[nabs] Guide Dogs in High School?

[Mark J. Cadigan]

The NFB has a guide dog division "NAGDU" National Association of Guide Dog 
Users. Perhaps she could ask questions on that list. It may give a different 
perspective. Although the comments I have been reading on this list have 
been excellent.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Laura Glowacki" <orangebutterfly87 at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students." 
<nabs at acb.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 6:11 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs] Guide Dogs in High School?


> Burnadetta, I really enjoyed reading this.  Thanks for sharing!
>
> A warning, this is a little long.
>
> I, for one, just wasn't ready for a guide dog in high school and
> I knew it.  I was not even capable of taking care of myself let
> alone another creature up through my sophomore year in college.
> I attended a school for the blind for the last three years of
> high school, so actually I probably would've had it much easier
> than anyone with a dog in public schools.  And I do want to point
> out that many of the examples Burnadetta pointed about people
> being terrified of the dog or people making scenes or things will
> happen whenever and whereever she may go with a dog.  However,
> the high school atmosphere is just so much more chaotic and ...
> well hormonal to be honest.  Those types of things are likely to
> happen at much more frequency and with the people perpitrating
> the acts to be much less capable of understanding the situation
> in a mature fashion.  I experience plain ignorance and large
> amounts of idiocy on a daily basis, and most of it is while out
> traveling around Chicago.  People will be people, and I've
> learned to deal with that more or less.  Sometimes it is
> frustrating, and sometimes just funny.
>
> I remember how loud my high school was, and I cringe at the
> thought of walking Mollie through that.  She's a rather dainty
> german shepherd who is actually not all that nervous of large
> crowds of people or loud noises.  I'd be more afraid of her being
> stepped on as it was literally wall-to-wall ppeople in the halls
> during passing period.
>
> It sounds like this girl has pretty much made up her mind, which
> is good.  I'm glad she knows what she wants and is going for it.
> I trust that the GDF instructors will be able to best help her
> prepare for such a transition.  I just hope that sharing these
> stories with her will give her some things to think about.
>
> As a kid, I always said I'd never get one, that I didn't need
> one.  And I didn't exactly; I was a fantastic cane traveler
> (according to my mobility istructors).  And since my parents had
> friends with guide dogs, I had a little bit of early experience
> that stressed the responsibility of having one as going well
> beyond having a pet.  I was also given the misguided impression
> by some blind adults that dogs were really no better than canes
> and worse in some respects which biased me against getting one.
> Well in high school, I got to visit the Seeing Eye and spend a
> weekend there learning about gide dogs, the training process, the
> history of guide dogs and the seeing eye, etc.  It included us
> walking a 4 block route with a cane and then repeating that same
> route with a guide dog in training.  It was an experience that
> totally changed my life as I really enjoyed it and could see
> myself doing that.
>
> Also, when talking to a lady whom I respected a lot at a
> scholarship luncheon once possibly either after my senior year of
> high school or after my freshman year of college.  I asked her
> how she knew she was ready for a dog, and she told me "you'll
> know.  you'll just know when the time is right."  And while this
> may not be true for everyone, it was for me more or less.  I did
> have a period of contemplation during the fall of 2007.  My best
> friend who was also my roommate at the time and I had some issues
> which drove a wedge between us, and over Christmas break I found
> out she was moving to Pennsylvania.  I had experienced some
> significant loss in my personal life in the year up to that
> point.  I really wanted a companion, and honestly I knew that
> having responsibility for another creature who would be depending
> on me for her well-being would at least force me to get out of
> bed every morning long enough to feed her and take her out etc.
> And of course I do much more than that with her now.  Also, I
> knew from watching a good friend f mine who lived in my dorm at
> the time that they were fantastic about guiding around crowds of
> people that populate the world over especially college campuses.
> So in January I put in  an application.
