating much. My dinner last night tasted so good, but I knew if I put more in my stomach the problem would just get worse so I didn’t eat. then the chef and then the nurse came to my room to ask if I was ok or wanted something else. but really all I wanted to do was sleep. I slept between dinner and relieving and then went right to bed. We are now relieving our dogs ourtside our rooms.

 

Anyway, today we are back to Portland with another walk tot he coffee shop and then back to campus I think to start clicker training. Fun day ahead and definitely another latte in my immediate future!

Again, please excuse mistakes. the touch pad still won’t stay off and my arms are at a horrible angle trying to type, so it’s very uncomfortable.