Great things about being blind. The dog on the bus seat.

I'm pretty much a person who sticks to most of the guide dog rules.  Although the dogs aren't working while at home, I don't let them on furniture or give them our food etc.  Someone was looking after my first guide for a weekend.  I'm not quite sure why she wasn't with me, but she wasn't.  On the Monday after getting her back, I got on the bus to go to work.  I said, "Gwenny sit." and the next thing I knew, she was sitting, on the seat, right beside me, with her head on my shoulder.  The driver laughed so hard he had to stop the bus.  When I got to work, I called the person and asked,  "Did you let Gwenny on your furniture?"  There was a long silence and then they admitted that they had.  They asked how I knew and I told the bus story.  I do know some guide dog handlers let their dogs on the bed, on the couch etc.  It's just my preference not to.  Poor deprived tulia who is now sound asleep and snoring on her large and comfortable bean bag bed.

Great things about being blind. The dog on the bus.

Yesterday, I wrote about the bus driver I liked.  It reminded me of a story about a bus driver and a dog.  My first guide dog and I were waiting for the bus one time.  There was a loose dog there.  A very well behaved loose dog just standing beside us.  The bus pulled up and Gwenny and I boarded the bus.  The loose dog trotted on behind us.  The driver said, "Is that your dog following you?"  I told him no and that I had no idea whose dog it was.  The dog got on, I sat down, Gwenny sat down under my seat.  The dog sat down beside us.  The driver was laughing so hard.  I was laughing.  So were many other passengers.  He wasn't sure what to do but then someone came running up and the dog was his dog.  Had wandered out of his yard to the bus stop.  He took him or her away.  It really was so funny though!

Great things about being blind. Giving speeches.

I know I know.   I said yesterday I would tell you a story about a pit bull in disguise.  But, that will have to wait.  A friend attended a guide dog graduation this past weekend.  She e-mailed me to say that a great thing about being blind is being able to give a speech, read your notes in braille, and still have your head up and facing the audience.
Morgan the CEO of guide dogs did this this past weekend and it impressed her.
Way to go blind people making speeches!
This way notes aren't covering our faces and the braille is just under our fingers!
Yay yay blind speech makers!  We are the best!

Great things about being blind. That is a vicious dog!

Yesterday, Tulia and I were walking down the sidewalk.  Tulia is a guide dog.  A little shiny black labrador female guide dog.  Tulia wags a lot.  She is a little over 50 pounds.  She is short and still has a cute puppy face.  tulia was wearing her harness and her leash but there was nothing near her face.  This woman said.  "Oh that must be a dangerous dog.  Let's cross the street.  It's wearing a muzzle!"  The man with her said,  "It isn't wearing a muzzle.  That's a seeing eye dog."  "No.  That woman isn't blind.  She's walking too fast."
Well, they did cross the street.  I don't know what in the world she saw or was thinking!
Ah well.  We had the sidewalk to ourselves!
Tomorrow, stay tuned for the story of the bus driver and the pit bull in disguise.

Great things about being blind. Being with wonderful blind people.

We spent the evening last night with some blind people and some sighted people, and several guide dogs.  It was in honour of a friend's birthday.  Much of the time, we spent out in the yard.  Since I don't have a yard, it is always nice to do that.  The three guide dogs ran and played, drank water, chased toys, and then would hang out with us or around our feet.  It amazed me that Tulia often came and sat by me even though she was off leash and loose.  I'd put my hand out and there was her little black head.  She is such a fast runner.  she would often get the toy and then let other dogs steal it.  It was so amazing to be there with such wonderful people.  We come from diverse backgrounds and locations.  From Newfoundland, to the prairies, Ontario, someone even originally from France.  Someone else from another country too.  We have different careers, family situations.  We might not have met if we hadn't been blind.  We had a fabulous dinner, cake, and lots of chat and laughter.
If I hadn't been blind, I might not have met these great people and guide dogs.

Great things about being blind. Additional jobs for my guide dog.

