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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Part two of Griffin<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Griffin also helped me through another life transition. I would have had a difficult time adjusting to no longer having any children in our home in Colorado. Our youngest daughter decided not to go to college. She insisted on marrying her high school sweetheart shortly after she turned eighteen. Having Griffin to nurture and shape into a star dog helped me to weather the inevitable stresses of empty nest syndrome.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>An example of how much time and care a guide dog can require can be illustrated by sharing the story of what happened when I attempted to give Griffin his spring bath. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>On that June morning in Colorado Springs, the weather was in the seventies with a warm dry wind. I usually took my guide dog Griffin to an owner-grooming place that supplied all of the necessities and bathe him there. I decided to give him his bath in my home tub. It was one of the oversized affairs with a wide seat at the front and a step up to get in ala Roman design with shower curtains instead of glass doors. Griffin hated baths. I gathered all of my equipment; shampoo, zoom groom rubber brush, bar of flea soap, old towels, dog cologne and conditioner. I changed into my swimsuit and we proceeded into the bathroom and close the doors. Griffin stood with head down, tail tucked and whimpered through the rinsing and soaping. My shower head is one of those that can be detached with a hose on it to get the water where it's needed. After wringing out as much water as I could with my hands, I dried him with two large towels and took him outside to clip him to the porch railing with a leash. I went back inside to remove five pounds of dog hair from the tub. I mopped up the water he had shaken all over the place. I gathered up the soggy bath mat, hairy towels, grooming tools and doggy cleaning products, stowing them in the appropriate locations. I got dressed in my jeans. When I went out to see how Griffin was drying and whether it was time to brush out the loosened fur from his coat, I couldn't find him. Following the leash still clipped to the porch rail, I discovered he had squeezed through the railing, then crawled under the porch and was completely covered in mud. He had taken refuge under the steps. This area is usually pretty fragrant as it is where our old cat used to go to relieve himself when the ground was covered with snow. The mud fortunately hadn't retained much odor since Aslan left us last year in August for kitty heaven. It was hanging in clumps and completely ground into the fur. He had obviously rolled around in it. So, it was back into the bathtub and the whole process had to be repeated. I was in such a hurry to get him into the tub that I didn't take time to change back into my bathing suit. My clean tub got another layer of dog fur supplemented with gritty mud and My jeans got soaked. To say I was unsympathetic as I rubbed and scrubbed my whimpering mud hound would be an understatement. I vowed to go back to the self-Grooming shop, no matter the state of my wallet, the next time I needed to bathe my guide dog. They have hair dryers, grooming tables and large sinks at convenient heights. Best of all, when I am done, I can take off the rubber apron, turn in the tools and grooming products and leave the mess for someone else to clean up. My lower back didn't appreciate stooping over a cowering dog for three hours for the two combined baths. However, the mission was finally accomplished and he was transformed once again into a beautiful German Shepherd Seeing Eye Dog, clean, fragrant and minus much of his winter coat.<span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Curtis and I opened a fair trade gift shop in the historical district of Colorado Springs known as Old Colorado City. It kept us busy and gave us a good excuse to travel. Eventually we were selling hand-crafted items from over 35 countries. Although we never made much money, we enjoyed the work and the feeling of contributing to third world economics. We explored the available technology such as bar code scanners, programs to keep inventory and ordering that operated with screen reading talking programs. I took classes to become more computer savvy. I was able to get some writing done and published. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Our eldest daughter graduated from college, completed a master’s degree in criminal justice. Our youngest daughter was raising three children on her own. We offered to help her get an AA degree to become a certified veterinary technician, a CVT. She joined us when her children were seven, five and three. We helped with childcare while she worked and attended classes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Griffin displayed some new talents. He kept track of three children and made sure that we always had all three with us before starting off. He was especially fond of the youngest girl, Amberlee. He would bring her one of his toys and gently place it in her hand to throw. He made her older brother and sister chase him down and wrestle for the things he freely offered to his favorite child. . <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>One day we took the children to an amusement park. My niece Samantha took Kassia’s three children to go through the haunted house. When Amberlee screamed, Griffin tried to launch himself up over a chain link fence to rush to her rescue. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'>I was preparing tacos for the family dinner one evening. Amberlee put down food for Griffin. Griffin could be a finicky eater. He decided the taco meat I was frying smelled better than the Science Diet in his dish. Amberlee sat on the floor holding the pan in her lap chanting, "Open the tunnel, here comes the train!" She fed Griffin a piece of kibble.<span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>Next to inter the tunnel was a kitty complete with meow. Cows and various other barn yard animals followed with the appropriate sound effects. Before long, she proudly reported, "Grandma, Griffin ate all his dinner!" Spoiled guide dog you say? Perhaps, it is interesting though how the small people learn their parenting skills by example. Amberlee was a finicky eater too. As in most family interactions, there are more smiles than teeth grindings in being a grandparent who is called upon to help raise their grandchildren. This is especially true for a blind grandparent, who can’t access the school pictures and seldom gets to see grandchildren who live halfway across the country. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> When Kassia graduated with her degree, she was flown to Columbia Missouri to interview for a position at the University of Missouri. She was offered a full benefit package which included health insurance for herself and the children. Although the pay was slightly lower than what she was earning in Colorado, the money for continuing education and half tuition for her children if they wished to attend the University, made up for the difference. The only hitch was that she would need night and weekend childcare. They wanted her to train in anesthesiology and be on call some nights and weekends. She asked us to come to Missouri as her backup team. When your family needs you, you go.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Once we arrived, we decided that only one of us needed to be the designated grandparent. We needed more than Kassia’s salary if we were going to buy a house, land etc. to give the children the same opportunities to have pets and a rural childhood that we gave our own children.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I got hired at an independent living center as a half-time legislative liaison and half-time independent living specialist. My previous work for the American Council of the Blind gave me experience in working at both the state and local level. I had hoped Griffin would be able to work for at least six months before retiring at age ten and a half. Unfortunately, he developed some sort of liver problem and went downhill rapidly. Six weeks after I got hired, his liver values bottomed out. The vet said he might last an additional couple of weeks, but death was inevitable. Even on his last day, he wanted to work. I took him to the office with me and he tried to lead by leash guiding even though he was weak and unsteady on his feet. I wrote the following poem for him after he crossed the rainbow bridge. We planted a tree over his ashes on the five acre farm we bought. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>Don't Look Back<span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Your strength is failing,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Your pace is slower,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>You come wearily to your feet when I call.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Your glorious coat,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hides how thin you are.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From everyone else but me as I stroke you. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Still you come to me,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ready and willing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Telling me you want to guide if I need you.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>You try to comfort,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To end my sorrow,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Place your loving head on my knee as I cry.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>You'd stay if you could,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But I won't ask it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The time has come for you to go on alone.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A place waits for you <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Where there is no pain.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Where you won't have to struggle to carry on.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Where you can run free,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Or rest as you will.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It is time for you to go there without me.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Don't pause to look back,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Don't feel you need stay.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Just run on ahead to scout the way for me.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I will look for you,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When it is my turn,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Take my love and my thanks for the walk we shared.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Go now don't look back.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>You're such a good boy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I'll be okay even if I am crying.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.5in'>Griffin taught me that we can get better results from others if we are willing to give them credit for their accomplishments. A thank you well timed makes the day brighter for both the one giving the thanks and the one receiving it. Griffin was the only one of my dogs to die in harness. He loyally guided me until the day he died.<span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>