I procrastinated getting a guide dog for about 2 years, turning down 3 different training dates offered to me after being accepted to the program, all because of fear.
My fears? (in order)
Poop. Allergies. Dog Hair. Drool.
None of these 4 excuses that I spent 730 days fixating on ended up being issues. Continue reading “Guide Dogs for the Over-Thinkers (aka. Week 2 at GDB)”
“What are you looking for in a guide dog?”
“Um, Well, a smallish sized dog who is calm and has a drier mouth, maybe a yellow lab although color isn’t as important. Oh, and I want a dog who is super fast.”
I could tell Roja met my criteria from day 1, even though bonding has continued to be challenging. I’m now in my second week of training, and I still find myself feeling jealous of other students and their constantly playful, cuddling dogs. Yes, Roja, gives “hugs” with her whole body and loves playing “tug” and occasionally rests her soft head on my lap, but these signs of affection are definitely on her terms, intermittently, when she feels like it! She still moves away when I reach to pet her head, and I’m still learning what makes her tick. Continue reading “I Believe I Can Fly (summary of First Week at GDB)”
You know how some days can just fly by, to the point where you can’t even figure out what you did? And then there are those other days, those 24-hour periods that are so thick with events that it seems several months have passed overnight. I’ve experienced this during a weekend of silence at a Trappist monastery, and on several short-term mission trips over the years, and today, at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, CA, during my first day of training. Continue reading “Meet Roja: Day 1 of Training at GDB”
