This is the unofficial web site for Guide Dog Handlers All Ways, a special interest alumni affiliate of Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc. We are an alumni chapter made up of individuals who have disabilities in addition to blindness that affect how we work with our Guide Dogs.

We hope you enjoy reading our stories. If you would like to comment on one of the stories posted here, click on the link below the post which reads "Leave your Paw Print." Type your comment in the form .

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Thank you for supporting us by reading our stories, commenting or donating to Guide Dogs for the Blind. If this is your first visit, and you wish to donate, please go ahead and do so, as we will have the donation page available until the end of November. We hope you enjoyed reading our stories!

All our donations are from generous contributors like you. GDB does not receive government funding at all.

On behalf of GDHAW chapter executive and GDHAW members, we thank you for supporting us today.

Blog posting contributors:
imafarmgirl (Sarah with Fargo; President)
creature_girl08 (MaryBeth with Tennyson and retired guide Sunset; vice-president)
jenandbronze (Jen and Nixon and retired guide Bronze; membership coordinator)

There is a route through my neighborhood that I love to walk. It is a relatively quiet residential area that has such a wonderful peaceful feel as we walk through with beautiful homes and pretty landscaping and it is a slightly more pleasant route to take to reach certain businesses within my home area than the busy main street we could take.

I took this route last summer in the presence of a guide dog instructor who was here to assess how my new dog of one year and I was doing as a team. He was able to see that my dog, Hibiscus and I were doing beautifully, though near the end of the route, I caught my foot in a miserable crack in the sidewalk and took a horrible fall. I recovered from the minor injuries sustained in that fall, and my beautiful dog and I have certainly gone on to do other routes in my neighborhood, taking care of errands as usual. However, I avoided the specific block where I had had the fall because I was frankly so afraid and just couldn’t handle it. I think I just about can’t think of anything worse in life than falling, and the thought of walking this area and having this unfortunate mishap occur again was just too much for this getting-up-there-in-experience old lady.

I am embarrassed to say that it has taken me a few months to be able to take this walk once again. However, today, Hibiscus and I finally took that walk again. As she had done last summer, Hibiscus did her usual best to keep me safe even showing me the place where I had tripped last summer. We walked that entire block and reached the corner safely and as proud as any person and guide dog could possibly be.

Yes, Hibiscus and I conquered the beast and walked the beautiful area once again in a good way. Needless to say, there were special food reinforcement treats for Hibiscus and a stop for a late lunch for me before walking on home once again, but the biggest reward was in walking in the area that had caused us problems before.

Dianne B. Phelps and the Flower Dogs,
Hibiscus and Primrose

**
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I'm still amazed

On July 18th Seattle Washington's new Link Light rail trains started running through the south end of the city. When the train started its route, several Metro buses were rerouted and others, such as the one I usually took to work, were canceled altogether. So it was the train for Weeko and me. We've had many adventures involving the train tracks near work, but this story is sharing my amazement of how my seven-year-old guide still amazes me even after our five-year partnership.

Tuesday morning Weeko and I got off the 41 I called out "have a nice day, driver" as I moved in the direction to wait for the train. Weeko knew just where to stop. Hearing the bell of the train in the distance I picked up Weeko's harness and said in a cheerful voice, "here it comes, our train is coming!” We stepped forward as the vehicle came to a stop. The doors had not opened as yet but I noticed that Weeko, unlike in the past, had stopped and was not moving forward in spite of my gentle prodding. Then the doors opened right in front of us.

"Good, Girl!" I cheered. "You found the door."

I thought it a coincidence. A nice coincidence, but something not repeated. She sure fooled me. The next three times I've taken the train, she would move forward as the train approached and as the train stopped she'd plant her paw and wouldn't move. And, yes, each time we were in front of a door.

Yep! I've concluded that Weeko is simply amazing. No more worrying about where those doors are. Happy smile!!!

Janet and Weeko

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**
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Jimmy and I had another scouting camp. This was a camp for youth aged 8-10 years old. The beginning is a good place to start. So, let’s start with Friday night.

My group and I set up tents and our cooking shelter while Jimmy rested in the shade with a rawhide bone to occupy his time. I have to say that the youth in my group were more interested in watching Jimmy eat a bone than helping set up-Lol! Then, it was supper time before an informal campfire. At camp, there were about 100 youth and adult leaders. It was one of the smaller camps I have attended. The informal campfire was basically to tell everyone about camp rules. Youth campers were advised to let leaders know where they were going when leaving the immediate area. Introductions to leaders and people in charge of the two different programs for the weekend were made to the group.

Next, Jimmy and I had our time to shine. One of the other leaders had said, "Jimmy will watch out for gopher holes." Both of us explained that when Jimmy's harness is on people are not to bother him and to ask Scouter Michelle if it is an appropriate time for Jimmy to play....

After my spiel I had time for questions. The most memorable question was, "Does he fill in the gopher holes?" Lol! I thought that was the cutest question of all.. Of course, I said, "No, He's a guide dog and keeps me from bumping into those gopher holes.” I pointed out the ditch at the end of the gravel road where Jimmy stopped for me every time I walked that way! I definitely had one cautious boy.

