another update

I have to write about how wonderful Shannon really is. I can't believe today I have had her home a month, it doesn't seem that long all ready. She is currently under my desk relaxing for now until she thinks it is time to play with Muffin some more. The weather is wonderful and I can tell Shannon seems to have more energy. Today me and a friend from work walked to this wonderful mexican restaurant a few blocks away. This place is so good we eat there at least once a week. Shannon's work was wonderful and her street crossings were perfect. ON the way back we went to cross and this stupid cable truck was blocking the entire cross walk in the far lane. Shannon had to go out of the cross walk to get me around the stupid truck. I truly believe if I could drive I could drive better than allot of people on the road. Thank goodness for Shannon. I thought about flipping the guy off but that probably would have not been too nice. I'm not sure but I think its against the law to block the entire cross walk. I guess when the light changed the guy figured out he couldn't make it and just stopped there or something. Shannon truly makes me smile every day and she is starting to learn the places I go to allot. We go somewhere once and when we go back again she remembers that we have been there before. I have to show her something once and that's about all it takes. We were out some this past weekend and through out the week. Guess that's all for now, will update when I have a chance. Until next time...

time for an update don't you think

I really wish I had the energy that both Shannon and Muffin have. They have been playing all morning long and its been nice to sit there and watch them. One would get a bone, the other one would want it, so they would take bones away from each other. They did this bone switching thing for about an hour. They always play in theevenings when I get home and get all there energy out. This week has been a pretty busy and crazy week. I am trying to learn with Shannon how to cross this not so great intersection near my work. The corner is strange and Shannon kept wanting to not stay in the cross walk. I don't use this intersection on a regular basis, but it is a good thing to know in case I ever have to cross there. I could cross there going to and from the bus stop, but I choose to go down and around which is much easier with not allot of traffic, just the way I like it. The intersection is very busy and when I cross I feel as though the traffic is right on top of me. I was told it was really close and I don't think I would feel comfortable enough crossing that street by myself. My instructor and Shannon's trainer from The Seeing Eye came out on Thursday and helped us with the crossing. One thing that seemed to have worked is when I start off in the street give Shannon the Straight command through out the crossing. Once I did that she did wonderful going from curb to curb. My instructor and some one else is going to be back down next month and I'll take all the help I can get. The other day Me Shannon and a few people from work walked to this wonderful new mexican restaurant and Shannon did wonderful. There is a pretty busy street you have to cross to get to the restaurant and she crossed that street perfect. Her work is still wonderful and I couldn't be happier. Now Shannon is demanding that I pet her so I might as well end this. Until next time...

week in review

I have been home only two weeks and I am becoming a slacker as far as updating this thing. Shannon has been doing wonderful of course. One day I decided when getting on the bus to go for a walk and on a little adventure to go to another bus stop. We walked to where the bus stop is sourt of located, but there was just one problem I couldn't find the pole with the sign indicating the bus stop. Shannon had no idea I was looking for this certain pole, so i took out my cane and tried to find the thing with no luck. I stood there for a few minutes waiting to see if a bus came by and one did and drove right past me because I was not standing at the pole. If a person is not standing at the bus stop pole most drivers will not stop. In the city of Charlotte the bus stops are not consistent, some are in the middle of a block while others are near the corner. Some are on the traffic side of the street and others are on the building side of the street. There really is know way of knowing unless you frequent a particular bus stop from block to block where the bus stop poles are located. It was so frustrating because I ended up having to walk back to the familiar bus stop. There are several places I could take the bus in the city, but if I don't know where the bus stop is exactly located its pointless and I am very limited in where I can travel independently. To top it all off it had started raining at this point which just added to my frustrations. Traffic sounds so much different and allot closer in the rain. Shannon could have cared less that it was raining, but I was not thrilled about getting wet. I found out a few days later that the bus stop pole I was needing was on the building side of the sidewalk and not the street side of the sidewalk. I have talked to a few people and there is a proposal to the city to put some type of indication as to the exact location of the bus stops. Something needs to be done for sure. Another thing that was pretty frustrating was that my efferts to be more independent and do something I have never done before did not work out to well. I am going to work with Shannon on finding certain places I frequent allot and that stupid bus stop pole is one of them. One day last week me, Shannon and a good friend from work went for a walk. Shannon did wonderful and had quiet a few distractions that we encountered. We were walking down this side street right near to work which had sidewalks. There were allot of loud annoying barking dogs inside of fences and Shannon totally ignored every one of them. All and all it was a good week and now Shannon and Muffin are playing imagine that one. Hopefully the rain is gone for a while and the sunny warm weather that is back is back to stay for a while so we can get out and take nice walks. On another note its Sunday afternoon and there is no football on, don't exactly know what I am going to do with myself for the next four and a half months. I am a huge football fan if you have not figured that out all ready, I watch it when it comes on and pretty much until it goes off. NFL network will have to do for now I guess. If anyone knows where I can get team stuff for Shannon let me know. I will update again when I have a chance! Until next time...

