Sad News And Farewell

23 March, 2011:

Sad News and Farewell

It is with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I write the following.

Tomorrow, 20^th March, 2011 Leader Dog Mike will return to Leader Dogs for the Blind. The reason for this is that after a couple of near death experiences while working with LD Mike I have lost my trust in him. I wish only the best for LD Mike and pray that with some remedial training he will be able to be issued to another handler and live a long productive life.

Farewell LD Mike.

Wayne.

Home Training Day Six

17 February, 2011:

Home Training Day Six:

Over coffee, Mike-the-trainer and I laid out today's training programme. Since the local shopping mall is only a single story with no open-work stairs/bannisters or elevators I chose to scrub the Mall Crawl and focus on training with LD Mike and the Kapsys Kapten Plus GPS system.

We headed uptown and LD Mike and I began our normal route to the Post Office. I had the Kapten running in Free Navigation Mode and I must say it was very, VERY nice to hear Serena (the voice of the Kapten) announce my direction of travel, the street name and the side of the street that I was on periodically. Upcoming intersection announcements were also very handy. When we arrived at the Post Office Mike-the-trainer and I figured out how to add a K-Tag (Landmark) to the system. Next we headed to a nearby State Governmental office and took care of some business. Working with both LD Mike and the Kapten was very pleasant! As we were passing by Groucho's I stopped and set up a K-tag for the coffee shop. Then back to the library and another K-tag and we were finished with the morning session. Later that afternoon, we went back up to the library and did some more training, again, utilizing the Kapten. LD Mike did very well with some obstacle work as well as working past a bank where someone was using a noisy pressure washer to clean the sidewalk (TWICE!!). LD Mike showed caution but did not balk. I am VERY proud of how he gave the pressure washer a wide berth as we passed it the second time. On the wide sidewalk, he was practically walking along the ridge of the kerb. GREAT job LD Mike!! We finished the session by stopping in at Groucho's. LD Mike sprawled out at my side and promptly fell asleep (He snores!) while Mike-the-trainer and I enjoyed our respective coffees.

When Mike-the-trainer dropped LD Mike and I off at home we set up a time for the next day to finalize the paperwork. For, save for the paperwork the Home Training of LD Mike and I was over.

To Be Continued...

Leader Dog Mike

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Home Training Day Five

16 February, 2011:

Home Training Day Five:

Today was a huge, long day for everyone. Today was our road trip to Chicago!!

Mike-the-trainer, LD Mike and I took the 7:45 A.M. Metra train into Chicago so that I could make two eye appointments. LD Mike slept most of the trip in. So trains are obviously not going to be a problem for us. We arrived at Millennium station at 9:00 A.M and worked our way through the station to Randolph Street.

Then we headed to the El station at Randolph and Wabash. We only waited a minute or two before a Pink Line train (the one we needed to catch). We boarded and within a few stops Mike was snoring happily at my feet.

 

We got off the El at the Polk Street station where LD Mike balked at the head of the set of stairs heading down to street level. I used vocal encouragement and a bit of harness English to keep LD Mike moving. After we got onto Polk Street, I found a spot and offered LD Mike a chance to “park”. We worked over to Paulina and then down to Taylor Street. We had some time before my first eye appointment so on our way past the University Of Illinois Chicago (UIC) hospital we took a short detour to see how LD Mike would handle the revolving door. I found that I need to keep tight control of LD Mike when exiting the revolving door because if I did not he would erupt out of the revolving door like a bullet from a rifle. On our way out I did something, without thinking, that earned me a verbal “leash correction”. I failed to wait for the door to stop spinning, a stupid mistake, but luckily LD Mike was not hurt. We got to the sidewalk and headed along Taylor Street towards the UIC Eye and Ear Infirmary. I found the new place to check-in for the contact lens department. We did not have to wait too long in the waiting room before I was called into the exam room by a tech. 

Mike-the-trainer stayed in the waiting room while LD Mike and I followed the tech. LD Mike settled right down by my side as I sat in the exam chair. When the tech stepped near him he jumped up to say “Hi!” to her. He settled right back down though Go MIKE!! After the tech switched out the contact in the right eye, we waited for the doctor.

The doctor checked to see if we needed to change the lens prescription, but the current one was kept. After finishing the appointment the three of us went back along Taylor Street to the hospital to have lunch. LD Mike did fantastic while we went through the cafeteria, then had lunch. So LD Mike and I had two more shots at the revolving door. We both did awesome! We went back to the Eye And Ear Infirmary and checked in for my second appointment.

Then we waited, waited, waited some more and..., wait for it, waited some more... Even though I had checked in a half hour before my appointment time it was nearly two hours past my appointment time before a tech took me into the exam room. I have to brag on LD Mike! He was so patient in the waiting room and also very glad to meet and greet new people. LD Mike behaved very well in the exam room with the tech, then back we went to the waiting room to.. gasp... wait some more. After a short wait the doctor called me back and she and LD Mike got on well. Again, LD Mike lay patiently at my side during the exam. After the appointment we took a slightly different route back to the El statioin on Polk Street. As we were approaching the station Mike-the-trainer alerted me that there was another team coming towards us. I took the leash in my right hand as we closed with the other team. LD Mike showed interest in the other dog, but a firm “Leave it, straight.” to LD Mike and a bit of harness English and we were past the other team. It was so AMAZING!! To be able to go past another working team with so little effort, (More on this incident in a bit). We went on into the station and I decided to try LD Mike out on the escalator. BAD move! LD Mike balked, but I did get him on the escalator. This is something I will not try again any time soon, not with the way LD Mike freaked out. We boarded our train and on the way to the Randolph and Wabash El station, Mike-the-trainer mentioned that he had seen the handler of the other dog we passed very heavily leash and verbally correcting her dog. LD Mike slept most of the way We arrived at Millennium Station and Mike-the-trainer bought his return ticket when we checked the board we found the track number of a train to University Park that was leaving in five minutes. We found our train and boarded. Again, LD Mike slept most of the trip. He must have been very tired because he sprawled out and snored, loudly. When we reached University Park and were leaving the station LD Mike showed quite a bit of assertiveness in harness. I am not complaining, I was just surprised that such a young dog would have that assertiveness this early in his career.. I can only say that it felt very good to feel LD Mike's assertiveness as we were going down the ramps.