Another youth said. That his grandfather had a black lab guide dog named Max. I think the youth said both he and his grandfather were from Regina. How cool is that. Maybe I'll run into either the youth or his grandfather sometime around the city. So, I said "cool! You know about guide dogs." I jokingly asked if he could be my assistant for the weekend. If anyone had questions about guide dogs, they could ask my assistant.

Saturday was nice. It was hot and sunny. Jimmy loved lying in the sun. I would place him in the shade while my group was doing an activity and Jimmy would decide if he wanted to go lie in the sun, getting up to move into it-What A silly boy!

Jimmy's guide work was phenomenal as usual. Even the other Leaders from other groups were impressed with his guide work and the fact that when he was off duty he would lay down and sleep. Lol.

That night, we had the formal campfire with songs skits and cheers.

On Sunday, it was time to pack up and leave for home. There was also a group photo to be taken of everyone attending camp. We were told, "Youth, line up in front, and Leaders, line up in back". “OK,” I thought “I'm a leader I'll go to the back.” This was not going to happen. Another leader noticed me in the back and said, "You know what? You and your dog should not be back here!” I thought, “Oh! No! he is going to tell me that Jimmy’s going to get stepped on!” but instead, he said, “you have a special dog! I think you should be up front and center!" “Oh great!” I thought to myself, “ I don't like being the center of attention.” All I said was, "oh, ok." And the group picture was taken.

Finally, a Picture was taken of Jimmy in harness and me standing beside him. I have a feeling that both of the group camp photo and Jimmy and I will be put on the Scouts Canada website. Giving Scouting and Guide Dogs for the blind publicity is good. We had a good weekend, and Jimmy loves getting attention from children, of course, when he was off duty.

Michelle and Jimmy
**
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They say laughter is the best medicine for us all. This story took place ten years ago while I was training with my second guide dog, Sunset.

I knew I wanted a change of scenery for the time I was in class at Guide Dogs for the Blind to receive my second guide dog. Going from sunny California to cold, wet Oregon was most definitely a change for me. The day I arrived in Oregon it was raining. Right then and there I knew that I had not brought enough warm pants and other items to keep from being soaked the whole time I was there. I was determined to get through and really all I cared about was getting my new dog.

It was so exciting having the instructor come to my door to take me where I would meet my new bundle of fur. Heather guided me to a chair where she had me wait while she went to get my dog. I remember the whole dorm was quiet accept for the sound of the rain as I sat in that big room all alone wondering about my dog. “Would he or she like me? Would I like my dog? What color was the dog?” All sorts of questions went through my head as I waited. Since I have some vision I entertained myself with using what little vision I had to look around at the room I was in.

Then I heard the door open and the jingle of dog tags and doggie feet walking on the tile floor. I turned to the right to see the most beautiful yellow lab coming around the corner with Heather. This fantastic dog was wagging its tail so hard that the tail was spinning like a helicopter propeller.

"Mary Beth, this is Sunset." I was told.

”WOW! What a beautiful name!” I thought as I opened my arms to let Sunset know that I wanted her to come over to me. She did not hesitate at all. The next thing I knew this wonderful dog was putting her head in my lap and looking up at me with happy anticipation. I was so happy at this point that I was beginning to cry. I held it back as best as I could so that Heather could tell me all about Sunset before letting me go back to my room with her.

As soon as we were in the room with the door closed I sat on the floor crying and loving Sunset up for an hour. I was missing my previous guide dog that had died just three weeks before. Knowing that Sunset had willingly come to me ready to embrace a new life with me just made me the happiest person in the whole world. By the time I went on that first walk with Sunset I felt as though we had been together for years. I also found out really fast that Sunset was not big on getting wet.

One of the routes we did involved us starting our walk from the bus and working the dog to the lounge. It was raining as usual when we parked so I prepared as best as I could to get to the lounge without being overly wet in the process.

I was the second to last person to leave the bus. I kept going over the route in my mind so I would not forget where I needed to go. One of the instructors came to the bus after the first person had left to let us know that at this one corner there was a high curb, and we should be prepared for that. "Ok", I thought as I waited. Then the instructor came back a second time after person number two had left the bus to tell us that the dogs might angle to the right some because of the configuration of the street crossing. Again I was thinking, "Ok" as I waited. Finally, the instructor came back a third time to tell us that there was this pole at the up curb to watch out for. Once again, I filed this piece of information in my mind. Finally it was my turn.

I got off the bus, paused before picking up the handle, and then I gave the "forward" command to Sunset. At this point it had not been raining too badly but as we walked along it started raining harder and harder. I was smiling at the fact that it had stopped raining while I was on the bus but now here I was out walking and the skies were opening up and letting all the water out. In the part of California where I live, I don't see the amount of rain I was now experiencing as I walked down the street.

