[Critique Group 1] Leonard's comments on DeAnna's sub

[tuchyner5 at aol.com]

It is a good ending forthe book.  



I love  The story about Enzo, and the summary  works well. 



You’ve made it clearthat Enzo is a work in progress  since hehas not had time to have a lengthy history with yu



. The statement that youmay be with the lasst guide dog in your life is very poignant, but I thinkthere will be another one. You’re not that old. 




 


Chapter 27



The Little Coyote



 In June of 2015, I was back at The Seeing Eye for18 days of training. My instructor was once more Sue M.  I am now matchedwith Enzo, a beautiful gentle German shepherd dog who thinks he should beallowed to sit on car seats. 



Are guide dogs notallowed to sit on car seats?



He loves his crate as a place of his own to retire fromthe hurly burly of our home. He doesn’t play with toys but is a power chewer. Ileft class early when he detoured up a flight of steps and I fell, bruising myright knee. I didn’t get to go to New York City for the first time in my nine trips to theSeeing Eye. 



Was it your dog’sfaultthat you fell?



As much as it hurts to lose a dog to illness or a needfor a career change, Enzo has already begun to teach me that we must be readyto look forward and let the past stay in the past. We live in the now and thatcan be a pretty great place to be.



Enzo has a lovely soft coat in the black and tan pattern.The tan portions of his coat are a reddish strawberry blonde color. His earstilt outward giving him a somewhat cock-eyed headset. He is endlessly curious.If we are walking down a hallway of examination rooms at a dental or doctorappointment, he will pop his head around to look into all of the open doors wepass. If allowed, he would greet everyone we pass with a friendly sniff. Hehates going the same direction he has gone before. My husband Curtis gave himthe moniker of coyote, because he is mischievous. If I am not alert, he willpurposely turn the opposite direction from the one I need to take. It isn’tbecause he doesn’t know where we should go, but his curiosity about what elsemight be out there. When I catch him out, he readily obeys my commands andtakes the route I insist upon. He isn’t interested in toys, but will stealthilysteal them from my husband’s large shepherd and hide them. Then he will liedown and wait for Keeno, Curt’s shepherd to begin franticly looking for themissing toy. He will look on innocently as Keeno races about looking for it.



I love the descriptionof Enzo.



Too many  ‘he’s.’ Vary the sentence structure forinterest.



 



I retired three years ago, to care for my husband who nowuses a wheelchair. We moved into town to what we call our aging in place home.Enzo likes to work and adapts well to any changes in our routines. He is alwayseager and ready to escort me out the door to catch a bus, ride a paratransitvan or catch an airplane. 



When  you say ‘escort,’  do you mean he isn’t coming with you on thebus?



I am now experiencing a bit of vertigo and he changes hispace and works hard to keep me safe. He moves across in front of me when weapproach stairs and doesn’t allow me to step forward until he sees that I havemy hand on the handrail of stairs or escalators. At age seventy, I don’t knowif there will be a tenth dog in my life, but I can look back on fifty years ofwalking with friends at my side. Through times of trial and sadness, joy andlaughter, I have had the pleasure of sharing my life with nine wonderful guidedogs. Were they perfect? Of course not! They were each different and performedtheir jobs in unique ways. 



Ifmy dogs could talk, they might explain their careers like this:



 



MoreThan A dog



Whenyou see me walk by,



Youmight praise my good looks,



Youmight think that I am working too hard.



Thoughmy harness is heavy,



Iwear it with pride.



Myduties are many.



Toalter our course



Togo around things,



Thosethat move and remain still.



Totell about steps,



Bothup and those down.



Towatch out for traffic,



Tolook left and right,



Andto also look up.



Tooremember the places we have been.



Toguide and protect.



I ammore than a dog.



I ama friend a confidante,



Aguardian, a pathfinder.



I ama comforter, and a seeker



I ama guide dog.



Beautiful. 



Since receiving my first guide dog Tammy in 1968,eight successor dogs have taken up their stations at my left side.  Eachdog shouldered the responsibility of guiding to the best of his or herability.  Each brought a savor and enjoyment to my life with theircompanionship.  They walked beside me for a while, sharing my journey,helping me to meet and overcome the challenges inherent in being a blindwoman.  From each dog, I learned lessons that have enriched my life. They have beenresponsible for my being able to board planes early, occasionally even being moved from the economy seating I  can afford to first 
class.  They have given me the opportunity of meeting likeminded peoplewho also
love dogs. They have kept me safe and made it possible for me to go where Iwant, when I want and added immeasurably to the quality of my journey byassuring I didn’t have to walk alone.   



 



Two of my dogs had serious medical problems and twoquit guiding due to stress. Because I entrust my safety to every caninepartner, a bond of mutual respect and love has developed between me and eachsuccessor dog.  Only by weighing the complex interactions between me ashandler and my dog, can I determine when that moment has arrived to startlooking for a retirement home for my partners.  Because I form a verystrong bond with my dogs, I try to allow myself plenty of time betweendogs.  This is partly so as not to make unfair comparisons between the newpup and the old experienced guide.  I also want to get so frustrated byhaving to use a cane that I remember why I use a dog by choice. I am patientwith my new friend as he learns the ropes of what I expect from him.  Idon't believe anyone makes these decisions lightly or frivolously.  Likeany other relationship, outsiders can’t readily judge the depth of the bondbetween blind person and dog guide.  How and when to retire a dog isalways a wrenching decision. The blind handler is the one who should make thedecision.  He or she can ask advice from vets and from the school's fieldstaff if not sure of the dynamics of changes observed in how well the dogguides.  Only the handler can decide whether to slow one’s lifestyle toaccommodate an aging friend or when it is time to retire a loyal companion. 



 



I hope you have enjoyed reading this book,sharing the journey I have walked with the companionship of nine unique dogs.Thanks to the puppy-raisers who gave a piece of their hearts to each puppy theyprepared for a life of service, the trainers who work to impart the skillsnecessary to guide a blind person, to the dedication and intelligence of thedogs themselves, life as a partner in a guide dog team is possible. If youenjoyed getting to know my nine partners in crime, I will share a final gift ofhumor. Here are three additional sketches of life as a guide dog from the dog’sperspective, which I have written over the years.



 



 




 



 

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