Guide Dog training, day 1: Leashes, meetings, greetings, and memories. Fourteen years ago, this gawky, overly-exuberant, inquisitive teenaged girl showed up in Portland Oregon to train for a month with her very first Guide Dog. During that time, she had a dog switch, met one of her lifelong best friends, paired up with the 90-pound king of All Guide dogs ever, and went through initiation into the weird, amazing and wondrous world of Guide Dog handling. Fourteen years later... Im back, a grownup, seasoned, old veteran with a few more dogs and a lot more knowledge under my belt. I went from being the little greenie to being the most seasoned handler in this class; thats a weird feeling. And dude, Im not that old. Wait until Im an 80-year-old lady creaking down the halls with a new dog... whatl that be, dog number 54? Id do the math, but Im jetlagged. 4AM wakeup and a full day of travel and orientation tends to juice my brains like an orange. So were staying in a dorm on campus, six of us in a class, two retrains returning for new dogs and four newbies. Not much has changed on campus in those 14 years. Walking around these halls, I still remember moments with Arlin and Karat like it was yesterday. Collapsing in fits of giggles with my roommate in our room across the hall from where Im staying this time, or spending hours brushing until Arlns black coat gleamed like onyx. one of the staff members smiled at me when I mentioned my memory lane, and said: Maybe you have a furry little black Lab guardian angel here with you. I laughed and replied: There was nothing little about Arlin. my darlin Arlin, watch over me, King of all Guide Dogs, and help Dog Who Kicks Butt and I be the best team we can. So many good memories, and sad ones, too. Giving up Karat... meeting Arlin, learning I loved a very stinky, very big boy dog, learning to listen to him, to talk to him, to trust him... it all started right here. Our first day of training is just devoted to unpacking, orientation to our dormitory and facilities, meeting our classmates, and recovering from travel. The dorm is set up for the human-dog bonding process, dog and human beds side by side, easy chairs for humans beside beanbags for dogs, everything is designed for the team. Its a we thing here. Tonight, before dinner, we received our leashes well use on our dogs. the leash is empty, hanging on the back of my door, just waiting... waiting... making me wonder. And somewhere within steps of me, my new partner is waiting, probably sleeping or playing, waiting for a new human to show up. im here. Youre here... Just not... here, with me here... youre still too far away. Tomorrow... its almost tomorrow. After a great dinner and unpacking, after a full day of flying and wondering, Im restless and exhausted at the same time. Going to go hit the gym and run it off, lift weight until fatigue sets in and shuts my brain off so I can get some desperately needed sleep. And if I sleep, itll be tomorrow, and Dog Who Kicks Butt will be in my arms and on that leash and here. With me. And Ill be whole again. 1 more day to D-Day! Talk to you then....
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 02:29:43 +0000