Henry.Kasten@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org (Henry Kasten) (11/06/90)
Index Number: 11593
[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]
Ola Vixen, Worn out your new sneakers yet? Sounds like you and
Tobey are doing well. Keep up the fun. Just a few comments on
the dog guide stuff. First there is a grain of truth in all the
stories provided by dog guide users. None of us knows the degree
of competencey a person has as far as mobility with a cane is
concerned. Frankly, I agree with you that the more confident
cane traveler will be a better dog guide traveler. i certainly
would not recommend getting a dog because you get lost allot.
Yet, the dog can bail you out of a sticky situation and get you
back to a familiar spot. Your cane cannot do that. It is true,
some people train there dogs to follow a particular route, put it
in automatic pilot and cruise to their destination. That method
works fine for them. I travel all over the place, rarely taking
the same route when leaving a spot to go to another. Falcon
doesn't know where I want to go. I must give directions. He
does know the way to the car in the parking garage, I give him
his lead and let him take me to the car. So, yes, I sometimes let
him be the navigator. You might too. What about fetching.
Sometimes it is nice when I drop something and Falcon picks it up
and gives it to me or at least points to where it has fallen. I
would not lose any sleep if my dog had problems with mastering the
fetch command during obedience training. I would continue to try
it. The dog is very smart, you must find the correct device that
will make the light in his head turn on when you give the fetch
command. Try different things for tobey to fetch. Who knows,
something might just work? On the other hand, I have tried for
3 years to teach falcon to fetch the newspaper, he flat refuses.
He won't get me my pipe or slippers either. Just something
for you to think about. We all get our dogs or canes or whatever
to suit our own needs, no one else's. Tobey will do for you what
he needs to. Nothing more, nothing less. By the way, did you
hear that the seeing eye is now using Poodles? They're telling
the new owners that they are long haired shepherds. I wonder what
Willie got? You don't suppose they would give him one and not
tell him do you? Adios, Henry
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Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!130!10!Henry.Kasten
Internet: Henry.Kasten@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.orgmcgrew@Eng.Sun.COM (Darin McGrew) (11/07/90)
Index Number: 11614 In article <15497@bunker.UUCP> Henry.Kasten@f10.n130.z1.fidonet.org writes: > By the way, did you >hear that the seeing eye is now using Poodles? Sounds like a good idea for folks who are allergic to dog hair (for those who don't know, poodles don't shed--that's why they have to have their hair trimmed). Back before Guide Dogs for the Blind had their own breeding program, they used all sorts of different breeds of dogs--basically, whatever dogs were donated, they used. > They're telling >the new owners that they are long haired shepherds. The first time I saw a long-haired shepherd from Seeing Eye I was really confused-- Me: Oh, there's another guide dog on the bus. Michelle: How neat! What kind is it? Me: Hmmm, it looks kinda like a shepherd, only it has long hair. Michelle: Well, maybe if we meet the owner later, we can ask what kind of dog it is. So later we asked, and found out it was a long-haired shepherd. Ask a stupid question,... Darin McGrew mcgrew@Eng.Sun.COM Affiliation stated for identification purposes only.