Thanksgiving, saying goodbye, and coming back to Oxford

Thanksgiving was a joyful occasion.  In the morning the class did clicker training and country walks while we did booties, the dogs get little shoes to where in the really hot or the really cold.  They are also good for keeping salt off of their paws in the winter months.  In addition search and rescue dogs often use the boots as they are running into burning buildings or up mountains.  Anyway, while it was clear that she would rather not have them on, she did not make a fuss about them.  I swear, nothing fazes this dog.  The haulty was another story. She was trying to glue her little head to her front legs. It was not at all to her  liking.  A haulty is a head collar that does not restrict a dog’s mouth.  They are to replace the Gentle Leader, and before that they were called a  muzzle.  After all of that we did a trip to Wal-Mart. Not the most fun thing ever, but we did buy Jonah and Bethany toys.  Jonah tried to pick out his own toys…  Pretty funny actually.  The two of them did a wonderful job making their way around the store.  It was crazy in there and these guys were impressive. 

We did a big Thanksgiving dinner upon our return.  The food was of course amazing and Larry gave a nice toast.  During dinner Graham and I had a long talk about our families and about differing personalities and styles of all of the trainers. .  We even had some red wine.  It was a Cabernet, Shana would have been pleased. 

After lunch  we did a little country walk of our own.  It was not a good demonstration of good guide work, but I hear that a lot of the dogs behave  horridly on this walk.  I was however, ready to chock it up to my karma.  Megan and Chrissie were sitting outside the door that we exited smoking and I may have been a bit  dramatic when I walked out.  Just a bit though, you all know how  subtle I typically am… :)

After we returned with the dogs we took them to play in their little playground.  There was much more of the same running, competing, etc…  Very cute and they did not even let the flurries faze them.  Graham left before dinner that night. He pretty much left in a hurry because he does not like goodbyes. Then that night was the last lecture of our time there.  Chrissie said that Lucie and I did not need to attend, but it felt like a good conclusion to be there and you never know, she could have said something  illuminating.  Chrissy is really good at explaining the lectures and has a real gift with answering every question, and treating every question with intent  consideration and skill.  It is no wonder that she only spent six months working the kennels.  In the evening I packed up my stuff, hung out with everyone for a bit and went to bed. 

The next morning I was ready to go...  I ate breakfast with Susan, Stacy, Lucie,, and Megan.  Tom, the IA,  wanted to leave for the airport by eight so I said a few quick good buys, got a few hugs and grabbed my stuff.  I was determined to get out of there without a tear.  I was doing so well, but then a teary Megan came down the hall to say  goodbye.  You have to understand a few things, Megan was the instructor  who trained Bethany.  She has worked with her since June. In that time they have had good days and not so good days.  Now Bethany is leaving with me to help me as I travel and generally live my life.  To Bethany, Megan is like that teacher that impacts your life and from having known  her you  are never the same.  Another way to think of it is through the lens of what I do.  I meet students when they are learning who they are and deciding who they want to be.  It is always bitter sweet to see my favorites graduate.  I am excited about their further lives and accomplishments, but no new student will ever fully take their place. On a personal note, I liked Megan from the moment I met her. She was funny, had a good sense of humor, she forgot to show me the blinds in my room, and she complemented my boots.  I am so easy to win over, but for real, she gave off a good vibe.  It always surprises me just how quickly you can connect to another person.  My biologist friends would say that a chemical reaction of some kind had occurred and I believe that this is true.  We are not talking about a romantic connection here folks, but rather a brain connection.  I have found that with some people you connect right away, or in the case of my best friend and I, you know each other for two years before you become friends. 

