[Week Three] [Afterwards...] [Contents] [Send me Email!]

Hi folks,

Today was a lot of fun. Obedience was done in the kennel hallway, with all the dogs out in the free run area. Karl did very well at this obedience, much better than with just one dog to distract him.

We went to the city again, and I worked with Eric George, the training director (or something like that). We did construction, walking through scaffolding and loud noises, narrow aisles at Macy's, escalators, stairs, and lots of other difficult stuff. Karl did pretty well, too. He ran me into a French woman, who made a big fuss over him. One time, he didn't want to go down a narrow walk, and when I got him to, he seemed to be saying, "OK, but remember...I warned you..." One time in Macy's, when he couldn't decide the best way to get through an area that was narrow, he said, "Oh. You want to sit down, don't you? Here's a chair...let me crawl under it!" Well, we got through all that, and he got outside just fine, across the islands, through the construction, busy sidewalks, everything...ran only a couple curbs initially, and I do think Eric was impressed.

The afternoon was city buses. We rode to near the lounge and then I walked through the tables like on Saturday, but I knew what to do this time, and the folk weren't very annoying. Karl was being very solicitous though, and this is one of those things we'll have to work at.

The evening lecture was about dealing with the public (well intentioned as they are), and about traveling with a guide dog on planes, trains, and..uh...automobiles.

Things are really coming together for Karl and me. I'm looking forward to graduation, and we're really having a great time.

Hi folks,

Actually, the big bad drop route wasn't bad at all--I'd even say "easy". OK, so yesterday actually went very well. We had a puppy distraction with food at obedience. Karl was curious about the food but not the puppy, much, this time. During relieving, he picked up a piece of popped balloon...this is very unlike him to pick stuff up like that, he's usually not interested. His puppy raisers said so, too, and so did Dan, and that is my experience. Curious.

We went into the city again today, for the last time. We worked around the Wharf area, where the smells of the water and of fish are strong. The crossings were also very wide, sometimes offset, sometimes at angles, and Karl did fine. (By the way, Monday, he tried to make a diagonal, but changed his mind...what a guy!) The place was also crowded, and we just weaved our way through pedestrians. After the route, we hit souvenir shops, and I played tourist. I now own cable car and Golden Gate miniatures, a Golden Gate T-shirt, a cable car key chain, and a pretty big model of the Golden Gate bridge. The miniatures are a gift for someone at home... I don't think that there are many people in my neighborhood that have a model of the Golden Gate Bridge in their living room.

They told us that the afternoon route would be a bus-to-lounge. Well, it was, except that the bus left and dropped us off at different places. The route was very easy, too, well the one I got. I just walked around the corner and asked at the dry-cleaner the names of the streets around here, and then which way A Street was and followed. I went to the bank and went through the revolving door. The dog goes in on your right--something Karl doesn't like much, being on the right. It was pretty easy.

We didn't have a lecture. Instead the pool was opened, and we had a dusk route, another bus to lounge, also very easy.

I found bites or something on Karl...they've been coming up every so often. The instructors don't think it's bad, but Karl will see the vet anyway.

Now that it's almost over--graduation is Saturday--it seems we're come full circle, in a way. Either that, or I was tired, one. I remember thinking last night: "You know, I wonder...does he really like me?" After all, yes, he will come when I call him (or anyone else, too), but he seems happier to see strangers than he does to see me. Of course, he's used to me now. I thought about it some more, and I decided that I was being silly: of course he liked me fine. After all, would he work for me as well as he does if he didn't? And he does seem happy to see me, if not so hyper as he is to see everyone else. Then again, I remember how he was when he first met me--the way he is when he meets others. Yes, silly, isn't it? I thought so, too. Whether silly or not, I wonder...did other people wonder?

Hi folks,

I tried to post this yesterday, but I don't think it made it...and since I don't seem to have saved it, I have to rewrite.