>
> So while my reasons were a lot more emotional at the time, I also
> knew realistically that I could handle it since my friend who had
> a dog living in the dorm and I spent a lot of time together so I
> got to see him work directly with the dog on multiple occasions
> and in different places.  Also, he taught me how to clean up
> after her (the icky stuff you're afraid to ask about), and I even
> dogsat a few times for him.  What helped the process for me was
> being able to observe over a period of time the pros and cons for
> this person of having a dog, and learning exactly what kinds of
> things I would have to do to care for one.  All that culminated
> in me getting one in the summer of 2008.  And I'm so glad I
> waited until that time to get a dog as I think the bonding
> process would've been much much harder before that point.  They
> don't tell you much about the bonding process until you get to
> training, and even then it's kind of an abstract thing.  With
> Mollie, I feel like sometimes we're still developing our bond,
> though I'd say it took about a year to cement that.  I don't
> think I'll ever go back.
>
> One thing is for her to consider places where it would not be
> prudent to have a dog like movie theaters, bars (ok so she's a
> little young to consider that), amusement parks, places where
> they may use those horn things like at sporting events, and labs
> as in biology and chemistry labs.  Also, there were things they
> just plain didn't really tell us that I'd like to share.  She
> should be prepared to be very focused on the dog for the first
> two weeks after coming home to show him/her the rules of the
> house etc.  Also, she should know a little about how her existing
> household pets might interact with a new household member of the
> k-nine persuasion.  One last thing: they recommend no large
> transitions and no staying away over night anywhere for at least
> a month after bringing the dog home because of helping the dog
> settle in.
>
> The disclaimer here is that these were the things taught to me at
> the seeing eye and may not reflect the views of GDF.
>
> Please feel free to pass on my email to her as well.  I remember
> I had a lot of questions and not many people to turn to in the
> weeks immediately following getting my dog.  Luckily I felt that
> training really prepared me for it.  Still, sometimes it's fun to
> have others with whom to share stories etc.
>
>
> Laura
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bernadetta Pracon" <bernadetta_pracon at samobile.net>
> To: <editor.acbstudents at gmail.com>
> Cc: <nabs at acb.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 12:53 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs] Guide Dogs in High School?
>
>
> Hi:
> I had my dog, Kipp, with me during my senior year of high school.
> It
> was an interesting experience. I got him the summer before my
> senior
> year, and for the most part, things were ok, but I must admit
> some
> things did change for me when I went back to school with him.
> Most of
> the people at my school, including teachers and students alike,
> did not
> really know how to deal with the dog being around. My friends
> adjusted
> to it, some even became fascinated and very "cool" with the idea
> of
> him. However, the people who did not know me that well, or
> weren't
> taking any classes with me, became terrified or shocked
> periodically.
> It was hard for me to understand why; Kipp is the cutest,
> friendliest
> black Lab I'd ever met, so I found it amusing and confusing when
> I
> would walk into a staircase and a screaming girl or two would run
> past
> me and the dog, or cower in fear. One other thing your friend
> needs to
> take into account is that many kids in high school are really
> immature
> and think everything, including a guide dog, is a joke. It's not
> their
> fault. Some of them don't have much of a chance to grow up by
> that
> point yet. But that could result in some unnecessary situations.
> I
> didn't much have an issue with that, but one time, a random kid
> decided
> to trip my dog while we were walking to class. Kipp didn't get
> hurt,
> but he could have, and I brought that to the attention of the
> principal.
> While we're on the subject of the principal, I have to say, mine
> was
> actually very ignorant and quite uncooperative when it came to
> having a
> guide dog at her school. She tried to create the illusion that
> she
> respected me and The situation. But when I went to her to discuss
> the
> matter, and gave her an overview of what things would be like,
> and what
> I needed from her in order to integrate Kipp into the community
> of
> students and teachers, she listened with a bit of forcefully
> mustered
> politeness, and then went and did things her own way. I was too
> naive
> to advocate for myself and make sure that things were done
> properly to
> prepare the students for the new addition. So when she told me
> that she
> wanted me to stay out of school on the first day of senior year,
> while
> she prepared the students for Kipp's arrival, i faught her some,
> but
> then resigned, with her promise to hold a quick assembly for the
> school, showing them the Seeing Eye video that I provided. This
> assembly was my suggestion.  I wanted to be there to answer some
> questions and educate the students, but she insisted on my
> absense that
> day, saying that it would become chaotic. I abided by that, but
> upon
> ariving at school the second day, I learned that no assembly was
> given,
> and that only a brief, twenty second announcement about the new
> guide
> dog was made. Students and teachers alike were told to feel free
> and
> pick up a brochure about guide dogs from the main office. Of
> course, no
> one bothered to do so.