Anyway, although it was tough to leave, we got to the airport, Tom got Lucie to the check-in and then Tom and I hung out for three hours before my flight.  He is a great guy and will be a trainer sooner than later, I am sure.  He amused me by telling stories of all of the staff and he hung out with me at the gate until I needed to go.  The airport was really busy with a lot of people and luggage.  Bethany worked through all of it like a pro and then when we were on the jet she laid down nicely and curled into a ball to sleep in between my feet.  It was a little bumpy, going across Pennsylvania, but things did settle as we flew west.  JS met me in baggage, and we made a run through a Chick-fill-A drive through on our way back to Oxford.  We have spent the day around here today and tomorrow may do a few runs around the blocks close to here. We are going to take things slow in this new place.  She does not know the area or any of these people, so we are going to ease her into life away from Guiding Eyes.  She will do well, but I just want to make the next month a calm one as she adjusts to her new life.

A Good Good Day

Gosh, I just read that last blog and wow, it did not sound like me at all.  It was very we did this, then we did that…  Not my normal flow.  Today we finally targeted with the clickers.  So awesome!  So, let me explain.  Graham gave me and Lucie clickers, these little metal boxes attached to a wrist coil.  The dogs have been conditioned to enact desirable behaviors like, touching their noses to your fist.  So, we would present our fist and then say touch.  The dogs would then touch their noses to our fist. We would click to reinforce that behavioral cue and then the dog would get a treat. It is important to treat the dog each and every time you click the clicker because you always want the clicker to = a pay off.  So, why does it matter that Bethany can touch my fist with her nose, besides it being a fun party trick, you know like tying a stem into a knot with your tongue or shuffling  a deck of cards with one hand? It is important because when I say touch and click she can learn things like “Bethany , touch chair,” click, or Bethany, “touch, mail box,” click.  She can then learn to target important objects, or locations for me.  Awesome, right? So Miami people, you may see me around next week working with her on this.  It is pretty fantastic.

Oh and speaking of pretty fantastic, let’s talk about the mall.  So, we went there to work on escalators.  Bethany is so chill and calm. She heals on, she stays a step behind me and she walks off with no concern in the world.  She does not: 
A. Jump up and down celebrating like a crazy creature, um Andi.  I still remember Mel and I doing escalators and saying to me in her I am not all that amused voice, put your dog into a sit.  (Mel is another class supervisor, the equivalent to Dell.)
B:  Bethany also did not Michael Jordan leap off the escalator.  Many of you may remember this was the Randall approach.  She did it perfectly.  I told Megan earlier how great of a job  she did with her.  Well then we also went shopping for a shirt for Lucy’s daughter. It was funny watching  she and Graham work together to pick it out.  During the course of this shopping expedition  we came to the collective agreement that We do not understand the purpose of see-through clothing.  If anyone has further incite on why they buy it or when they find it a good idea, please feel free to share.   

We also did some walking in FDR Park where we saw a few different dogs.  She did great working past them, but was intrigued when she was just sitting as they walked by.   After that Lucie and I had a rather amusing lunch with Kathy, the Director of Training, Graham, Mel, and Mel’s niece.  They are all rather fun people. Being here is nice, but I will be happy to be back sleeping in my own bed, seeing my people, and not getting up at six am.  See all of you sooner than later!

Chilaxin take two

Today we are spending the day at the school and not the Lounge.  Lucy’s puppy raisers are actually driving down from Maine to visit with her and Jonah today.  Yesterday she had a dog change, which is just that, the instructors sometimes notice elements in the dog’s work that they do not like.  They will then switch a dog for someone.  It is a tough call, but they are thinking long range and it happens.  It is just better if it happens here instead of at home. 

We had our photos taken today, I wore red, hopefully that can counteract the early hour effect.  :)  I am now starting to think about going home.  We have been so dog focused up until right now that I had not really thought about Oxford in a while.  My agenda for the rest of the morning goes as such, ordering vet supplies, play time, potty break for the pup, and lunch.  Lots of fun. Later! V

More to say about today

So, there are some things that I have forgotten…  Yesterday morning Bethany was so  thoughtful and deliberate with her work.  It was trash day and she was not at all interested, she had her little attention focused on getting me safely to those down curbs.  It was very good.  She was moving like miss daisy  at times, but she got it together in the afternoon. 