I forgot to mention that on Saturday, a student had a dog replacement. Panther just decided not to work anymore: stopping in the middles of blocks, getting away with sniffing and other distractions, because she knew that her handler wasn't always picking up on it. She's newly blinded, too, and not quite used to everything...at any rate, the dog just decided it didn't want to anymore. Now Francine, the new dog, is a dear...very sweet, and it's working out well by all accounts. Everyone seems pleased. The student will receive follow-up almost immediately to catch things up and make sure everything's going all right.

Monday was my exit interview, which I also forgot to mention. I gave pretty good marks for everything--we really have had a topknotch team of instructors. The only things I suggested were more formally teaching the use of the "find" command, how to use it, and also that we should be expected to pick up after our dogs earlier than the fourth week. (At least we're expected to pick up the entire fourth week, at any rate.)

Obedience yesterday was done with nothing but a Dan distraction. Not to say that that is bad, because Dan is a very good distraction. Karl did pretty well though.

The morning run was out to Petaluma...so many small towns over here. We did rounded corners, which were pretty simple: work around the corner, when the curve straightens out, make a moving left to the curband cross, then pick up the line on the other side. Straightforward stuff.

The afternoon was freelancing, and I asked for a second self-orientation (dropoff), as the first one was very easy and i kind of like them. I was dropped at 1st and B, in front of someone's house. This one was fun. I walked up to the house, saw it was someone's house, turned around and decided I'd resort to door-knocking as a last resort. We went back to the curb, which took a bit more than just a 180 and straight back...we had to do some other turns to get lined up and convince Karl that yes, I wanted the curb. We turned the corner and walked up B to a driveway that looked like a street, and an old guy walked the other way past, so I asked for directions. He said I was on B street, near Albert somebody Park, and 4th was just a couple blocks up the way I was going. I felt very silly, later, because at that point, I had my directions all screwed up. I was convinced that I was headed south, when of course, I was headed north. As you know, in early afternoon, the sun is more or less in the south. I of course totally failed to take note of this, and it was a clear day. Silly me.

We walked up to 2nd Street, and the light seemed strange to me. There was a small restaurant or bar at the corner, which I bypassed, not being able to figure out the crossing. I turned onto 2nd and walked down to an alley, or driveway, or something, turned up it, nothing there, came back to the restaurant. That street was pretty obviously no good for directions, so I went back to the restaurant, or bar, or whatever and got directions there. Standing in the side door--blocked by tables--I got directions. The fellow said I was at 2nd, at which point I realized I was really a dunderhead at that point, as I totally failed to realize that I was traveling north instead of south, as i mentioned earlier. This of course changed my route, and a good thing, too, else I'd really have been off the mark a little bit! The guy also told me there was a light at the corner, which the last time I couldn't figure out. I still don't have a handle on how that intersection works, but I crossed it when it sounded fairly safe (not entirely though, as I said, I don't have a handle on the thing, still), and I lived to tell about it. From there, it was pretty smooth sailing.

The evening lecture was about taking your dog home. The big lesson:Be consistent in your handling and expectations of good behavior, don't overwhelm your dog just at first, let him get settled in, take things slowly as possible. Good lecture.

Oh...Tuesday we got the extra stuff we ordered, and Monday we got our muzzles and tie-downs. The muzzle is a joke, really, but it's legal, if ineffective.

Today, we are doing that Miracle Mile and I've asked for a third self-orientation for freelance! I should have something to say on that later today...

Hi folks,

Yes, today was it. We did The Miracle Mile--although I do rather think that they abbreviated it a little, as it didn't seem too miraculous to me, nor too difficult, but more on that later.

Obedience went rather well, mostly, of course. We did it in the dining room today, though, not outside, no distractions, except usual dining room periphernalia, of course.

Oh, you know, I forgot to mention, Karl had the beginnings of hot spots; I noticed them Sunday, and when by Tuesday night nothing had changed about them (I thought they were bug bites), I alerted an instructor. They didn't know what the things were either, except that they were scabby bumps that might be bites or might be zits or might be god knows what. So Wednesday, Karl went to the vet, who said I did a good thing finding them, because if I'd waited a lot longer, or a little longer I guess, they'd've become hot spots. So I have to soak them with a warm wash cloth every so often and
put goop from a tube on them. I think it's working.