Great Article about The Seeing Eye puppy raising program

I found this article while going through my e-mail and thought it was worth sharing.

Puppy Tails Seeing Eye 4-H Club helps train guide dogs
February 24, 2010
By Katelyn Farago
RandolphRoxbury This Week

Linda Kabis of Ledgewood began raising puppies for the Seeing Eye more than 13 years ago when her daughter, Kristin, expressed an interest in getting a dog.

Since then, Kristin — now 25 — has raised 11 guide dogs. Her mother is in the process of training her 17th.

Letting the dogs go after she spends more than a year training them is " hard," Kristin said.

"It never really gets easier, but it's worth it."

One of Kristin's dogs went on to guide a college student who was blind, she said, while another left to serve a blind woman who was the mother of twin 2-year-old boys.

"It's a really wonderful public service," said Linda. "And it's a really nice way to learn to love something and let it go."

In 1997, Linda Kabis and Sue Filak took over leadership of Puppy Tails, a Morris County 4-H Club that partners with Seeing Eye to train volunteers to raise puppies for the blind. Every Tuesday, the two conduct host a training workshop at Bethlehem Church in Randolph, where members work on basic obedience skills with their pups. The workshops cover everything from basic commands such as "sit" to training the dogs to stay off of the furniture and preparing them for things they might encounter while serving their owners.

At a recent meeting, the dogs were exposed to a large American flag in the hope that they would be accustomed to it the next time they saw one. Filak also tried to expose the dogs to several other distractions, such as a crinkling plastic bag, to train them to stay focused.

Puppy Tails has a membership of 26 puppy-raisers, 9 and older. Twenty-six canines between the ages of 7 weeks and 15 months old are being trained. Once the dogs are about a year old and have learned basic obedience, Seeing Eye recalls them for more intensive training.

"It's like, just when you get them behaving like you want them to, they take them back," Filak of Hopatcong said with a laugh.

When the dogs finish their training, they are placed with their visually impaired owners. The puppy raisers receive letters from Seeing Eye, updating them on where their dogs are in training or where they will be living with their new owners. And every August, the Seeing Eye hosts a picnic for the puppy raisers, during which various recipients with guide dogs speak about what the dogs have done for them.

"That's a big part of why I do it," said Shaina O'Connell of Succasunna, who has been a part of Puppy Tails for nine years.

Now 24, O'Connell began raising dogs for the Seeing Eye when she was 15. At the time, she said, she wanted a dog and was looking for a volunteering opportunity. Because her parents were not too keen on the idea of getting a dog, she said taking one in temporarily was a compromise.

Today, O'Connell is raising her 11th Seeing Eye dog — a 6-month-old yellow Labrador named Van Gogh. By day, she is a veterinary technician at an animal hospital. She described one of her fondest memories volunteering with Seeing Eye as one particular August picnic, when a student thanked her for her volunteer work as if she had personally raised that student's dog. She said the experience has stuck with her over the years.

Diane Spadola of Randolph is raising her second Seeing Eye pup. The activity began as a 4-H project for her daughter, but when their first puppy, Joyce, ended up being too strong for her daughter to handle, raising Joyce became a family project. Joyce is now in the intensive phase of training at the Seeing Eye in Morristown, and Spadola said her family is raising Vernie, a 9-week-old golden retriever.

