Cane vs Guide dog

Cane vs. Guide Dog  

I start refreshing my mobility this week but before I got started I had to convince myself that it was not going to be that bad going out with a cane.  I started with a cane and how bad could it be, people have been using canes for a very long time and I can get back to doing this again for as long as I need to.  Let’s look at the good points.  1) I don’t need to get up and feed it.  2) It doesn’t need bathroom breaks.  3) When I walk on the sidewalk the cane would get caught in the cracks and I would jab myself with the end of the cane or my wrist would snap back (I remember when the cane got stuck in the crack of the sidewalk on Saint Catherine Street on a hot day at 1pm the sidewalk was packed and the cane fell out of my hand.  The shock of everyone around me not knowing what to do, and I was bent down trying to find the cane. I finally realized that the elastic on the end of cane is to go around your wrist).  4) Being at the mercy of the people in front of you who are totally oblivious of everyone else around them while they stroll along.  5) Coming to a construction site and not knowing it until you are on top of it.  6) The constant people bumping into you or tripping on the cane either they don’t see you or they ignore you or they are trying to get ahead of you.  7) Being in buildings is a real event getting turned around or taking wrong directions is a real treat and of course nobody asks if you need help.

Don’t get me wrong a guide dog is not for everyone.  It takes a lot of effort on both parts for a successful team.  1) You need to wake up for the dog to eat and remember whatever schedule  you put your dog on, it will be that for 7days a week, no holidays.  2) Obedience has to be done at least 5mins a day.  3) Discipline when you are out on the street, you need to be strict and keep your dog tight and the people around you in check.  4) You need to make sure that you have what you need for your dog for the day.  5) You need to think of your dog not as a dog but your partner, remember they need a break; bathroom, coffee, lunch, etc… just like you do.  I remember when I was working in an office, the manager would say; okay we have a working lunch.  I would work for my hour and then I would get up from my desk and tell him I need to take the dog out.  The dog does not know what working lunch means.

The benefits are 1) you have a greater mobility, I know some people take adapted transport with their dogs but for me it is a greater freedom to travel.  2) I don’t have to worry about getting stuck in any cracks or holes in the street.  3) There is no more being stuck behind anyone, once the dog finds a safe way to go, you move around people just as you would when you are sighted.  4) Nobody bumps into you, the dog makes sure to clear a path.  5) There is no getting stuck in a crowd if you tell your dog to find the way they should get you out.  6) NO need to worry about construction sites.  7) If you have traveled enough in a building your dog should know the way even if you don’t.  I never worried with Jagger, more often than not; he always knew where we were going better than I did.  8) No worries about someone trying to pass you or come behind you, the dog will tell you.  The best part of a guide for me is the companion I have during the day when I am out and the fun we have at home when they are not working, and the fact I can take them anywhere is great.

I will be training more and more over the summer with the cane in hopes of getting another guide dog and somehow I got a feeling that it is going to be a long hard training period until another guide dog comes, and then it will be even harder but at least it will be fun and exciting. The prospect of having a new dog is getting easier to grasp and knowing what is coming around the corner is getting better.  The excitement of possibly putting that cane back in the closet is thrilling.