Today was also the trip to the vet.  She weighs 54 lbs and her target weight is 58…  A good place to be…  This is why her food intake is going to remain three cups.  She and Jonah also played together in a smaller Astroturf dog run.  Bethany is a big brat and kept steeling his toys.  It was fun to see them run though.  They are cute.  We are going to have to ask their trainers who in our little group lived together and who played together.  It is interesting to see little friendships develop between animals.  They are so people like that way.  Today has been a good one. It is hard to believe that I am flying home in three days time.  It should be good to get back home. Crazy that it  has been two weeks away.  I have not been as productive as I had wanted to be, but did get through several of the new articles for the class that I am teaching next semester.  I will do a lot of reading over the weekend. 

Tomorrow we have another fun filled day with Graham.  I have no clue what he has planned, but it is my second to last full day.  I will miss the staff, oh and being cooked for every day. :)

The Team

Another day bights the dust.  It was a lot of fun today with Miss Bethany.  We did rework a few things, but, she is very smart and really does get the reworks and wants to do the right thing so much.  She is super sweet, and I know that when I return to campus and really crack the whip with people, aka, hands off when you see her harness, that a lot of people are going to be tempted.  What the public needs to understand is that she is helping to keep me safe and when you distract her you are potentially harming me in the future.   I do not want a guide dog that walks up to strangers or one who scrounges for food.  Those are just not good traits. 

I will talk with my girl Megan later and see if we can get a photo up on this blog.  Just so that you all can get a sneak peak.  I am love love loving the Action program, such a good choice.  It would have been okay to be here for the full three weeks, but I just feel like I am getting a lot from working with Graham.  Megan and Chrissy are good too, for sure, but, Graham is really amazing.  I would never tell him this to his face but, somehow putting it out there for the world to read sounds like a fine proposition…  Go figure.  

Today I also chatted it up with my girl Woody and  came to the conclusion that I am still fine renting for another couple of years…  Woody just bought her first house. I also saw another fantastic person of the past.  Miranda Beckmann is still here, still training dogs, still loving life, and still supervising classes. 

So, each class has two lead instructors, in our case these people are Megan and Chrissie.  The classes each have one class supervisor, this person for us is Dell.  His job is to make sure that the class stays on track and that the trainers are following procedure to the Guiding Eyes specifications…  In classes with Action Students, there is an Action instructor and in classes with special needs students there is a special needs instructor.   This team of folks is joined by an IA or instructors’ assistant.  The IA has the rather thankless job of making sure that all of the dogs drink, pee, and poop.  Sounds magical, right?  Well this is the way to work your way up to trainer status.    If someone wants to train guide dogs they have to start out working the kennels and assisting the instructors.  Our IA is Laura.  She is young and cute.  She was actually a puppy raiser and after college, and what sounded like a great trip out west, she moved down here and started to work.  A side note is that she went to school in Ithaca, so we have been talking food and wine.  So fun…  Susan is the special needs instructor.  She is so so good at what she does.  Clearly, I just really like these people.  Definitely not in a creeper stocker way, I just respect them and what they do. 

Alright, so, back to it…  We are taking some photos tomorrow at 8 am, really and truly, 8 am. I am sure that my photo is going to  rival a mug shot for its beauty.  So that's great, but then we are spending the day around the school doing the for mentioned country work, some targeting and whatever Graham has in store.  For now I need to do some obedience with the pup.  Then we need to play.  She has a lot of energy.  Catch you later.

Guiding Eyes, Instructers, Instruction, and the like...

I was not neglecting my blog updates… the past several days have been good with Bethany.  She stops at curbs well, me, sometimes not so much.  She seems to have a bit of a heightened interest in birds, but did well working past a pack of little rat dogs.  She has been really great at working past food, clearly a big deal!

