My New Guide Dog africa Her Daily Coaching Journal

The day has finally come

The day has finally come. This can be the day I receive Africa, my new guide dog. Africa is that the seventh guide I have had the pleasure of working. All seven guide dogs were trained at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael California. I received my first guide dog on June 28, 1964 once I was however 14 years old. That day continues to be as contemporary in my mind as if it happened solely this year.

My fifth guide dog, Roselle, is by far the most famous one amongst all as she was with me once I worked and escaped from the 78th floor of Tower One among the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. You'll be able to learn a lot of of Roselles life elsewhere on my net website.

In March of 2007 Roselle retired and i was joined by my sixth guide dog, Meryl. Unfortunately, Meryl only worked for about a year and a [*fr1] before the stressful job of guiding became too much for her and he or she had to retire. Guiding is not an easy job. Solely regarding 50% of the Labrador Retrievers who enter the program a guide dogs for the blind truly succeed and go home with blind folks as half of an individual-guide dog team. Some guides go home only to get that guiding isnt their issue. Meryl retired officially on September eighteen, 2008.

As an aside, I should explain that the explanation the success rate for labs is solely concerning fiftypercent comes not from the actual fact that the other fifty% aren't as bright or is good. Dogs are just like people. Each one has its own personality. Some dogs work well as guides whereas others don't. Some folks are terribly successful and appear to adapt well to some jobs however not to others. We tend to learned a while ago not to mention that the dogs that do not make it as guides are failures, but rather they're career change. Some of the career changed dogs leave GDB in order to perform alternative jobs like cancer detection and to do work with the military in drug and explosives investigation. Some career modification guide dog puppies have gone on to work with persons with diabetes. These Dogs for Diabetics are taught how to warn their handlers of drastic changes in their blood sugar levels and so prevent the onset of hypoglycemic or insulin reactions.

Back to Africa. Immediately upon Meryls retirement the search began for a successor guide dog for me. The method of matching a blind person with a guide dog may be a very complicated one. It is important to find a dog that may match its blind handlers pace, walking patterns, temperament, with having a personality which will match into its handlers daily approach of life. There is a good reason why Guide Dogs for the Blind calls the decision to use a guide dog a lifestyle selection. Part of the process that each team goes through is that the forming and building of the relationship which will dictate how human and dog can interact with every alternative throughout their time along.

For me when preparing for Africa it helps that I have had six previous guidedogs all from the same college. Even though Guide Dogs for the Blind has amassed quite a small amount of knowledge concerning my desires and wishes regarding a guide dog match I still went through a home interview and a temporary walk with the local GDB field rep, Marc Gillard. We tend to did the interview at the identical time he came to fetch Meryl back in September.

The subsequent event was an e-mail from Charles Nathan, the Guide Dogs Director of Training in San Rafael. Charles e-mailed me round the twentieth of October to inform me that he believed that a match had been found on behalf of me. He wished me to take a test walk with the dog to seeif I felt we would possibly have a match. Charles informed me that the dogs name was Africa which she was a small yellow Labrador. Once I saw the name I realized that there was another excuse why GDB could of course have found a good match. Africa is one amongst the puppies from the second litter of our GDB breeder, Fantasia. Fantasia has lived with us for a very little more than two years. One of our close family friends, Linda Lewis, had suggested the name Africa when we learned that Fantasias second litter would all have names beginning with the letter A. I knew that if Africa was something like her mom we tend to had the potential for a nice match. Fantasias temperament was additional suited to what I desired and felt would be best for my lifestyle. If Africas temperament and demeanor were something like her mother she was certainly value a look.

On October twenty seven Todd Jurek brought Africa to our home for our check walk. We have a tendency to spent 3 hours traveling around our neighborhood furthermore through downtown Novato. We tend to also went to a restaurant, and spent it slow at the local Peets low just therefore I might observe Africa in an exceedingly selection of settings. Afterward I told Todd that I thought Africa was a good match and that we tend to should go ahead. Todd was Roselles trainer and as I learned that day he trained Africa still. I didnt have Todd as a coach once I was matched with Roselle. I asked that if the least bit possible I would really like to figure with him to do my coaching with Africa. I learned later that week that we have a tendency to could begin coaching the week of November ten which Todd indeed would be my instructor. It doesnt get higher than that.

by: Hans o Dean

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