April 12, 2019
My Thoughts on Having a Guide Dog
By Rene J. McQuinn
I started my teaching career back in early 80’s teaching preschool and
ended on 1-24-12 teaching 18-21 year olds that needed additional skills to be
successful in life. On that day, I had a brain aneurism that left me blind. I find myself needing additional skills to be
successful and safe in my 60’s. One of
those skills is learning and using a guide dog.
The past 7 years I have depended mostly upon my husband to be my seeing-
eye husband, family, friends, sometimes my white cane to get around
safely. Yes, I do want to be independent
as I taught my students.
I have ventured out on my own practicing independence, but have gotten
lost or had some close calls by trucks, cars, dogs, strangers, or short kids
that want to dart in front of me. I will
admit, I have plowed over young ones and, they just bounce right up. Dogs will scream, strangers say excuse
me. I never know if I am doing the
running into, or maybe they are not watching where they are going? I have not
been injured by close calls with drivers, but have been hurt by those parked
cars and trucks (huge mirrors) that I was not able to see.
I practiced being independent while
shopping with my daughter this last weekend.
She did have to remind me not run into branches, like I did the last
time I went shopping at this center. She
was in a store waiting in a long line, and gave me directions on how to get to
another store, and told me to watch for cars crossing the streets. I was debating with myself and her about
being able to do this on my own. She even told me, “I need to be independent”. I
found the door to get out of the store we were in; turned left and walked to
the store I was looking for, and found their door. Angie found me in the store and asked if I
had any troubles crossing the streets? I
said I did not have to cross any streets.
We argued for awhile, with me insisting I did not cross a street! When we left the store, she showed me the
street full of traffic that I crossed. I
spend time using the little bit of vision looking down following the sidewalk,
so I did not see the side street. Sometimes I forget to scan my environment by
using that bit of eyesight that I got back after eye surgery a couple of years
ago. Sure I saw the main street since it
had stores on each side, I’m not totally blind, just legally blind!
We do a lot of traveling and camping.
I like to walk, and most of the places are new to me. I think that having a guide dog will allow me
to be independent. Sure in the beginning
of this blindness, I would much rather stay home where I was safe. I know now that is not good for a person. I need to stay busy, and try new things. My major new thing is learning about guide
dogs. I have read books on this
subject. I took some on line classes
about guide dogs from Hadley a school for the blind. I passed the class, and the professor answered
my many questions. I have talked to
guide dog users, and puppy raisers.
This guide dog idea started back at a NE camping rally last June. I met a couple who were puppy raisers for
KSDS. They had their Yellow Lab Marley
with them. They answered my many
questions. A puppy raiser has a puppy
for 18 months, and will take the dog everywhere they go. They are training the dog with a variety of
different experiences. The dog is then
returned for additional training by KSDS staff and by the person receiving the
dog.
We filled out the needed paperwork, and were put on a waiting list that
could take two years. In October we took
a tour of KSDS three hours south of Omaha in Washington, Kansas. We met staff, and attended their fall
graduation for guide, service, and facility dogs.
Additional thoughts that I have: I
wonder if I will pass the training, will Missy and Riley get along with a new
dog, will there be room for three dogs in our RV…
I am excited and a bit fearful about my new adventure. Praying that this is the Lord’s will for my
life.
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