Prelude

 Hello Friends!

What a year it's been, eh? Well, hold on to your leashes, we still have a ways to go before we can put this clusterbark of a year behind us. I'm not going to get into the geopolitical state of the world right now, you can get your fill of that on your favorite social media site. We're here to talk about guide dog training. 

I will start training with my new guide dog on Friday, September 25th.  This will be dog #3 for me, so this is not my first rodeo. This time around, things will be different from my previous training experiences in 3 ways:

1) New Breed - It's happening people, I'm going over to the dark side. And by that I mean I'm going from floppy ears to pointy ears. The new man in my life is going to be a German Shepherd! I have wanted to work one of these guys since I started researching guide dogs back in 2009, so finally getting matched with one is A. BIG. DEAL. This has been in the works for awhile, the waiting list for this particular guide dog was 2.5 years long. I will explain why in another post.

2) Home training - For both of my previous trainings I went to the Guiding Eyes for the Blind training center. People who are accepted to the residential program travel to the guide dog school and stay on campus for up to 3 weeks where they train with their new guide dog in areas around the school. While I loved the experience of going away to guide dog school, this time around I wanted to try something different. Even before COVID-19, I had requested to be placed on the home training list. In this alternative track, an instructor would bring the dog to me and we would spend 10 days training in my home area. While the structure of the residential program is very beneficial for first and even second time guide dog handlers, I wanted to spend our entire training period working the streets of New York City. This is where my dog will spend the vast majority of his time, so I plan on getting him used to walking on crowded sidewalks, navigating the subway, getting comfortable guiding around construction obstacles, and crossing complicated intersections from day one.

3) We're in the middle of a pandemic - I'm extremely lucky to even get placed with a dog in these Corona times. The shut downs effected everything, including the guide dog school. Dog training was halted for three months and when it started back up again, things looked very different than they did before. Guiding Eyes has implemented many new protocols which aim to keep its staff, students, and dogs as healthy as possible. The residential classes have not resumed, and therefore, all new guide dog placements are home trainings. 

Some of the changes that will have to be made while training with a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor (GDMI) will include mandatory face coverings, maintaining six feet of distance, checking your temperature before each day of training and filling out a form, using hand sanitizer after touching handrails, doorknobs, etc.,  and the biggest for me, no riding on public transportation. We will be able to train on subway platforms but not enter the trains themselves. The trainer will come back for some follow up instruction on that once it is more safe. Honestly, I'm not using the subway much these days because most places I go right now are walking distance. Manhattan is built for pedestrians, so there will be plenty of challenging things we can do with him to maximize his exposure on the street and in stores.

Kate, you keep saying he. Do you know who your new partner is?

Yes. Also a first for me, I got to take a test walk with my prospect a few weeks before training was set to begin. He walks fast, seems very confident, didn't get distracted easily, and responded well to commands. He is also ADORABLE! Our walk went very well, except for the part where we came across an uneven part of the sidewalk and I faceplanted. Nobody's fault, it was a really tricky spot. Hey, I've fallen during multiple triathlons, so this is nothing new for me. Falling during exciting moments, it's a way of life. 3 weeks later my knee is doing a lot better and I am ready to start training with my new partner TOMORROW! Stay tuned, much more to come...