Category: Animal House
Hello all here I go I know I have told some of you that I want a guidedog but I have some consorns about it. I know people have told me that I have very good skill with a white can. but I don't know my town so good and have no train om yet. the only place I know good is my college campus. But that not what I want you to tell me How some of you guys felt about making your mind up and about it And what you guys felt before the got your first guide because I want to at some point but my parents drive to most places when I am not in school. But they know I am thinking about it and this summer I am going to be doing a internship in twon and they are not driving me that be good. let me know thanks Erica.
Hi, Erica. First, I'd say it's really important that you get some good O&M training before you'd get a guide dog. Guide dogs are great, but that dog doesn't know where you need to go, so you have to know your own route. All the dog does is keep you from running into things, going off steps, etc. But it depends on you to know where you need to go, when to turn, and so on. We had a girl in my class at guide dog school who was sent home because she'd had so little O&M training that she didn't know how to travel with her cane, let alone a dog. The school told her to get some travel instruction, and then reapply.
I felt a little nervous when I got my guide dog. I'd used a cane since I was four, and I wasn't sure how it'd feel to travel with a dog. But it seemed there were many pros, and that's why I did it. In my case, I travel better with my cane, so that's what I've gone back to. but I have friends with guide dogs who travel very well with them and are happy that way.
Agreed with much of what the last poster said.
I got a guide dog because I moved to a city, and while my orientation skills were/are good, my cane skills were/are not what they could be. Also, I just wasn't confident with my cane. I feel much safer in traffic with my dog (she has saved my life a couple of times, which, you know, helps) If you live in a rural area where you have to drive in order to get anywhere, you might want to hold off on getting a dog until you're in a more pedestrian-friendly place. It wouldn't be fair to you or the dog; you'd go through training, take the dog home... then it'd be bored stiff.
Good luck.
where you trying to get your dog from.
Excellent advice above!
I got my first dog ten years ago, so it's tough to remember what I thought, but I made the decision because I lived in a place with harsh winters, and I thought traveling with a puppy would get me to places somewhat faster, which it did. My cane skills are good, and having the dog added to my confidence, but it can't be emphasized enough that you must have good orientation skills already. You can be just as lost with a dog as with a cane!
Good luck to you, whatever you choose.
I also love having a guide because I value the companionship of a dog; to me, that is as important as the actual guiding assistance! I'm going to get my second pup in January, from GEB.
All the posters so far are right. A dog isn't for evry one, and it's a big decition. I traveled with a cane until I was 18 or 19, then got my first dog in 2002. I retired him early because of some issues, then got my second dog in 2005. My cane skills are still good, but I like traveling with a dog better then a cane. Like one of the other posters said, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to get a dog if your going to be driven all over, wait until your in a situation where you can get places on your own. Good luck, and I hope all goes well for you.