Finally I made it to the corner about which I had been told all those things. As Sunset stopped at the curb I praised her and reminded myself to be careful of the high curb. I told Sunset "forward" once I determined that it was ok to cross the street. As we started across I remembered that this was an odd crossing and that pole. Sunset suddenly stopped! I had no idea why. All I heard was rain.

Using skills I was taught I checked to make sure there was nothing I could run into. When I didn't find anything I told Sunset to "hop up", a command given to keep moving. She would not go. So I listened to see if there was a car. There was nothing. Finally, I decided that I would take a step forward to see if this would get Sunset moving. As soon as I took that step I landed knee deep in water.

"Oh gees! It is cold!" I yelled. At this point, I really started using my vision to figure out where I was in relation to the curb. This is not a good thing to do regularly, but I knew we were in the street and needed to get out of there and onto the sidewalk. I could not see the curb but knew it had to be out there somewhere. At this point I totally forgot about the pole we’d been told about. All I knew was I was soaked from the knees down. I just kept moving and in the mean time Sunset was not following. I finally found the curb and got onto the sidewalk. I turned around with the leash in my hand and was begging and pleading with Sunset to come to the curb. Sunset was thinking, “Absolutely no dice! I’m not wading through that mess!” She wanted nothing to do with that lake of water. She gave me this look of horror! As if to say, "are you crazy"? "I am not coming through that water for anything".

At this point I realized that someone was calling my name. I looked up while trying to get my dog on the sidewalk. Suddenly, I started laughing for no good reason I could think of. All at once several things happened. An instructor was running to get to us from a block away. Sunset finally decided to get onto the sidewalk. Her version of doing this was to jump from the street to the curb. Unfortunately for her she did not make it and landed chest-deep in the water. She was now soaking wet! I was now laughing even harder because I knew Sunset really wanted nothing to do with that lake in the street to start with. She finally came up on the curb to my left, which, by the way, ended up wrapping us both around that pole we were to avoid. By this time, however, I had totally forgotten about the pole again.

The instructor came up to me at this point to ask if he could help me get the rest of the way to the lounge. I was so beside myself with laughing that I could not even answer yes or no. Finally, I was calm enough to tell him that I was going to finish this route even if it killed me! We were so wet that all the towels they had did not make a dent in drying Sunset and I off once we got to the lounge.

To this day when I cuddle with Sunset I fondly remember this story. And every time it rains I have to laugh a little because I know that when it is time to relieve the dogs that I am going to have to take Sunset out in that rain.

**
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Sometimes I think children understand not to pet working dogs, better than adults. One day while I was out working my dog. I had a young child about seven years old come up to me and say, “I like that your sign says do not pet me I am working." I said to him and his mom, "yes, and would you believe that most adults don't notice the sign. but children do."

Michelle & Jimmy

**
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A few years ago, we were riding in a car. I was in the passenger front seat and Lenore (I thought) was lying down on the back seat asleep. I don’t think I had even had her for a year yet.

There was a person on the side of the road. He was carrying a sign, and had a puppet on one shoulder. He was preaching through a megaphone. I did not know this at the time, but he had been on the news and everything because he believed God was speaking through this puppet to preach to people.

Anyway, we were driving along and all of a sudden Lenore jumped up, came up between the front seats, curled in front of me, and started showing her teeth and growling. I was dumbfounded! I had never seen her act like that before, but the stance she took was, hey, my Mom is over here. Don’t come any closer or I might have to hurt you!

It was after that that I got the full story from the person who was driving as to what was actually going on and what had upset Lenore. It was really obvious she didn’t like this guy at all!

Toni

**
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The family was taking their first vacation since oldest daughter, Michelle had learned to drive. We were at Warm Lake in Idaho. We'd rented a cabin for the three-day weekend. The girls were making plans to swim in the lake. Mike and I had scouted out the walking trails and were looking forward to many walks with our guides - Weeko and Dodger. Of course we didn't think about the plans the dogs might have had.

Heidi got a book and made herself comfortable near the lake to read. Michelle, Mike, Dodger (Mike's guide dog) Weeko (my guide dog) and I decided we would see how far around the lake we could walk. The sand was slippery under my feet. The path had become narrow and we were pretty close to the edge of the lake. I was careful not to slide in. Mike was way ahead of us. Michelle had Weeko on a leash. Suddenly

Splash!

Weeko had jumped into the lake. She swam around ignoring Michelle's calls of "come, Weeko Come." I joined in and Weeko came racing ashore. When she hit sand she rolled over and over thoroughly coating her wet self.

I wish I could put down in words Michelle's heartfelt wails of "no, Weeko, no!" I was laughing so hard. I couldn't discipline Weeko.

You see, Three years before Michelle, Heidi and I had gone to Jamaica to stay with my sick mother for a summer. On the way to Kingston from Montego Bay, We'd stopped near a beach. My then 11-year-old daughter disobeyed me and got wet. She started with her toes, then her knees and finally "fell" in.

