Aniridia Network

After retiring my guide dog Sandie I received an e-mail asking if I would be prepared to consider a German Shepherd as they have very different temperaments and need different handling to the two labradors I have had before.  I said I would as I had always wanted a shepherd as a guide dog ever since I had heard about their work.

Going to beach together

At my matching visit this huge dog came sniffing round my house.  It was very strange as I am used to a tiny 26kg labrador.  We had a chat about her issues and what needs work and then we went out for our matching walk.  She is a very fast paced little worker with lots of initiative and very good stamina.  We walked about 2 miles which was great for me to be able to see how she does in different conditions.  I decided that as her only real issue is doing big busies on walks and that I have had Sandie who has IBS I would take her.

Connie is a beautiful long haired black and tan German Shepherd.  She weighs 32kg but is very long and tall.  She is very chilled out and likes her cuddles and licks your hand to say hello.  She has a wild side and likes to throw toys at you, play fetch and puppy play.

We started training from home 2 weeks ago doing routes around my local area.  I like training from home in some respects because you get to learn routes that you do on a day to day basis.  I dislike the fact you don’t have support from others who are going through the process.  Connie enjoys our local routes as she can really stride out on long stretches of pavement with no kerbs to slow her down.  She needs lots of praise in her work and because she is nosey she someties needs to be told to ‘leave it!’ as she is too busy watching what is going on rather than where she is going.

We did the route to work and everyone thought that she was beautiful although my colleague Vici is very scared of Connie’s big teeth.  She seemed to enjoy looking around the building and sniffing her bed.  I think she thinks ‘that bloomin’ labrador gets everywhere’.

How is working with a labrador different to working a shepherd?  Shepherds do emergency stops at kerbs whereas labs slow down and then stop to give you warning.  Shepherds also leave the kerb very fast when you give them the command.  Shepherds are very smooth and you don’t feel much bouncing in the harness.  Their obstacle avoidance is very smooth and they only nip in and out if they are doing crowd work.  Usually you don’t notice they have guided you round something.  They are also incredibly focused on where they are going if they know the route.  Labs are always very pleased with themselves whereas shepherds seem to be quietly pleased.

I thought I might get less attention having a German Shepherd but actually people often say that they have never seen the breed used as guide dogs.  In actual fact they were the first breed to be used as guide dogs.

At home in the garden

Connie and I qualified on Wednesday, the manager followed us in the car.  They say it was because two people walking behind might be a distraction but I reckon it’s because they couldn’t keep up. roflol  I think our walk was a true reflection on what a good partnership we have made already but also how far we have to go.

I have my shepherdess as my left hand lady now and we are both getting to know each other and settling in which will take up to a year.  Their will be laughter and tears but most importantly love and trust between us.  I am sure she will make a fabulous guide dog and I am loking forward to spending many years with her.

Some of you may remember the daily diary I did on the Aniridia Network International Yahoo group about my guide dog training with Sandie.

"I made this mess myself"

That little pint sized yellow labrador is now 8 and has been working for just over 6 years.  She was diagnosed with arthritis of the elbow at 4 years old and has been on Rimadyl, doggy Ibruprofen, ever since.

After the snow which fell on my wedding day and lasted 4 weeks Sandie became very slow.  I decided that I needed to think about retirement so I called my local guide dog team to come out and have a look at her work and a chat.

I was anxious all day about my visit at lunchtime. It turned out that Stig (My instructor) was 3 hours late due to a 3 hour trip to HMV with someone he is on class with! I joked that he must have a good music collection now.

I decided to do the walk to the metro station as it has two hills one down
and one up. We walked through the gap in the hedge and then about 20 paces down the hill. Sandie was working slowly and I could feel her elbow going (you can’t see a limp you can just feel it in harness). She was looking around for Stig at one point so he had to walk closer as she likes to keep the pack together. As we were walking I told him I could feel her elbow going. He said he didn’t need to see any more and we went back inside for a chat.

He said she was showing that physically she cannot do the job anymore but
mentally she still wants to and therefore I needed to go on the list as a priority. Her workload had to be reduced as much as possible.  We then discussed all the practical paperwork stuff and what kind of dog I would like next.After he went I got a hug off my support worker and Sandie (who also did her
head stand and gave me a big lick on the mouth!) and then my PA turned up to get her pay slip so she gave me a hug too. I shed a few tears but I also felt
relieved that at some point this year I would be able to let Sandie put her paws up. She is always so willing to work even though it is getting hard for her.

She has been with me through so much:

Sandie on the big wheel in Manchester

• We’ve lived in:
• Barnsley (2 weeks)
• Manchester (3 years)
• Hartlepool (2 years)
• Newcastle (1 year).
• We spent 2 years of living in Manchester travelling to Hartlepool and back every other weekend.
• She has been on:
• a plane to Devon
• the London Underground
• the big wheel in Manchester.
• She’s met the Mayor of Manchester She’s appeared on the front page of the Hartlepool Mail.
• She literally sat next to me through some of the darkest months of my life when I struggled for a reason to live and with what was reality and what wasn’t.
• It was also an honour for her to lead me up the aisle on my wedding day which is a dream I always had for her.

She’s got into some scrapes

"More mud - woof woof!"

• Dulcie and Sandie stole a sock off my washing line and played tug with it.
• She once dragged me unknowingly into a pet shop in Kendal and stood wagging her tail at the toys!
• She also dragged me off the bus into Wilknsons to the pet section in Salford (we had never been there before)
• and this is still her best trick being able to go to any Wilkos and find the pet section.

A few weeks later with all the paperwork complete I decided that my  best chance of finding the right dog for me in the quickest time possible was to give up the harness and become a Priority 1.  Priority 1’s are people who are waiting for a replacement dog but do not have a working dog.   I waited 2 more weeks and received an e-mail asking me if I would consider a possible match.   I will tell you more about that in my next blog post.