The morning route was freelance again, and a couple of others and I asked for another self-orientation--this makes the third for me. It went pretty well, too. I was dropped a block past Mission and a block east of Court, for anyone familiar with this area. I had to walk a block or two over for the lights, and then back on 4th. No problem. I got oriented from a nice person at an apartment complex. It was a nice walk--and oh, someone moved the tables and chairs and stuff from out in front of the coffee shop!
Presto, no total barricade--no landmark either! Well, no more idiots in front, either.

The afternoon began with a lecture from the vet about fleas, heart worms, and all kinds of stuff like that. It was pretty informative, and it took the better part of an hour altogether. Then we did the Miracle Mile. I was told later that it can actually be as long as two at trainers' discretion. However, what with the vet talk, I think ours was shortened, as the overpass and railing that Carol spoke of, and that the retrains mentioned--they did it on Tuesday--we didn't get to do. I was sort of bummed, actually, because the stretch of road, though very likely a mile, was certainly no miracle. Crossings were, for the most part, straightforward. Two lights out of the whole deal, and those were easy; one street crossing that had a rounded corner at the other side--no trouble for Karl. Lots of parking lots that we failed to veer into. There were some curves, but nothing too bad. Nothing offset, either, and no weird sidewalks. True, there were some narrow spots, and stuff out that Karl handled. He got a bit distracted by a skateboarder, who very kindly picked up his board and walked past us. Another skateboarder boarded right past us, no stop, nothing, very close, while I was standing at the corner at a halt! I was nervous, too, I can assure you, remembering Pat's story about Saxon's skateboarder. Karl wanted to visit some people, but one hopp-up and we were on our way. He held a good speed, too, for virtually the whole stretch. One thing: he did get distracted by a dog in training. In fact, just as we were getting to the other side of the street, he got distracted. Hopp-up didn't work (I forgot that the only command to use in the street was "straight", I just wanted his attention); nothing. We're
generally not supposed to correct in the street either, but as we were at the other side and he was "very distracted" according to the dog's trainer, he got one. There are, I think, exceptions to almost every rule, and Dan agreed that this was one of them. Well, the correction did remind him, and after that, everything was fine.

The 5PM lecture was by Don Frisk, and it was all about graduate services. He touched on retirement policy, follow-up, ownership (conditional after a year, if you want it, all services remain the same), vet stipend, and Marla the counselor's job. The lecture was really very informative, and the school does provide a lot of really nice services to graduates. After dinner, we swam in the pool.

Tomorrow is the last day before graduation. We go to Muir Woods and the mall, and then, we're finished! You'll get a final report, plus one after graduation, all about that. Then I go home, and I'll of course be sure to let everyone know how it goes.

Oh, I got Email from Karl's raiser's mother, and another from her sister. They were both glad to have seen Karl, and to meet me I think, and it looks as though we will be staying in contact for a long time. In that respect, I do think that Karl and I are very lucky. Actually, in a lot of respects, I think we are. It's going to be a great bunch of years--and I do hope it will be many years for us.

Hi folks,

Well, yesterday was our last day of training, and it was pretty easy, actually.

On Thursday, I got water stuck in my ear (causing a horrendous build-up of gunk), so all yesterday and even right now, I'm listening to the world in grand and glorious mono. Good thing we didn't have any street crossings!

The morning was obedience...with no distractions! None! Karl did OK...but he managed to be a little distracted at the beginning, even without any distractions.

We then went to Muir Woods and I took the long walk, as per suggestion here. It was a nice walk, even in mono. The breeze was cool, and I had no idea that the redwoods were so big! There were a couple fallen ones we could see along the way, and one growing right next to the path--no, two, actually. They had a lot of neat stuff in the gift shop, too, which I didn't buy...but the petrified wood windchimes were really neat.

