And so it begins
I'm always one for a good adventure. Skiing?... no problem. Trying to cook a new dish?... Let's do it. Showing a sighted person how to pump gas? Game on! (more about that later) But what about the adventures that impact the heart? Well then we have to think about it for a second.
And so it begins.
I began my journey with an initial decision to share my life again with a new guide dog. While sitting around during the furlough in October 2013, I submitted my application for a new dog. Within a week, I had everything complete. And so I waited. November...no dog. December...no dog + holidays. But January 2014 is the month.
I arrived at the Seeing Eye yesterday and was quickly welcomed home by so many old faces from people I've gotten to know over the years with my previous two guides. That's what makes the school sort of magical. In that you return again to the same faces (for some spanning almost two decades), a warm hug, and support for the next big step you take with a new guide.
After eating a quick bite for lunch, my instructor said we'd go on a Juno walk around the leisure path located at the Seeing Eye's campus. A Juno walk helps the instructor gauge our pace, pull, and other factors they need for determining the right match. They use this information along with input from our home interviews conducted months earlier and from discussions we have with them about our lifestyle. It's a little weird giving commands to an imaginary dog named Juno, knowing full well, it's my instructor at that other end of that harness.
I swear these people should work for the CIA or some unnamed secretive agency. No one on staff shared with me any details on the match even up to the point of calling the dog an it as we walked up the stairs to my room right after the walk and before I met "it."
Either way, the match was confirmed. I received a female black lab named Angie. She's definitely full of spunk and a powerhouse in harness. She will keep my brain going keeping track of her. Our first walk together was a jolt. Her gate, her approach to the curbs, and how she responds reminded me that she was not Denver. She was different. Different is not bad, it's just different and it felt good. Taking the first few blocks with her was incredibly fast. I was a little afraid of falling since the sidewalk was a bit uneven. But as I mentally tried to ease in, it got better. It felt freeing. As we walked along, my instructor was with me the whole way, providing encouragement to us both since Angie probably considers me a stranger at this point. The bond is very fragile at this point, so they want to encourage positive association with me. So no corrections and no stressful situations.
I think we're off to a good start. For anyone reading along, please pray for my time here with Angie and for the relationship we build together as a solid team.
And so it begins.
I began my journey with an initial decision to share my life again with a new guide dog. While sitting around during the furlough in October 2013, I submitted my application for a new dog. Within a week, I had everything complete. And so I waited. November...no dog. December...no dog + holidays. But January 2014 is the month.
I arrived at the Seeing Eye yesterday and was quickly welcomed home by so many old faces from people I've gotten to know over the years with my previous two guides. That's what makes the school sort of magical. In that you return again to the same faces (for some spanning almost two decades), a warm hug, and support for the next big step you take with a new guide.
After eating a quick bite for lunch, my instructor said we'd go on a Juno walk around the leisure path located at the Seeing Eye's campus. A Juno walk helps the instructor gauge our pace, pull, and other factors they need for determining the right match. They use this information along with input from our home interviews conducted months earlier and from discussions we have with them about our lifestyle. It's a little weird giving commands to an imaginary dog named Juno, knowing full well, it's my instructor at that other end of that harness.
I swear these people should work for the CIA or some unnamed secretive agency. No one on staff shared with me any details on the match even up to the point of calling the dog an it as we walked up the stairs to my room right after the walk and before I met "it."
Either way, the match was confirmed. I received a female black lab named Angie. She's definitely full of spunk and a powerhouse in harness. She will keep my brain going keeping track of her. Our first walk together was a jolt. Her gate, her approach to the curbs, and how she responds reminded me that she was not Denver. She was different. Different is not bad, it's just different and it felt good. Taking the first few blocks with her was incredibly fast. I was a little afraid of falling since the sidewalk was a bit uneven. But as I mentally tried to ease in, it got better. It felt freeing. As we walked along, my instructor was with me the whole way, providing encouragement to us both since Angie probably considers me a stranger at this point. The bond is very fragile at this point, so they want to encourage positive association with me. So no corrections and no stressful situations.
I think we're off to a good start. For anyone reading along, please pray for my time here with Angie and for the relationship we build together as a solid team.
"Old Faces"? Harumph!
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