She was wet and sandy. We had to search for an outdoor shower to wash her off because there was no way she could travel the rest of the way to Kingston in the condition she was. So Weeko was just paying her back. I told her she couldn't bring the wet dirty dog into the cabin. So she had to sit outside drying and brushing, and drying and brushing.

Man, oh man, didn’t I laugh that day.

Pay back is so sweet!!!!

**
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Everybody's got an opinion. That especially goes if you are a yellow Labrador girl and your name is Raffle.

Raffle was my second guide; she was with me from 1988 to 1998. Raffle was vocal, and quite opinionated. If she approved of a particular talk or sermon at which she was present, she gave a vocalization with an upward ending. If she disapproved of what she heard, she gave a downward-vocalized groan of disgust. Meetings that ran too long got the deepest disapproving groan. I dare not think much about what Raffle would have thought of some of my college professors' lectures.

Rosalyn Butt

**
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I used to work in an office where quite a few people were afraid of my dog. I really didn't mind that as I didn't want anything to do with those people anyway.

I saw all kinds of reactions. We would walk into a room and someone would climb up on top of a table and scream. One time I was walking through the break room and someone was scared of my dog. She saw us and screamed. She ran for the door but was so scared she couldn't figure out how to open it. She literally plastered herself against the door. The problem was I was heading to go out of that door. I had to stand there and tell her how to open the door that the door opened in, etc so she could exit, so in turn I could
exit.

It never ceased to amaze me how scared someone could be of a dog in harness, under complete control.

Walking into a store one time, a woman was walking out as we were walking in. She wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. She was talking to someone. We came face to face with her as we were walking in. She looked down, saw the dog, screamed, and started backing up. As she was backing up she knocked down an entire display of merchandise, screaming the whole time.

We frequently go to Wal-Mart. I always have someone take me shopping. The person who takes me shopping has learned a few things. She has to guide the cart from the side. I hold onto the cart at the back. She stays on the left side of the cart right in front of my dog in order to keep too many kids from stopping us wanting to pet my dog. Also, to keep too many people from seeing my dog so they won't be scared of her. We often came across people who were scared. We tried really hard not to laugh at them, but some of them were soooo funny! I had a hard time not laughing at fully grown people screaming and acting stupid being scared of a guide dog!

Toni


**
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As I have packed years of guide dog use on, I began to slowly lose some of my hearing. When I retired my previous GDB dog about 1-1/2 years ago, I was anxious to see how well I would do trusting my new dog. My previous dog had brought me through the beginning of the hearing loss, and we did extremely well together when I received my first hearing aids. Now I would have to trust a new dog that had no idea about my blindness or my difficulty hearing.

I needn't have worried. We went through class without too much problem, and when we graduated I felt certain we were destined to be another successful team from GDB.

We got home to Michigan and though we had some ups and downs, our relationship, his guiding, and his ability to be attentive to me increased day by day.

One night I had taken my hearing aids out, and Brooks and I were playing with a kong toy. I decided to see if I could teach him to help me find objects I might drop as I often cannot tell where something has fallen, especially when I have my hearing aids out. I took Brooks' collar gently in my hand, and told him to "find" in a happy voice. Down went his head. At the end of his nose was the kong! What a party I had with praise and doggy treats. For about 4 more days we worked together on "find" with the toy with lots of treats and hugs and praise. When he was reliably putting his nose on the toy, I then began to use other objects and ask him to "find." It was a big game. He is a yellow Labrador, and labs just love, love, love food so there was no problem getting him to "find" just about anything I purposely dropped. However, would he "find" if I just asked him to? Would he want to help me "find?"

I did not have too long to wait! I was changing my hearing aid batteries and dropped one on the floor. There was a thud, which I could hear, but I had no idea where it was. Suddenly, I could hear doggy feet running toward the room I was in. Not wanting him to possibly grab the hearing aid battery and swallow it, I put out my fist as I do when I ask him to come to me and which he touches for a treat. Into the room he ran, saw my fist, and of course, being a lab, he wanted the treat. Onto my fist came his nose and into his mouth went the treat. Had I distracted him from the "find?" I gently took his collar and asked him to "find." He moved forward with me in tow and down went his nose! Quickly I moved my hand down his nose to the floor. Right at the end of it was that little, tiny hearing aid battery! Before I could have a party and give him a treat, however, he turned and reached down again. Now I am confused, but down went my hand to his nose and onto the ground! There was my wallet, and this time for sure we had a party and many, many treats! No longer do I have to wonder if Brooks can help me with my hearing loss. He helps as a guide and even enjoys helping out of harness too!

Reggie and Brooks

**
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Back when I was in my first class with my first dog Cass, at that time students were told that if someone asked if our dog would bite, that we were to say no.

I was never comfortable with that. While in training with her, we were waiting at the bus stop one day and a kid walked up and asked if Cass would bite. I didn’t know what to say because we had been told not to make people think our dogs would bite. My response was, No, but I do!

I told one of the instructors about that and she told me to never tell anyone that because people would be calling the school saying one of their graduates threatened to bite them! LOL!