It was difficult to see Joyce move on, Spadola said, but she tries to remind herself that the puppies she fosters are meant for other things

"It's not our dog," she said of Vernie. "We have them because they are destined for bigger and better things. I just think it's really rewarding when you see how much freedom that these dogs can provide."

Kayla Eversen of Chester is only 12, but she already has fostered three dogs. She is currently raising Skittles, an 11-month-old German shepherd.

"It's really fun because you get to have a different kind of dog every year, and they all have different personalities," she said.

It feels good to know that they are going to help people when they leave, she said, "but it's still sad to let them go."

Eleanor Abramson of Wharton expressed a similar sentiment about seeing her last pup move on to the Seeing Eye training.

"It's really sad, and I really missed her because she was my friend," she said. "And yet, at the same time, the more you're involved in the program, the more you want them to succeed."

Abramson is now raising Odette, an 11-week-old German shepherd whose two sisters also are being fostered by members of the Puppy Tails club. Members describe them as the triplets of the group: Odette, Orna and Oprah.

Oprah is being reared by 11-year-old puppy raiser Christian Brunner of Hopatcong.

"It's kind of rewarding to know that you're helping someone," he said.

When asked what has been the most difficult skill to teach Oprah, Christian said: "Probably just to be potty trained."

first few days back at work

I have all ready checked e-mails and facebook and know I have been a slacker and not been posting like I probably should. Shannon and Muffin are currently playing and loving every minute of it. They really love each other and that's a wonderful thing for sure. Wednesday was my first day back at work and I was kind of disappointed that the snow couldn't give me just one more day off. It snowed a pretty good bit on Tuesday starting that morning and not stopping sometime into the night but the ground according to the weather report was just to warm for the snow to stick. I was so not with it on Wednesday forgetting my cell phone which I never do as well as my watch and heck who knows what else. It really felt strange being back at work after having been away for over a month. So many people at work kept telling me how beautiful Shannon was and I told so many how she was such a wonderful girl. We have worked to and from the bus stop and she did amazing. This one street is not a straight crossing and she did perfect. I have said this many times before but nothing at all phases her, she has fit right into work and everywhere else I have gone. She is always very excited to see Muffin when we come home from work and they play so hard and get all there energy out which is a very good thing. There is a guy at work who is afraid of dogs. Shannon is always smiling and when she smiles she shows her teeth. Her nick name at work is lion because someone at work told me she kind of looked like a lion with all of her furr and showing her teeth when she smiles. . I think its funny and we joke around about it allot at work. Shannon wants attention because she keeps hitting my hand as I am trying to type and then she decides to go and play with Muffin. Guess that's all for now, I will keep updating when something happens. Until next time.

second trip home

Yesterday was one of those days that the weather is just perfect not too hot and not too cold, I absolutely loved it. I hung out with Lori all day and I can't complain about that at all. We decided to not go to downtown Charlotte but instead we saved gas went to her house for lunch and went and took a walk around my college campus. I really miss Wingate and if I could go back I would, never thought I would say that. I was able to work SHannon around campus yesterday and she did wonderful. I can't believe I remembered as much as I did, once we started walking it all came back to me. Shannon's work was flawless, I made a mistake on one street crossing but that was all on me. There was no traffic so it was difficult to tell if I was lined up to cross correctly or not. I passed by all of my old apartments and everything else around. It was a great walk for sure, I love those times when I can take a walk with really no point of intrest in mind. Shannon worked like she had been on that campus several times before. I can't even put into words how amazing she is, with Shannon by my side I feel as though I can accomplish anything. She is the closest thing to me having my sight for sure. Shannon came home played with Muffin some and put herself to bed, I knew she was tired then. I am enjoying my two days off before I have to go back to work on Wednesday that is if it doesn't snow. Its been a nice day relaxing and doing what I want for a change. Some people may thing guide dog training is a vacation, its far from a vacation, sometimes busy, sometimes stressful, and sometimes fun. I can say it has all caught up with me and for the last day and a half I have been pretty tired, but I think I am getting my energy back. I will post again once something worth writing about happens. Until next time.