Since I was here last, the school has really turned to operant conditioning, which is great.  So, what this means is that the dogs are learning behaviors through their receiving of positive reinforcements in the form of food.  The instructors more commonly refer to this training tool as positive reward, or food reward but, I, as a former student of Dr. Clark will never use the word reward in the description of behaviorism. :) 

Yesterday, Graham took us on a couple of longer and more challenging trips, while the rest of the class did a trip with lots of left hand turns.  The day before , we did less difficult trips.  The dogs are gaining confidence and new skills needed for us to travel  well with them  and vice versa.   They are truly great and the dog trainers/people instructors are fantastic! 

So, a little training description goes as such.  Each trainer is given a new string of dogs about twice every year.  Too reach that point the dogs must pass an In For Training test.  This test consists  of strangers approaching them, them not jumping back when an umbrella is opened in their faces and other distractions that they must remain calm through.  So, after that hurtle has been cleared the dogs are assigned to their trainers.  The dogs then begin formal training.  The trainers begin slowly, making them sit at changes of elevation and making sure that they heal well.  They then learn country work, walking along the left side of a  street without sidewalks. This is when they learn to pull out against a harness.  It is very cool how they teach it.  It involves a lot of  sweet talking with your voice and today most likely food.  I say that because the training of guide work used to involve much more stick an less carrot.  (speaking figuratively of course… These dogs are treated like kings and queens.)  Today, it is all about the positive reinforcement, along with the physical contact and voice inflections, which remain a crucial element of training.  The training picks up a lot from there, but I will talk about that later. 

Bethany is doing great and I  am very impressed.  Her trainer Megan is a sweetie too...  She has a degree in animal behavior and new about Guiding Eyes through her best friend in college, who is from York Town.  Crazy…  Our other class instructor is Chrissie, who had a  high paying position in the city, but was not in love with corporate America.  So now she trains dogs, trains people, and picks up poop.  Basically she lives the dream.  They are both wonderful and have endless  patients and the sarcastic  sides to their personalities, which I enjoy.  I also saw ,my two favorites, Krissy and Woody... I have known them both for almost ten years...  The school is really like an extended family.  You can develop quite a strong relationship when you spend a month with  some people.  Since I’ve been here I have seen a lot of old instructors.  They are all good people and make this place feel like home. 

The class is a lot of fun.  My new friend Meka cracks me up, the Spanish guys are great, and their interpreter and dog trainer from Spain is very cool.  The older guys Joe and Larry are fun and really this group of people is all around good.  I may go watch the Colts game later with this woman named Stacey.  I got some Corona too, so, the afternoon should be good.  Sundays are a day of play and rest for the dogs, so I am doing laundry and such.

More to come in the future.  See many of you  in a week.  – Later  -- V

A New Way to Walk Walk Walk

Hello All.  Today was day one of working the dogs.  Graham is the instructor that I am working with.  He is the Assistant director of training and he runs the Action Program.  He is a really good guy and can remember just about every dog that has been in and out of the kennels.  People are often telling me that I have a good memory, the steel trap if you will, but I think that Graham may have me beat.  So, our repeated walk  took us about 10 blocks.  We did some streets and Bethany is doing quite well. I am doing pretty well at trying not to display any of my bad habits that I am sure that I have acquired over the years too.  I am also enjoying getting to know the other instructors and the other students.  Guide Dog School is an interesting  experience.  It is hard to completely explain.  Even for me, of many words. 

Bethany is very cute though. She has little ears, loves to lay on her back and I’m told makes funny expressions. Like, she has her working face, her playing around face, etc…  She is definitely not like either Andi or Randall. 

By the way, a Randall up-date.  He is doing great with my parents, but Shana’s new cat, Fiona, who is living with the parents until Shana can get a place that will allow her to have a pet, is picking on my baby.  Yesterday my Dad was downstairs in the family room and wondered where Randall was.  Well, it turns out that Fiona had him trapped up stares.  She was sitting on the stares and he was  to frightened to walk past her.  I am sure they will get over all of this drama soon, but for now he has my parents for  protection from the de-clawed , but yet, clearly terrifying kitty… 

Bethany!