Toni

**
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Two years ago today I was filled with a lot of emotions as I waited to receive my third guide dog.

I had just retired my second guide, Sunset. She was and to this day is a very special dog due to all the things she helped me through while she was my guide dog. She stood by me as I was diagnosed with several additional disabilities. I felt lost without her as I waited with my other classmates to receive my new dog.

The time finally came when the instructors stopped teasing us about our new dogs. We all sat in the retrain lounge as the instructors told each of us what we were getting.

"Mary Beth, you are receiving a male yellow lab named Tennyson.”

I have never had a male dog before so I was a bit surprised at this revelation but excited at the same time to start this new adventure. I could not wait to get my hands on this sweet sounding dog.

It seemed like it took forever before it was my turn to go to the retrain instructor’s office to get Tennyson.

As I came into the office I immediately saw this big dog sitting on tie down waiting for Brenda my instructor to come back. He was so beautiful. Tennyson is a yellow lab nearly white in color. I sat down across from the desk where he was sitting. Tennyson this whole time was wagging his tail and he had this huge smile on his face.

Once Brenda finished reading me the information about Tennyson and his siblings she let him off tie down to come and meet me. He came right over to me and immediately put a paw on my lap and stared up at me with adoring eyes. Even though I felt unsure about this dog I can tell you now that already a piece of me was falling in love with this amazing dog.

After being together for a few minutes in the office I healed Tennyson back to my room so we could bond for a while. Tennyson was full of life and just went along like I was his new best friend. As soon as we came into the room he spied the bed and wanted to get up on it. I had to tell him no right off. Tennyson respected me and turned to get love and hugs from me instead. I felt honored to have a dog want to test me right from day one. That opened the door of love and trust a bit further.

Training seemed to fly by as I learned to work with Tennyson and our bond grew stronger over the three weeks in class.

Since leaving class on October 6, 2007 Tennyson and I have done a lot of things together. We have attended conventions here in our home state as well as in other states. Each and every time he has been an absolute gem while traveling. He loves any kind of transportation and even though he may get excited about seeing other dogs at first when arriving at hotels, he settles really fast. Tennyson goes with me to meetings at city hall, to work where he gets to play with a guide dog buddy of his. We have been on two vacations where Tennyson got to see things like the beach and big water falls. No matter where we go he is steady as you go, enjoying life to the fullest. Tennyson has even been through one of the roughest times in my life when my father-in-law passed away. It made my days a bit better having him by my side. Tennyson was even there for the military funeral given for my father-in-law. He was not phased one bit by the gun solute during the service. It really showed how adaptable Tennyson is.

Sunset understood about my additional disabilities but Tennyson didn't know about them when he came into my life. Since receiving Tennyson he has learned that I can't hear in the left ear. So he makes extra sure that all is safe for me on that side. He has also learned that my balance is not so good. As a result he has learned to be careful of cracks in the sidewalks; he has figured out that he has to take stairs one at a time, and to wait an extra second or two at the down curb to make sure I step down safely. He has even most recently learned to adjust to me using a walking cane. He is even careful around puddles for me since I have slipped and fell while walking with him.

As I sit here today I can tell you that Tennyson is my second soul mate dog. I knew this for sure during my most recent trip. I was visiting my mom and we were going to San Francisco. As we were heading to the BART station to catch the train into the city I felt the confidence of Tennyson as he watched traffic and gauged my safety around anything in the way. Then we were crossing the street to get into the BART station and after giving the forward command he would not go. I didn't understand why he would not go. I probed as taught, checked things out and just could not figure out why he would not go. It was at this point that a construction person came up to me and asked if I was trying to cross the street. I said yes. In answer to this he then told me that they had a big hole in the street. If I had tried to step off I would have fallen into a big hole. Tennyson really showed off his intelligent disobedience that day. The gentleman helped my mom and I get around the mess and on we went to explore the city. But when we got across the street I had a big party for Tennyson to thank him for keeping me safe. This even gave my mom a new appreciation for what guide dogs do for me. It was then that I knew I had fallen fully in love with this dog and that he was my soul mate for life.

Applying to get a guide dog was the best thing I have ever done.

Happy anniversary Tennyson, you are the most wonderful and awesome dog. I love you.


**
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I received my first guide dog, Theo, a yellow Lab, when I was seventeen and still finishing high school. Despite being raised by a woman, and trained by a woman Theo really did like men. I think he liked to play rough sometimes, and he loved meeting new people.

After high school I went to college in Colorado. My first semester was very busy with me taking a full course-load, learning the large campus at Colorado State, and adjusting to student life. One day at lunch I was very tired and really hungry. Carrying a huge cup of soda in the crook of my arm, and a bag containing a burger and fries in my hand, I held fast to Theo's harness with the other hand.

"Find a seat," I told him confidently.

I knew this was a simple task for him. We had gone over it many times and he was very reliable. Off he went, with me following, trying not to drop anything. He headed in a new direction, but I followed having every bit of faith in my guide's ability to find a table.

Suddenly he came to a stop. I could feel the table with my hip.