The afternoon session began with the handing out of packets. These include the following:
ID card, access law card, ADA card, index card with info on the dog and puppy raisers
a booklet containing all state and province laws relating to guide dogs Brochures about Guide Dogs and FAQ
copy of lectures about feeding, care, and family relations with the dog some letter which I forget the contents of; photos: class and individual ones Booklet listing hotels and motels that welcome dogs (in case we want to bring a retired guide or something, I guess) A sheet about the origin of our breed
A tape about care and "what to do when..." sorts of things.

We also got a copy of "Special partners", which I mentioned a couple weeks ago, and a free deck of playing cards. (Why we got a free deck of playing cards, I don't know, but I was thinking I needed a deck of playing cards someday...) Then we went to the mall, where we looked for puppy raiser gifts or whatever. I didn't get what I wanted to get, but I checked on it, and Paolo picked it up for me later. I got my raiser a coffee mug with a photo of Karl and me on it. Everyone says it came out really well.

The evening lecture was a question and answer session...not really a lecture. We just tied up loose ends, basically.

Hi folks,

Well, I'm now listening in stereo again! The gunk decided to start coming out, and am I pleased!

OK, so you want to know what happened today, right? Today closes one of the most fun and interesting times I've ever had, and certainly one of my best life experiences. The trainers have been tops, and my dog...well, what can I say? He's the best. (Oh, you know, I found out that he was almost a breeder? Only problem was this little spot on his cornea...) OK, we started, as usual, with obedience. This time, everyone did obedience together--yes, all 23 of us. And we played "Simon Says", and I did pretty well, except that one time I went back to my dog after a stay when they didn't say "Simon says". Ah, those wonderful games of childhood. Oh well. A lot of folks did that a lot more often.

We had a brief lecture at 9, outlining the day's events. Pretty straightforward: Lunch would be a little early, we'd meet our raisers, we'd hang out, we'd hand them our dogs' leashes, we'd sit on the stage and do the graduation thing. Pretty straightforward stuff. Afterwards, they'd demo a dog in training, have refreshments, and just hang out some more.

Next, I groomed Karl and put goop on his hot spots, read a magazine for a while, and then we had lunch. I got dressed and waited for the Ripkens to show up. They did, and I met Ryan, the other fellow who helped raise Karl, Sue's older brother, and of course, Richard and Nancy again. We sat around and talked, and then Bob "Buster" Brown, his wife Donna, and Bob's dog Canter came along. Canter was raised by the Ripkens, specifically by Madelyn, Sue's older sister, 8 years or so ago. It was great meeting all of them. I got the raisers a mug with Karl's and my picture on it; they gave me a collapsible water bowl. No, not the plastic kind the school sells that snaps together. No, this was a big cloth one, very nice. I'm sure we'll get plenty of use out of it!

The graduation ceremony was about like any graduation ceremony: people got up and talked: first Dick Bobb, the president, then Bruce Benzler, the executive director, Eric George, and then Kathy, and Dan, who presented us, in alphabetical order. I was second. I was glad to see that the raisers got their due recognition along with all those folks giving money, like the ex-board president, Norah [Last name escapes me], who sponsored Jamie and Fresca, (whose honorary name was Bell) and Steve and Tanker (whose honorary name was ...Norah.) No one used the honorary names except right there at the beginning, not while presenting, which was fine, as I thought, though a nice gesture, a male dog named Norah was...well...a bit odd. Anyhow, we got called, gave brief remarks, then our raisers said something. Most of us didn't have prepared speeches, some tears where shed by raisers and students alike. It was a very emotional time. Then the retrains did the same drill.

The way the ceremony worked was, we were called, led by an instructor to Dan, calling the names; our raiser came out with the dog and stood on the other side of us. After the remarks, we were handed the leash and we went back to our seats, with the dogs. It's really interesting the way it feels, not having a dog for just those few minutes--or something. I'm used to having a dog, a cane...something. Now, a dog. Anyhow, when Karl was gone, it felt strange.

