Day 5 & 6: It's the Weekend!
The weekend! You would think this place would be hopping. But everyone seemed to be in bed shortly after park. No talking, no gathering of the “women of the dark,” no long conversation. Just sleep because 5:30 AM feels just the same on a Friday as it does on a Saturday! Just EARLY!
Angie and I have made quite a bit of progress over the past few days. We’re slowly making our way towards becoming a team. One of the things that the instructors continually share is that this is a huge adjustment for the dogs. Prior to being matched, they usually work as a guide for about 45 minutes each day with the rest of the day playing with the other dogs or doing what dogs do; eat, sleep, and poop. Once they are in class, their “on” time drastically increases to multiple hours in the day. They also have to adjust to their new person who is blind and who feels different to them when working together. The trainers are sighted and may not move in the same way around objects or in the street. So the dogs have to adjust to this. Let’s not even begin to describe the change in how each of the dogs are supposed to interact with each other. It’s like transitioning from partying with your college buddies, going to classes every so often, and now seeing those same buddies in a very professional situation where the boss is always present. As the dogs mature, they will either become faster as they feel more secure in knowing how to move with their person or slow down after realizing that each move is a decision point they must consider.
Today we successfully completed our third solo route. This morning there was a surprise snow storm that rolled through with heavy snow and sleet bands. This all happened during my solo and it provided an extra level of complexity to how we worked together. For me, it was like being in a white out since everything around me looked white. To Angie, I’m sure guiding someone who is now sliding while walking earned her extra guiding points. But we did it with a bit of ease and a lot of trust. I’m learning what forms of praise she really appreciates the most which will be beneficial as we learn how to communicate with each other. I can feel my head giving her more trust space and my body easing to moving more fluidly together. It’s hard to describe, but I’m hoping the analogy is more like she’s becoming an extension of me like a limb or a part of one body working in unison when we move. When working well, a team can feel like communication and the bond becomes symbiotic.
This afternoon my instructor shared with me her puppy profile and size dimensions. So here we go.
Name: Angie a.k.a. “monster maker”
Height: 21”
Weight: 48 lbs
Harness Size: 42 – the smallest
Birthday: June 28, 2012
Summary of Puppy Raiser Description: Raised in Pennsylvania on a rancher style home with a 100 lb. rescue shepherd, a cat, and towards the end a new seeing eye puppy. Went to daily visits with her raisers to see the other families and puppy deliveries with her raisers who were a husband and wife team. The wife was the primary raiser and they have two older sons who come and visit during the holidays. Based on the profile, I can tell her puppy raiser really loved her. She described her as full of life, great spirit, loyal, and has beautiful expressive eyes. She loves ice cubes.
Once we are settled, I will write to them to let them know how she’s doing. Seeing Eye has a no-contact policy between raisers and graduates. While I don’t quite agree with this policy, I think it’s done to maintain appropriate boundaries and avoid graduates feeling beholden to the puppy raisers. I wouldn’t mind contact with raisers as long as there’s clear lines of where ownership resides. But that is a whole debate that goes on endlessly in the blind community that I won’t take up too much space here.
We also took a trip to the pet store and I picked up a few things for her (a pink dinosaur, rope toy, a bacon bone, and a wabba). She seems quite pleased to have seen those items going into the bag to go home. I have to get use to walking around and stepping on the occasional squeaky and bone. I wonder if I can train her to put up all of her toys before going to bed.
Tomorrow we get to break out and go to church! This will be our first outing on our own. I know it sounds like I’m getting out of prison. TSE has pretty strict rules for how much we’re exposed to while in training as to ensure success for graduate and dog. So what better place to go first as a team than church! Can I get an AMEN to that!
I can now move on to freelance work which becomes more tailored to my own specific needs and interests. Since I live in the DC Metro area, we’ll focus on buses, trains, subways, escalators, and crowds.