"Good boy!" I exclaimed placing my food and drink on the table.

"Hello," a young man's voice said from the other chair.

I sucked in a horrified breath. I had just intruded on someone's lunch!

"I'm so sorry," I proclaimed.

"It's no problem," the stranger said. "Why don't you join me."

I was so nervous but I didn't want to be even more rude. I sat down and Theo flopped to the floor. The man told me that the food area of the student center was very crowded and he was surprised that my dog had found an empty seat at all. He spent some time admiring Theo, and we talked about our studies. In the end, it turned out to be an enjoyable conversation, and it taught me to learn to laugh off the occasions where Theo would find me a seat and I'd reach out my hand and place it right in some man's lap. Theo had a good sense of humor like that. I think he was trying hard to be a match maker. I'm sure when I finally find that special someone, he'll be smiling down from above, tongue lolling out in happy ecstasy, tail wagging furiously as his smile stretches the length of him.

It's amazing what our dogs can teach us, even when we don't recognize the lessons at the time. I'm always learning new things from my dogs every day and I've learned to cherish even the humorous moments. These dogs don't live forever, but the memories we share live on in the stories that flash through our mind's eye when we speak their names or remember the feel of their fur under our hands. So it is in this way that they are always with us, and I think of Theo when I speak the words, "Find a seat,...find a seat."

**
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One day a couple of years ago, my telephone rang. When I answered the call, my niece, Mariah said, “Auntie, I want to raise a guide dog puppy. Where do I go to get started?” Fortunately, I did have the information for our local puppy raising group, and I gave Mariah the telephone number. She then went on to tell me that she really wanted to raise a pup so that it could become my guide dog. Since my current dog at the time, Primrose, was somewhat over eight years old and had begun to show signs of arthritis, I knew I probably was not going to be able to wait the approximately two years it would take for a puppy to mature and acquire its training. Not only that, the odds of my niece raising a pup that would have the right personality and temperament to be matched with me were just too unpredictable to promise her such a thing.

A couple of months later, our family had to attend the wedding of my oldest niece. This required a trip to the Monterey and Carmel area of California. A good portion of the family, which included people from three generations would be piling into a van to make the trip from Northern California. Mariah found out that the day and weekend we were to do this, she would be receiving her yellow Lab puppy named River.

I must say that though my guide dogs have been with me in all sorts of family situations and outings, I wasn’t too sure about having a 9-week-old puppy on its first day with her puppy raiser in this trial by fire situation. The family grandmother was grumbling just a bit over the idea too, but Mariah had her puppy, and like it or not, River was going with us.

We all gathered and piled into the van, with Primrose and I riding in the middle seat and Mariah with River in the back seat. Both dogs slept like logs all the way. We made one stop for a doggie and human potty break. Both dogs did their business and piled right back into the van to complete the drive.

When we reached Monterey, we got our rooms at the hotel, got cleaned up and went out to a very fancy restaurant for dinner. It was crowded and noisy, but Primrose, my working dog took her place at my feet as usual, and river, the 9-week-old puppy, took her place at Mariah’s feet where they both slept while we ate.

The next day, while getting ready for the wedding, I just couldn’t stand it any longer. Mariah had handed me River’s leash so she could finish getting ready. I finally told her that I just couldn’t help myself. I would have to pick this little tiny puppy up and hold her for a moment, something I haven’t been able to do in many many years. River was a snuggly cute little pup in my arms for just a little while, and there was no doubt in my mind that she was going to be a real sweet-heart of a dog.

We attended the wedding, Mariah with River and me with Primrose including the dinner and all the festivities, and River was every bit as well behaved as my grown seasoned guide of some six years of work

Ultimately, we all returned home where Mariah continued working with River to teach her the basics of behaving and being a good dog for the next several months when River went to live with another raiser family until her formal training.

River continued to grow, and while she was growing, Primrose, my working guide got to retire as I went back to the GDB campus to train with Hibiscus, a yellow Labrador Retriever, who is my current working guide dog.

One absolutely beautiful day last June Hibiscus, her puppy raiser, my family, and I had the privilege of attending a graduation at Guide Dogs for the Blind. At this graduation, Hibiscus and I proudly watched as Mariah presented the beautiful yellow Labrador Retriever that had once been my niece’s puppy and now was a grown lady dog named River to her forever person where she continues to work well for her handler as the guide dog my niece wanted her to become.

As we watched River with her forever person, there was no doubt in my mind that had timing been different and all things fit into place differently, I could have worked River and would have been just as proud to have her as I am to have my sweet little Hibiscus. I know that River is doing her best as a guide and I am so proud of the work my niece put into raising this special dog.

As I write this, Mariah is currently undertaking basic training to serve in the United States Army, and I know she will do well with this and accomplish her life’s goals.