We did get the dogs today & for those of you who were breathlessly awaiting, “new dog’s” name is Bethany.  She is a female black lab and she is very sweet.  She loves loves loves her trainer, but thinks that I am pretty okay too. 

It is a gradual process, working with a new dog.  They have all had turbulent lives, with a lot of transition.  Dogs, like most people do not love change and I represent the  third big change in the process.  First it was from the littermates and Mom to the puppy  raiser family.  Then around the one year mark they leave their homes and come back into the school for training and then they work with that instructor for five months or so and finally they meet up with people like me.  That is a lot to happen to anyone in a two year period. 

Now, down to the most crucial item on every one’s minds, what will happen to my clothes?  I know you were all thinking it.  Time to stop buying khaki, and time to get a new peacoat .  It will be fun to restock.

Tomorrow we begin the real training!  I will write more about all of that tomorrow.

Day 2; Dogless

So, we have now finished day two.  Still no dogs.  Today’s big objective was for the dog’s trainers/our instructors to work with us as we would a dog.  It is like it sounds people. They hold harnesses down at our side and we walk as if we were working a dog.  It sounds funny and I am quite sure that it looks just as odd, but the point of this final method of data collection is to find that perfect match. 

Side note, the first time I walked with my person harness, aka a Juno Walk, I was a junior in college.  I was not jazzed about the process and took the field rep, her name is Andrea, on some back streets to minimize our likelihood of running into friends of mine.  Oh memories… 

So, other than working with these instructors and getting to know the other training  location , I spent a good bit of the day getting to know the class.  There are twelve of us ranging in age from 21- sixty something…  There are two special needs students, people who have visual impairments along with another disability, three students from Spain, two Action or accelerated students, I am one of these, and five other folks.  I love life stories, so have been enjoying cross examining my fellow students.  Most of us are re-trains, aka we have had other dogs before.

A shout out to my office to say that tonight we did in fact sit around and talk about transitioning to a new dog.  It was very much like what you all were teasing me about before I left.  Just thought that I would let you all know.  Full disclosure people…

I’ll be writing again  tomorrow to let you know what the dog is like.  Thanks for your emails.  They are making me laugh.  I will see many of you after Thanksgiving. 

airports... flying is fun?

Well my adoring public, I have heard from a few of you, wondering what is going on… . Today was a travel day for me.  I flew out of the Cincinnati Northern KT airport and arrived at LaGuardia  around twelve thirty.  Of course my flight was delayed an hour in Cinci, but I had an okay trip over all.  Here are just a few observations I have as a visually impaired traveler.  Number one.  People treat Randall like a rock star.  Randall you ask? Didn’t Randall retire?  Yes, yes, he did.  This weekend my Mom came down to pick him up, but while she was in town she also took me to the airport this morning.  Therefore, as we do not want to be cruel to the big guy, we took him through the airport and my Mom walked him back through  after I was at my gate.  On her way back through the airport a pilot  asked her if she would like some assistance, and some naughty dog lovers pet him while he was traveling down an escalator.  (Just in the case that you think this is a great idea, it is not. When a working dog is working, you should not distract said dog.  Places where this behavior is especially not okay include, in cross walks, on escalators or stares, and in areas where danger is present.)  You see My Mom did not at all hold the harness, just healed him back to the parking area.  Randall is now safe in PA with my parents and the cats.  So, back to my observations.  When I travel alone, people worry about my comfort, my happiness, and my  over all well being a lot.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate people letting their good nature shine through, but I am okay being left to wait for a ride in baggage at my destination, I am fine sitting in a row by myself on a flight, and I do not need a good buy hug from a Delta agent.  Again, I appreciate seeing people being friendly, I do however tend to laugh at the things that they say and do when I am around. 