Mike-the-trainer dropped LD Mike and I off at home and let me know when to be ready tomorrow for our last day of training.

Today was HUGE and LD Mike again showed that he is a very patient pup. The icing on the cake, for me, was the ease with which we passed the other working team on Polk Street.

To Be Continued...

Home Training Day Four

15 February, 2011:

Home Training Day Four:

Today proved that being flexible is very important during home training.

I received a phone call from a local school that I sometimes substitute teach at requesting my services for the day. I said I would check something and call them right back. I quickly called Mike-the-trainer to see if it was a viable training option for today. He said it would be OK as long as the school did not mind him observing, I said I would check and give him a call back. The director of the school was happy to Mike-the-trainer and LD Mike there. The staff and students, for the most part, have been very receptive to a Leader Dog being in the classroom. 

Here is where the flexibility comes in. Mike-the-trainer and I had planned on a short visit to the school in the morning and then a trip to the local mall that afternoon. With a full day teaching we scrubbed the trip to the mall for the day.

LD Mike was such a trouper today, he stayed calm even though we had four different groups of students. The only time LD Mike showed anxiety was when I was anxious and he was picking up on it. He did not beg for attention very much either. There was only one piece of drama during the day. There was a student that flat-out refused to enter the classroom because LD Mike was in the room. The school director escorted the student to a different classroom for the period.

During the breakfast and lunch breaks LD Mike took me up and down the corridor without being food distracted. WAY TO GO LD MIKE!! After classes were over for the day Mike-the-trainer took some pictures that were possibilities for the ID from Leader Dogs. 

 

On the way home Mike-the-trainer and I discussed the day and both of us were very pleased with LD Mike's performance and behaviour at school. I admit that I had worried about that. With LD Patriot (ret.) we had been a working team for years before I began to substitute teach. It is a vast relief for me that LD Mike is ready to step up to the plate from the beginning of our career together.

To Be Continued...

Home Training Day Three

14 February, 2011:

Home Training Day Three:

We did a change-up for today's training. We would not be doing a morning route because I would be captioning in the morning and part of the afternoon. Mike-the-trainer arrived shortly after I finished working and we loaded up and headed out to pick up a bag of dog food. LD Mike did really, really well as we shopped. When we got out to the van I talked Mike-the-trainer into making a quick run to so I could pick up some roses and chocolates. When LD Mike and I came out of the store I was flying totally blind because the sun was shining brightly right in my eyes. I had to totally trust LD Mike on the way to the van. He did not let me down and worked like a champion. With Valentine's Day covered, Mike-the-trainer and I made plans to meet at the library later so that LD Mike and I could work a night route together. The night route was a great experience for LD Mike and I.  I was so very proud of LD Mike as we were walking along the library building we approached where we would usually turn to take the steps down from the street level to the library parking lot.  I had already decided to continue down to the next street and LD Mike did not try to automatically turn left to take me to the steps, but he was ready to if I had asked him to.  Very smart work on his part!!

To Be Continued...

Home Training Day Two

13 February, 2011:

Home Training Day Two:

Over hot mugs of coffee Mike-the-trainer and I discussed the training programme for today. We decided that we would repeat the route we did yesterday then play it by ear. I worked hard to pick up on LD Mike's signals as we worked East along Court Street. I think I was doing better. When we got to the Post Office I worked LD Mike up the steps and did a quick circuit inside then back out and heading West along Court Street. I did better this time at keeping LD Mike moving as I worked him past the food distraction. LD Mike was also doing better about working closer to the up and down kerbs. When the three of us got to Lydia And Groucho's we discovered that the coffee shop was not open for business. So we reversed route again and worked back to our base of operations, the library. On the way back I did even better at keeping LD Mike working past the food on the ground and we had our first traffic check. As we were diverting into a parking lot off of the sidewalk because of a huge pile of snow in our path, I heard a pick-up approaching. LD Mike and I did, I think, very well and continued our route back to the van. On the way home Mike-the-trainer and I talked over possible training routes for the afternoon and we decided on working out of the library parking lot again but to head down towards the Walgreen's at Washington and Court.

Later that afternoon Mike-the-trainer picked us up. The route started out according to plan, but Murphy struck as we were approaching the bridge. We had crossed an alley and were getting back on the sidewalk when my foot hit a patch of slush and I abruptly landed on my glutaeus maximus, good thing I have plenty of padding there, and my back. I never let go of LD Mike's leash and instead of spooking, or bolting he came and licked my face as if to say, “We are not going to get anywhere with you down there.” After checking to make sure everything still worked right we crossed the bridge and found the second surprise Murphy had in store for us. The sidewalk across the street was buried under feet, literally feet, of snow. So we turned back around and worked back up to Schuyler and Court. We crossed Court and followed Schuyler North to Oak Street, crossed Schuyler and headed back towards Court. The walk back to the Library was not too bad, but I was glad to climb into the van and load up LD Mike so we could head back to the house. All in all another good day of training. LD Mike and I are working better together and I discovered that LD Mike would not desert me if I fell. That felt really, really good!!

To Be Continued...