Day 4 - Beginning to settle in.
Today was a really good day. I’m starting to remember the routine of having a dog. For more than 12 years, it was just second nature to remember when to feed, relieve, and groom the dog. I just incorporate that little extra time into my own personal routine. Yes, having a dog is a responsibility. There is no way around it or even to minimize it. I think it’s a question of whether you are willing to take on that responsibility with the benefits that you can receive from caring for your dog in the practical ways like making sure they’re relieved routinely or have a nice shiny coat after brushing. For me, I am happy to take that on. We’ll see what that answer is when there’s 6 or more inches of snow on the ground.
We soloed the South street route today. It felt great to have the route under our belt as a success. There was a point in the route where I thought we needed to make a left turn. Angie actually indicated to me that we needed to continue on to the next block, but she was compliant when I ask for us to make a left turn. I was wrong. My instructor, who was following silently behind us, tapped me on the shoulder to let me know Angie was correct. Now, this brings up a topic that many believe that the dogs automatically know where to go. Some people assume that they have a GPS like sense to them. There is some myth and truth to that. Angie anticipated some of the turns we needed to make along the route because she’s been on them so many times before. She does not know the names of the street crossings nor can she judge traffic. I have to always be prepared to direct her where to go with the commands of “left,” “right,” or “forward.” But as in what happened today, the dogs develop a sense of familiarity with the routes. There were many times in college where Denver and Mugs both were certain that the previous semester classes were the same destinations we needed to go the following semester. So I had to let them know that each route is not predictable.
We started the Elm street route which is much longer and incorporates things like mid-street crossings, shorter interval intersections, and traffic that is difficult to judge or orient to. We will solo this probably Saturday. And we’ll go to the pet store which I am looking forward to getting her some nice things. I can finally buy toys for a dog that will actually enjoy them!
The rest of today was rather uneventful, but that isn’t a bad thing. We had a lecture on Access laws covered under the ADA and guidance from the Department of Justice on access rights for individuals with service dogs, some of the other teams went for their individual appointment with the Seeing Eye’s veterinary staff, and a lecture on how to introduce alone time and free-choice water for the dogs. Up to this point, we are not to leave the dogs alone, the dogs should be on leash while we’re in our rooms as to monitor their movement, and we restrict the amount of water to minimize the amount of accidents they may have during their initial time with us. Now that the others are further along in their training, they can now begin allowing more freedom in the rooms and with the water. I’ll get to that point probably next week. It’s nice to know that each lecture has an intentional purpose for us and the betterment of the dog-human relationship.
Angie is beginning to solicit play with me and will now ask to curl up in my lap. This is a clear indication to me that she is becoming more comfortable with me.
We soloed the South street route today. It felt great to have the route under our belt as a success. There was a point in the route where I thought we needed to make a left turn. Angie actually indicated to me that we needed to continue on to the next block, but she was compliant when I ask for us to make a left turn. I was wrong. My instructor, who was following silently behind us, tapped me on the shoulder to let me know Angie was correct. Now, this brings up a topic that many believe that the dogs automatically know where to go. Some people assume that they have a GPS like sense to them. There is some myth and truth to that. Angie anticipated some of the turns we needed to make along the route because she’s been on them so many times before. She does not know the names of the street crossings nor can she judge traffic. I have to always be prepared to direct her where to go with the commands of “left,” “right,” or “forward.” But as in what happened today, the dogs develop a sense of familiarity with the routes. There were many times in college where Denver and Mugs both were certain that the previous semester classes were the same destinations we needed to go the following semester. So I had to let them know that each route is not predictable.
We started the Elm street route which is much longer and incorporates things like mid-street crossings, shorter interval intersections, and traffic that is difficult to judge or orient to. We will solo this probably Saturday. And we’ll go to the pet store which I am looking forward to getting her some nice things. I can finally buy toys for a dog that will actually enjoy them!
The rest of today was rather uneventful, but that isn’t a bad thing. We had a lecture on Access laws covered under the ADA and guidance from the Department of Justice on access rights for individuals with service dogs, some of the other teams went for their individual appointment with the Seeing Eye’s veterinary staff, and a lecture on how to introduce alone time and free-choice water for the dogs. Up to this point, we are not to leave the dogs alone, the dogs should be on leash while we’re in our rooms as to monitor their movement, and we restrict the amount of water to minimize the amount of accidents they may have during their initial time with us. Now that the others are further along in their training, they can now begin allowing more freedom in the rooms and with the water. I’ll get to that point probably next week. It’s nice to know that each lecture has an intentional purpose for us and the betterment of the dog-human relationship.
Angie is beginning to solicit play with me and will now ask to curl up in my lap. This is a clear indication to me that she is becoming more comfortable with me.
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