After the ceremony, we all stood around and visited a while. Eventually, I fed Karl a half ration, watered, relieved, and then me and the Ripkens and the Browns went out for dinner at a pretty nice seafood restaurant...primarily seafood anyhow. I got to work Karl, since they parked a ways out, and it felt really weird working him with no trainer at all, watching or anywhere else.

We had a great time. Now, it's time to say goodbye. The goodbyes were very informal, for me, mostly because almost everyone left already while I was gone. Some did not, and we're all leaving tomorrow. Saying goodbye to the trainers was something. They really were great.

Oh, we gave the trainers something at lunch. We wanted to at graduation, but...well...the plan got changed. Each trainer was presented with a dog tag, with their name on one side, the class number (559) on the other. Dan got one shaped like a dog bone, and it said: "Woo hoo!" (He always is saying that to cheer on the dogs...) Kathy got a bigger dog bone. Well, that's it, folks. It's all over now...well, this part anyway. As things happen, everyone will know...

Hi folks!

We had our first at-home work-out--a bit late, sure--but we had it, and Karl's work was as good as it's ever been. No trainer to correct my/his mistakes though, so we worked it out. There were a couple narrow spots he stopped for, but we went through, and I'm learning from that. One thing about training: whenever your dog was going to stop for, say, a narrow spot, they always told you "There's a narrow spot", or if he was going around something, they always told you whether to follow or correct. Everyone knows this, of course. Everyone also knows there's no trainer to tell you anymore, and you've got to figure it out together. "What's my dog telling me?" This is, I think, a good thing. Yes, we got a taste of it on the freelancing and drops, but it's different somehow, now. Well, at any rate, we worked it all out.

We went out the parking lot, which Karl did beautifully, and walked down towards the bus stop. He did well, got me really close to the side curb once, but I didn't hit a single telephone pole, guy wire, or anything. When we were getting close to the traffic light I have to cross, I put Karl on a heel and took out my cane for a minute. Here's why: this light is at the top part of a T-intersection, set back from the road. I am working with Karl on locating this pole, as I will be using it often. So, I heeled him up to it with the cane, tapped it, lots of praise, with the word "Light" ("That's the light", etc.). He does well with that stuff.

So we crossed the street and went to the bus stop. At the bus stop, there is a circular bench, and we sat down. (Karl didn't quite recognize it as a "seat", but I showed it to him to add to things that fit the definition of "seat". Same for another kind of bench. ...These things are coming along fine.)

We got on the bus, changed buses downtown, and walked around the university, through an open area, stopped to talk to friends, down to a corner, crossed, back through a bunch of trees planted on the sidewalk. Karl didn't get even close to a single one.

After the trees, on the left, is escalators of a building. I hadn't decided whether or not I wanted to do them on the first workout--but Karl did! He pulled towards them. I hopped him up a few feet, then we made the left and went down, then back up, and on our way. He did really well there, too. Really, his only real distractions were a couple of little ones, and they required minimal correction, mostly verbal, but not always. We visited my commission for the blind counselor (Betty...well she's married now...and her dog Lark), and left the library. Here's where I hit another little snag--these things, I know, work themselves out in time, and that's fine. I knew where to go, I knew how to get there. How to convey this to Karl with directional commands (right, outside, left, etc.)? Well, we winged it. It went fine, too...we've still got to work on "inside" and "outside" a bit more--more "outside", though. Can't say as I blame him for not wanting to go there...it's hot!

Oh, did I mention the obedience sequence? We did one, in the shade, under chirping birds. He handled that with hardly any problems at all.

That was it--except going to the drugstore for a couple of odds and ends, like Coca-Cola, and then home, which we passed up the first time. (Oops)

If y'all want to know the god's honest truth, this first work-out went a whole lot smoother and easier than I expected it to. Karl kept a good speed, didn't pull excessively, and stayed very alert and mostly focused.

[Week Three] [Afterwards] [Contents] [Send me Email!]

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