In yesterday's post, I wrote about additional jobs my guide dogs perform.  To read that, see the post below this one.  Afterwards, I had a few additional suggestions for other jobs they hold and added a few myself.
Foot warmer.  Gia my golden was very good at this.  Lying on your feet.  There was one time when another storyteller and I were performing in an old ice house at a local museum.  It was autumn and freezing down there.  Gia lay on his feet all night and didn't bother with mine.  But she was an excellent foot warmer.
Alarm clock.  They tend to try to get up around the same time every day.  I'm a morning person but still it is handy to have them carry out this task.
Tulia the circus performer.
Tulia does this thing when going down carpeted stairs.  She extends her back legs straight out behind her and slides down on her belly.
I've never known any other dog to do this.  She tried this while working but I discouraged it.
This circus trick is for home use only.
Bed warmer.  I don't let any of my guides on the bed but when camping, they have shared a tent and a sleeping bag and kept me nice and warm.  I am grateful for that.
Wildlife tour guide.  My first guide Gwenny caught a frog.  She held it in her mouth and brought it to me and tried to put it in my hand.  As soon as she opened her mouth, the frog hopped away.
Gia brought me a dead fish once to show me.
I wasn't grateful enough so she rolled her face and head and neck in it.
Gia used to pick flowers sometimes and even gave me one from a funeral display by the coffin when we attended a service.
Gia also liked to find and give me pinecones and other such things.
She really was a true nature guide although Gwenny was the only one to bring me a live creature.
Wilderness director.
My dogs have been great while hiking, going to work through blizzards, etc.  They always seem to find the way even when I might get a bit turned around.
Tulia says with all of these additional job titles, she would like a raise in salary.  More kibble, more belly rubs, more toys please please please!

Great things about being blind. Giving directions to lost sighted people.

A while back, I was walking down the sidewalk.  I reached a corner and was about to cross when I heard two people debating about where they were.  I could hear the rustle of maps and they sounded totally lost.  I heard the name of a near by hotel.  I knew exactly where it was.
So, I said, "Excuse me.  Are you lost?"  It seemed odd to say that as often sighted people ask me if I am lost even when I am not.  I may be just standing waiting for someone, waiting for my dog to do her business.  Just enjoying the air.  So, it seemed odd but kind of nice to ask if they were lost.
They said that they were and told me where they were trying to go.
I knew exactly how many streets they needed to cross.  What side of the road the hotel was on.  How many traffic lights there were.  I gave them very detailed and specific directions.
They were impressed.
They thanked me so much and as they left, one of them said,
"Next time we're lost.  Let's ask a blind person to help us."
YES!
That felt really great.
It also makes sense.
Blind people have to remember and know many more things about our environments.  So, next time you are lost, ask a blind person.

The wake up dog.

With each new guide dog I've had, and I've had four, it takes a while for us to get to know each other.  Read each other's signals.  I was thinking about this the other day.  It was very hot outside and tulia had drunk a great deal of water.  We were walking along and all of a sudden she stopped and would not go forward along the sidewalk.  I probed with my feet and hands to see if there were any obstacles.  There were none.  So, then I wondered if she had to pee.  guide dogs aren't supposed to pee in harness.  They learn that they have to wait until it comes off to releive themselves.
This makes it less likely that they will go in buildings, stores, restaurants, or just whenever they feel like it.  I took the harness off and she did pee almost right away.  You grow to understand their movements.  HOw they think.  How they move around the house.  Where they like to sleep.  A prime example, is Tulia's first-thing-in-the-morning behaviour.  When the radio turns on or when I stir around 6 AM.  Yes I like to get up early.  She gets up from the doggy bed at the foot of our bed.  I hear her collar jingle, and she gives a long stretch with a vocalization which goes from high to low.  Then she walks over.  Tulia has an interesting sounding walk.  It is almost like the shuffle of someone wearing slippers.  Not sure why.  None of the others have made a shh shh shh when they walk on carpet like she does.  So she comes over beside me and she sits down with her head in reach of my hand if I choose to extend it.  She doesn't bug me.  She sits there and I hear a swish swish of her wagging hind end on the floor.  I put my hand out.  Stoke the head and velvety ears.  Then she gets up and shh shh shh shuffles back to bed.  Turns around and I hear a contented sigh as she lies back down.
It isn't a demand I get up.  It is just a sor tof,
"Wow it's another day.  I love you.  Good morning!"
It makes my morning bright and I would miss it if she wasn't here.
Those little things become so part of your routines.
And each dog has different ones and each dog finds their special place in your life.
And each dog leaves you richer for having known them.

Great things about being blind. Meeting so many wonderful people through this blog.