Dianne B. Phelps and the Flower Dogs,
Hibiscus and Primrose


**
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Back shortly after I just graduated with Cass, I was in the Detroit airport trying to get a cab. The person who was assisting me through the airport took me to where the cabs sat. We stood out there for a couple of minutes when finally a gentleman approached us. I said I needed a cab and asked if he ran on the meter or a flat rate. He said he could run on the meter if I would like. He continued though to say that I was welcome, but my dog had to be in a crate. The person who was assisting me tried to explain to the man that Cass was a guide dog and did not need to be in a crate.

The cab driver had a limited grasp on English, but he insisted the dog had to be in a crate because people have allergies. I asked him if he was refusing to take me. He said no, he was refusing to take my dog if she wasn’t in a crate. I got bored with this conversation quickly and pulled out my cell phone. I lifted it up so he could see it and I asked him if he would like to find out what the police had to say about it. He said, "get in the cab ma'am."

Toni R. Fraser


**
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One aspect of being a guide dog handler is learning to be responsible for your guide and holding up your end of the partnership. This is very important for a successful working relationship. I was so ecstatic about working with my first guide, independence and ease of traveling out in the community, taking a relaxing walk in my neighborhood without falling over children's bikes and running into cars parked in driveways, negotiating the large building where I worked finding one of the eight elevators, finding the bathrooms, avoiding chairs left out in the corridors, and people standing in the corridors. However, one particular aspect of this relationship was not properly handled until my guide taught me a lesson. As a younger person, I was always in a hurry and when someone would suggest going shopping, I immediately agreed. My mother and I were shopping at KMart and as we were passing a display of hats, my guide decided she could wait no longer and since I had not given her enough opportunities to relieve herself, she stopped abruptly by this display of hats and left a large deposit. I was so embarrassed and stunned. And, my mother's humor helped make the incident less stressful with her suggestion. She wanted to quickly cover the deposit with a hat and go on our merry way. Of course, since I did not carry anything with me at that time which I could use for cleaning up, I did the next best thing. I went to the service desk and reported what had happened and someone did clean it up for me. As we went through the checkout line, the girls who worked there were laughing hysterically about the incident. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. So, thank you to my first guide, Kipper, for teaching me the hard way.

Donna

**
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This article is writen by Dianne. All our members put together items that they thought would be helpful for you to know about in taking better care of your dogs.

HELPFUL HINTS TO DOG CARE…

For those of us who love having dogs share our lives, keeping them happy and healthy is of highest importance. Here are some helpful hints, successfully used by members of GDHAW to keep their dogs in tip-top shape.

TEETH: Brushing our dog’s teeth with a dog-size tooth brush and tooth paste especially made for the dog often will help keep tarter down and doggie breath more fresh and pleasant. It will also keep trips to the veterinarian for teeth cleaning and other dental problems down. If you find using the tooth brush and doggie tooth paste messy and unpleasant, try doggie tooth wipes. These usually come in a plastic container from which cloth-like wipes can be pulled out already containing a tooth paste substance designed for dogs. Just wrapping this around the finger and wiping the outer surfaces of the teeth gets the job done, and the dogs absolutely love it! You can find these at your local pet store. Also at your pet supply store, You may find treats to help with this, though you will have to take care that these aren’t loaded with fat and other products that will push your dog’s weight up. Offering baby carrots or small pieces of apples to help keep teeth clean also works and may be better for the dog whose weight needs to be controlled.

COAT AND FUR: Grooming and brushing your dog often will go a long way toward preserving that nice softness and fresh clean smell we enjoy when our dogs have had a bath. It also keeps shedding under better control. Select brushes which work well with your particular dog and develop a routine way of performing grooming. Along with brushing, a helpful tool in the task of grooming is the Furminator. This is a device which has very fine, closely-spaced teeth which when moved in the direction of the dog’s coat will help to catch and pull out deep dead and dirty fur. This tool only needs to be used about once a week to help keep coat silky and keep dry skin from flaking. After using the furminator, the brushing can be finished with your favorite brush.

BETWEEN BATH FRESHENING: Sometimes, thorough grooming will bring natural oils up and into the coat which make the dog’s fur feel less silky. Using alcohol-free unscented Baby Wipes over the coat at the end of the grooming session along with that last once-over with the brush will restore the coat to its silkiness that we all love to touch. A spray-on dry shampoo such as Furminator Shampoo and Conditioner can be used for a slightly more thorough cleaning between baths. Just spray this product on and brush into the coat or work into the coat with the towel, followed by treatment with the furminator and finishing brush. Another product that many handlers like to use to condition and freshen the dog’s coat is called Miracle Groom. This product can be sprayed on the dog’s coat and brushed through the coat to soften the coat. These products can be found at your favorite pet supply store.

If your dog spends time in the rain or snow, carrying a shammy with you to dry the dog’s coat will help you dry the dog. Then unscented, alcohol-free baby wipes can be used to remove salts and dirt from the dog’s legs, fee, and under belly.

NAILS: It is important to have the dog’s nails trimmed regularly to promote proper movement of the foot, alignment of the joints and proper stance of the dog. The Pedipaus or Dremmel will help those of us who cannot be comfortable with dog nail clippers. The Pedipaws is a battery-powered grinding device which is a bit less powerful than the traditional Dremmel, but it is also more quiet and less disturbing for some dogs . These instruments can help out between trips to the vet or professional groomer who can carefully and safely use the nail clippers to trim nails.

