Today was a very bitter and sweet day for me. Before I explain why, I need to go into a bit of background. A week ago when I got Carl, I noticed that his pace was not as fast as I would have liked. When I asked my instructor about it, I was told that pace is one of the last things to be fully realized within a guide dog team. As the week progressed however, I realized that the pace was not getting any faster, but was in fact becoming slower. During the course of the week, my instructor and I talked about it. Today, after doing one last walk with Carl, my instructor and I along with the training supervisor had a meeting about this situation. The short version is that we all decided that it would be best to switch guide dogs.
I knew that this was the best decision, but it was very difficult to give up Carl. He is a great dog, and his guide work was very nice. I am sure that I could have been happy with Carl, except for the pace issue. Which leads me to Andy.
Andy is the new guide dog assigned to me. From the moment that I met Andy, I was immediately impressed with his dynamic personality. Carl was very laid back, perhaps too much so, whereas Andy is very energetic, and full of vigor. His pace is perfect as far as I can tell. However, we have not yet worked a full block, so tomorrow I’ll find out for sure. Andy is also very quick at responding to commands. He also learns things very quickly. For example, he is already taking me back to my room consistently. He has done this three times so far, and I have only had him for a few hours today! This truly is an exceptional dog. This morning was difficult to get through, but Guide Dogs for the Blind, and my instructor, and the training supervisor have helped me to make lemonade from a sour situation. Sorry Carl that last was no reflection on you. Have fun with your next person… Qapla Carl. Guide long, and prosper.