Thanks to all of the new followers and the old followers too.  More people are reading this all of the time.  Sometimes I think what I have to say may not be all that interesting but aren't we all like that about ourselves?  I have met so many new and interesting people because of this blog and I really enjoy writing it.  Technology makes the world so much smaller.  And access technology has really assisted me with most aspects of my life.  I love all of the comments.  Thanks for them.  Last weekend, I was telling stories to a group and mentioned in my intro my blog.  Afterwards, someone came up and said they had already checked it out with their phone and really liked it.  If anyone has topic ideas for me to consider, please send them along too.

Happy birthday to my first guide dog.

In some ways, I've come full circle with my guide dogs.  I've had guide dogs since the spring of 1992.  All from the same school.
Wonderful guide dogs for the blind in California and Oregon.
http://www.guidedogs.com/
My first guide dog was born on this day in 1990.
She was a wonderful black labrador named Gwenny.
Gwenny was calm, smart, happy, and had a real mind of her own.
She would let you know if something you did didn't please her.
One of the first times I found this out,  happened on her birthday.
Gwenny's brother was also in our guide dog class.
There were about 16 people in class I believe.
Gwenny was black and her brother was yellow.  so, the student who had her brother and I bought cake and ice cream for the class.
Chocolate cake in honour of black Gwenny and vanilla ice cream in honour of yellow brother whose name I forget.
Then, I bought biscuits for all of the dogs from Gwenny.
Anyone who has a retreiver knows that food is very important to them.
Gwenny loved her food very much.
She was excited when she saw and smelled the bag of biscuits.
She had guided me to the pet store to get them.
We walked down the hall and at each door, I knocked and presented a biscuit to the owner of each new guide.
Gwenny started walking more and more slowly.
She kept banging my leg with her head. 
She would tilt her head to look at the bag of biscuits each time one came out and wasn't offered to her.
There were very few biscuits left when Gwenny sat down and stayed there wagging her tail.
"Hey woman!  What about me?  It is my second birthday after all.  And I guided you safely to that store and guided you up and down these halls.  Now just where is my biscuit?"
Point well taken.  Gwenny did get her biscuit.
Gwenny died suddenly of cancer at age 7.5 while still working.
Her loss was so devastating to me and all who knew her.
She is now on high and I hope eating well on her birthday.
This past winter, when I took that last journey with my retired guide who also had cancer, I thought of Gwenny waiting for my wonderful Gia.
And, as I sat on the floor stroking my golden Gia for the last time, talking to her, my second small black lab lay at my feet.
Another calm, compassionate, fun dog with a mind of her own.
Not like the others and yet like them.
For her wonderful raisers who I still keep in touch with, for all my raiser families who are now friends, for all of the trainers at gdb who had a hand in training my wonderful guides, for all the raisers and trainers out there, you are awesome.
Have a piece of cake or dog biscuit in honour of the best first guide dog any person could ever have.

Great things about being blind. Opening the eyes of the sighted!

I fascinated someone today.  I think I really caused her to see people who are blind in a new way.  I'm not bragging.  And I didn't do anything out of the ordinary.  Since I work from home, I will often go out for a walk with Tulia and then end up in a coffee shop or something to do some work.  Gives me a change of scene, a destination for Tulia to find, and let's me still do my work.
I'm right now trying to learn some material for a show we have coming up on May 27 at a local museum Billings estate.
come if you can and if you live in Ottawa.
It will be a fun, light show in which I recite the poems of one of Canada's worst ever poets "The chaucer of cheese"
Anyway, I had my braille note taker with me to read and practice my script.
Tulia and I walked to the door and she found the handle so I could open the door.
A woman said, "Oh I'll help you find the door."
but Tulia had already done it.
In we went,  She said,  "I'll help you find the line."
Tulia had already done it.
Then I ordered and asked if they would carry coffee to a table for me.
They agreed.
I said, "Tulia find a chair."
At the same time, the woman said, "I'll help you find a chair."
But, you guessed it, Tulia already had done that too.
I sat down, took out my braille notetaker, and started reading and working on the script.
After a few minutes, the woman came over and asked what that machine was.
I explained.
She seemed awestruck.
"You don't need any help with anything do you?"
There was amazement in her voice.
She wasn't being condescending or sarcastic or even upset that I didn't take her help.
She was truly amazed it seemed.
In a good way.
Now, I do need help with things.
We all do.
but today, I was just doing what was normal for me.
And I blew her away and taught her something just by being out there in the world and functioning.
And of course I had the smartest and cutest guide dog ever showing off.
I'm glad she learned that people who are blind are just people out there doing what we do.
And I happen to be blind.