It’s been a pretty quiet day. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that we got our gear! This includes a brand spanking new harness which will be hers forever, booties, a bell, and some additional items I ordered for us both. The harness is probably the most notable as it is the most significant piece of equipment we have and it will be our primary connection point. So it holds a huge sentimental value for each team.
Angie and I have made quite a bit of progress over the past few days. We’re slowly making our way towards becoming a team. One of the things that the instructors continually share is that this is a huge adjustment for the dogs. Prior to being matched, they usually work as a guide for about 45 minutes each day with the rest of the day playing with the other dogs or doing what dogs do; eat, sleep, and poop. Once they are in class, their “on” time drastically increases to multiple hours in the day. They also have to adjust to their new person who is blind and who feels different to them when working together. The trainers are sighted and may not move in the same way around objects or in the street. So the dogs have to adjust to this. Let’s not even begin to describe the change in how each of the dogs are supposed to interact with each other. It’s like transitioning from partying with your college buddies, going to classes every so often, and now seeing those same buddies in a very professional situation where the boss is always present. As the dogs mature, they will either become faster as they feel more secure in knowing how to move with their person or slow down after realizing that each move is a decision point they must consider.
Today we successfully completed our third solo route. This morning there was a surprise snow storm that rolled through with heavy snow and sleet bands. This all happened during my solo and it provided an extra level of complexity to how we worked together. For me, it was like being in a white out since everything around me looked white. To Angie, I’m sure guiding someone who is now sliding while walking earned her extra guiding points. But we did it with a bit of ease and a lot of trust. I’m learning what forms of praise she really appreciates the most which will be beneficial as we learn how to communicate with each other. I can feel my head giving her more trust space and my body easing to moving more fluidly together. It’s hard to describe, but I’m hoping the analogy is more like she’s becoming an extension of me like a limb or a part of one body working in unison when we move. When working well, a team can feel like communication and the bond becomes symbiotic.
This afternoon my instructor shared with me her puppy profile and size dimensions. So here we go.
Name: Angie a.k.a. “monster maker”
Height: 21”
Weight: 48 lbs
Harness Size: 42 – the smallest
Birthday: June 28, 2012
Summary of Puppy Raiser Description: Raised in Pennsylvania on a rancher style home with a 100 lb. rescue shepherd, a cat, and towards the end a new seeing eye puppy. Went to daily visits with her raisers to see the other families and puppy deliveries with her raisers who were a husband and wife team. The wife was the primary raiser and they have two older sons who come and visit during the holidays. Based on the profile, I can tell her puppy raiser really loved her. She described her as full of life, great spirit, loyal, and has beautiful expressive eyes. She loves ice cubes.
Once we are settled, I will write to them to let them know how she’s doing. Seeing Eye has a no-contact policy between raisers and graduates. While I don’t quite agree with this policy, I think it’s done to maintain appropriate boundaries and avoid graduates feeling beholden to the puppy raisers. I wouldn’t mind contact with raisers as long as there’s clear lines of where ownership resides. But that is a whole debate that goes on endlessly in the blind community that I won’t take up too much space here.
We also took a trip to the pet store and I picked up a few things for her (a pink dinosaur, rope toy, a bacon bone, and a wabba). She seems quite pleased to have seen those items going into the bag to go home. I have to get use to walking around and stepping on the occasional squeaky and bone. I wonder if I can train her to put up all of her toys before going to bed.
Tomorrow we get to break out and go to church! This will be our first outing on our own. I know it sounds like I’m getting out of prison. TSE has pretty strict rules for how much we’re exposed to while in training as to ensure success for graduate and dog. So what better place to go first as a team than church! Can I get an AMEN to that!
I can now move on to freelance work which becomes more tailored to my own specific needs and interests. Since I live in the DC Metro area, we’ll focus on buses, trains, subways, escalators, and crowds.
It’s been a pretty quiet day. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that we got our gear! This includes a brand spanking new harness which will be hers forever, booties, a bell, and some additional items I ordered for us both. The harness is probably the most notable as it is the most significant piece of equipment we have and it will be our primary connection point. So it holds a huge sentimental value for each team.
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