EARS: It is important to keep our dog’s ears cleaned out to prevent ear infections, especially in the breeds with floppy ears. This can be done a couple of ways. One way is to use unscented and alcohol-free baby wipes around the finger to simply wipe out the dog’s ear periodically. A solution such as Chlorhexiderm or Oticalm, available from your vet or pet supply store can also be used by placing several drops into the ear, massaging well for a minute to loosen debris and then wiping out with a cotton ball or flat cotton cosmetic pad to remove the offending ear debris and dry the ear. No one wants their dog to get an ear infection, but should this happen, cotton balls or pads can also be used to wipe out excess ointment from the ear to keep the surrounding fur clean and pleasant.

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION: When medication absolutely must be given to our dogs, finding the easiest and most effective method to do this is critical for your dog’s comfort and your peace of mind. If you must administer liquid medication, placing it into a syringe from which the medication can be administered to the back of the mouth can accomplish this. Pills can be given in the traditional way by placing a thumb firmly at the roof of the dog’s mouth and holding. This causes the dog to open its mouth and keeps the mouth open so that the pill can be placed way at the back. Then, the mouth can be closed and held for a moment while massaging the dog’s throat to encourage swallowing of the pill. Some dogs will find very creative ways of pocketing this pill and spitting it out the very minute it can open the mouth. You will want to give the pill with your dog on an uncarpeted floor to hear the pill drop if your dog has this tendency. You can also wrap pills within a piece of meat, cheese or peanut butter which the dog will take from you readily. Some dogs will accept their pill medication if it is concealed within their food at feeding time. Which ever method you select to do this, you will want to be attentive to make sure your dog gets the medication down. Always remember when antibiotics are prescribed by your veterinarian, you must give all doses of the medication. Stopping antibiotics too early may cause the infection to flare once again and render the antibiotic less effective in clearing the infection.

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We were flying home to Detroit for Christmas one year. I had Cass at the time. Cass was my first dog and I was totally ignorant back then as to what my rights were.

We were on a small plane and I was in the bulkhead seat with Cass lying at my feet. I think there were two seats on one side and one seat on the other that is how small the plane was.

The flight attendant approached me before the plane took off and said that she wondered if Cass would be more comfortable in the galley with her. She would have room to lie and no one would have their feet on her. I told the flight attendant we could try it, but I sincerely doubted Cass would have
any part of it.

We tried. We took Cass to the galley, and she planted her feet firmly on the floor and would not budge to lie down. She wasn't going to have any part of it. We then went back to our seat, and there was a man sitting in the aisle seat. He refused to let me in to my seat. He refused to sit with a dog. The flight attendant didn't know what to do, so she took us to the back of the plane. We sat on the side with one seat with Cass in the aisle.

Whenever anyone had to use the restroom they had to step over Cass.

I did not know then what I know now. I know having Cass in the aisle was against federal regulations. I also know now that the flight attendant should not have even tried to separate me from my dog. I also know now that if a situation like that ever comes up again, they can move the other person. I will not move and I will not put my dog in the aisle.

Toni

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I was flying one time, I can't remember where to or what airlines, but it started out where Lenore and I had a bulkhead seat when I did our reservations. When it came time for our flight, the type of airplane had been changed, so our seat was also changed. I was put in a row with two other seats. I had the window seat and Lenore could lie on the floor in front of me.

I got settled in to my seat and a woman walked up and said she had the aisle seat. She was pleasant. A flight attendant walked past us a couple of minutes later and this woman stopped her. The passenger was really rude to the flight attendant, telling her she *HAD* to re-seat her because she could not/would not sit with a dog. She said she was allergic to dogs. The flight attendant said she would see what she could do and walked away.

The other passenger turned to me and said she got air sick and had to have the window seat. She was still being pleasant to me, so I told her I had no problem changing seats with her. I would take the aisle, (just to shut her up). The flight attendant came back as we were switching seats to tell the woman she had no place to move her to. The other passenger got rude again and said it was totally unacceptable and she simply could not be that close to my dog. She wanted to see the pilot! Again, leaving the other passenger with me, the flight attendant walked away.

A minute later the flight attendant came back, looked at me, and said, "get your stuff and come with me." I thought, "oh no, she's going to re-seat me, not the other passenger." I was about to get ticked. The flight attendant then had me stand in the aisle for a second while she walked away. The other passenger walked up and said she thought the flight attendant was going to re-seat me in first class. That was exactly what she did. The flight attendant came back and walked me to first class. I sat down and Lenore had the floor in front of my seat. The flight attendant told me she understood being air sick and she understood being allergic to dogs, but she had a problem with a passenger telling her she *HAD* to do something.

Lenore and I had a very comfortable flight and after that trip I wrote a letter to the airlines expressing my gratitude.

Toni

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