I am now at Guiding Eyes.  I’ve had two meals, taken a tour of the new parts of the training center, and gotten to meet the instructors and my fellow classmates.  Tomorrow  the instructors are going to spend the day getting to know all of us and how we may match up with their dogs.  Although, right now I hear my bed calling.  I’ll write more tomorrow.  For now I’d better get some rest. 6 am will come quickly. 

Questions?

I have received a few questions since I first posted and I thought that I would take a few minutes to address them here. 

Question 1: What happened to Andi?

I do admit, I left that bit out of my last post. She moved in with a great family in Southern Jersey.  Not on the shore, I do not believe that she ever had the chance to meet Snookie, but for real, she moved in with a family who had three young kids.  Their Mom and I  actually kept  in touch, but did lose touch over the six years since I have seen Andi.  The last photo that I had seen, showed Andi, fat and happy, playing princess dress up with the family’s little girl.  She was  in a boa and tiara.  Nuff said…

Question 2: How long does one stay at the guide dog school for training?

As I have told a lot of you, I will be away for two weeks, but this is not at all typical.  All who are going to Guiding Eyes to receive their first dog stay at the school for a month/four weeks.  You need to be at least 16 to apply for a guide dog and in my case, I was 20 when I received Andi. 

Those who are traveling to the school to receive a subsequent dog must stay at the school for three weeks of training.  In my case, I stayed for the full four weeks with Randall.  You see, on our way to the airport, we were in a car accident on the Queens Borough Bridge.  Therefore, I opted to go back to the school and make sure that Randall was okay before traveling home. 

This time, I will be a part of the school’s Action Program, meaning that I will spend ten days training with my dog and then I will return home and receive the remainder of my training back here in Oxford.  I am excited to see the differences in  this form of the overall program. 

Question 3: Do I know anything about “New Dog?” 

I know that the dog will be around the age of 2, but apart from that, I do not know the breed, sex, or name.  The instructors reserve the right to change their minds and set up the best match possible.  They will take into account factors like, my home interview, my walking speed, my life style, and what I have told them at the school.  They are very skilled at what they do and have a good track record. 

That’s my Story for today.  Thanks for the questions.

Hello

Hello All,

I will be keeping everyone up to date on my travels to get my newest and third dog from Guiding Eyes For the Blind, which is the school that I have chosen to receive all of my guide dogs.  To give you a little background, I received my first dog, Candia, I called her Andi, from the school in 2002 between my junior and senior years of college.  Randall, the dog that most of you know and love came to me in the Summer of 2005 right after I graduated from grad school.  I chose guiding eyes because of it’s; small classes, usually around twelve people, it’s family feel, and due to the fact that their dogs receive at least some of their training in New York City, my logic being, that if a dog can work safely and calmly in that crazy place that it can keep up with my crazy schedule and varied locations. 

Andi retired after being with me for two and a half years.  I have had Randall for five and a half years.  Why am I telling you this?  The answer is simple, one of the most common questions that I hear is why do dogs retire and the answer varies and is dog dependent.  In Andy’s case, she retired because the stress of working through Oakland, PA and really the greater Pittsburgh area was too stressful for her.  In Randall’s case, he has just become sick of the whole business.  As those of you who have dogs know, a bond develops between a dog and it’s owner…  You often know, for example, when your dog needs more water, or needs to “use the facilities/back yard”  Randall has been telling me for months that guide work is not his favorite thing anymore.  He is not a bad dog, it is just not safe for me to place my life in the paws and in the care of this guy anymore. 

Where is he going?  Randall will be retiring into an awesome home, a home that he knows and loves.  On the weekend of the 12 he will be moving to Pennsylvania, in with my Mom and Dad.  They are happy to welcome him.  In addition he will be joining his best friend, Bella, the cat.  Additionally, I will be able to see him in the summer and over the holidays, which is very cool. 

That’s all we’ve got for today…  Check back for more regular communication on the 15th.