> Some people also didn't understand or like the idea of a working
> dog,
> and gave me a hard time about it when they saw me correcting him
> or
> things of that nature. I recall a girl who made a really
> embarrassing
> scene in the school cafateria, because I gave my dog a leash
> correction
> for trying to grab a french fry off the floor. She accused me of
> being
> a dog torturer and swore that she'd report me and any other guide
> dog
> user she'd ever meet because "it's just not humane to bring a
> sweet
> animal to an environment like this" as she stated. Of course, we
> can
> encounter  basketcases that think dogs shouldn't be working,
> everywhere we go, but younger people can sometimes be more
> sensative
> and passionate, so that may be troublesome.
> I also had to deal with a situation where a girl who took a few
> of the
> same classes I did, was deadly afraid of dogs. We were both AP
> students, so neither of us could have been transfered to a
> different
> class. That was a difficult situation for a while, but she was a
> good
> sport about it, and was bright enough to understand and accept
> the fact
> that the dog wasn't out to hurt her or even interact with her.
> My most memorable experience of having Kipp with me in high
> school was
> on graduation night. I was walking back to my seat after
> receiving my
> diploma, and when i got there and sat down, my poor pup puked at
> my
> feet. I sat in the front row, being one of the class's top ten
> ranked
> students, and some people, including teachers just stared in
> disgust.
> It was embarrassing. I had nothing to clean it up with and I felt
> horrible for what happened and that people decided to make it
> more
> noticeable by commenting. Then, my favorite music teacher, being
> a man
> of integrity and class, pulled out a few napkins from his pocket,
> walked up to the front of the theater, and insisted on helping me
> clean
> it up. What a selfless thing to do. I suppose that people reacted
> the
> way they did for the most part because, well, their just ordinary
> people. I don't really blame them in retrospect. It certainly was
> a
> show stopper though. And I might add, the reason kipp became
> nervous to
> the point of nausea is because people decided to use those
> obnoxiously
> loud blow horns to celebrate the occasion. Poor thing just
> couldn't
> take the confusion and the noise at the time.
>
> I have a pocketful of anecdotes from my time with Kipp in high
> school,
> and it would take forever to write it all down in one sitting,
> but i
> hope my little compilation helps your friend get a clearer
> picture of
> what it might be like for her. Everyone's experience is different
> of
> course, some better, some worse. That was mine. In retrospect, I
> would
> have done the same thing over again, although I do feel a bit,
> that my
> dog would have been more disciplined and less spoiled had I
> waited to
> get him when I was out of high school. It takes a certain amount
> of
> growth and maturity to develop a successful bond with a guide.
> All in
> all though, like I said, I wouldnt' have changed a thing, given a
> chance. Having a dog in high school presented me with a unique,
> eye-opening experience that I wouldn't have gotten any other way.
> Also
> some of the challenges Kipp and I faced in high school never
> repeated
> themselves outside of that environment, and had I waited to get a
> dog,
> I wouldn't have bonded with him the same way.
> Please, feel free to get in touch with me off-list if you want
> more
> info about this. You could even pass my email along to your
> friend, and
> I'd gladly serve as a sort of mentor for her, regarding this
> situation.
> I'd thoroughly enjoy helping her out, and my experience took
> place only
> three or four years ago, so it's a fairly recent account.
>
> Hope this helps, and sorry for the painfully long email. :)
>
> All Best
>
> Bernadetta
>
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