Things are going amazingly for Jim and me! I can't believe we've been home almost two months, or that we've both been gainfully employed for just as long!
Every day we get up and go to work at the Aple Store in Georgetown, where we sell macs, phones, and iPads to customers. Jim continues to do excellent work, and he's become a kind of store mascot. My coworkers love him, and he seems to really enjoy being with me on the sails floor and interacting with customers.
Since coming home we've taken subways, taxis, busses, and done plenty of walking. We've survived a 12 hour day during the iPhone four product launch, had great times with family and friends, and bonded in ways that I didn't think possible until I got Jim. He is my constant companion, my closest friend, and is always with me. We've only been apart for a few minutes at a time since coming home, I know I need to get him used to being alone for longer periods of time, but I just love having him with me and truly believe that he is on his way to becoming the best guide dog I've had!
I can't thank my wonderful puppy raisers, or GDB enough, for all of the work that you have put into training him. I will do my best to get some pictures of Jim at work in his Apple shirt, yes, he's an Apple employee :) he has a blue shirt just like the rest of us :) I need to get a coworker to take a good picture. As soon as I can get one, I'll figure out how to post it here!
I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for reading, and I'll do my best to keep you jupdated on our adventures!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
We're a team!
Jim and I graduated this afternoon! I can't believe how quickly these three weeks have gone! It's been an amazing journey, and today marked a great end to it.
I got to meet all of my puppy raisers, which was great! All three of them are such wonderful people, and I can't thank them enough for all that they've done to raise Jim! They all said such great things about how glad they were that I'd gotten him, and that we were a great team together. Jim has had some great adventures, he went to Big Bear, and various other places in California. he hasn't flown before, so this will be a new experience, but I think he's up to the challenge and will do fine.
After I met my raisers, we had the graduation and everyone gave a brief speach. It was a great time and I really enjoyed listening to my classmates and their puppy raisers.
Once graduation was over, my raisers and I were interviewed by National Geographic for a special they're doing about working dogs. I was asked about getting Jim, my experiences at GDB, and some general questions about what it's like working with a guide dog. My puppy raisers were asked what it was like raising Jim, and whether it was difficult to give him up. I think the interview went well, and the program should be on sometime next year. I will be sure to update and let you know whenit's on!
It was a great day, and now, Jim and I are a team and ready to go home and begin our life together! I am so excited and I will certainly update you all on our progress!
Thanks for following my blog! I really appreciate it, and I'll have my Mom help me add some pictures here when I get home!
I got to meet all of my puppy raisers, which was great! All three of them are such wonderful people, and I can't thank them enough for all that they've done to raise Jim! They all said such great things about how glad they were that I'd gotten him, and that we were a great team together. Jim has had some great adventures, he went to Big Bear, and various other places in California. he hasn't flown before, so this will be a new experience, but I think he's up to the challenge and will do fine.
After I met my raisers, we had the graduation and everyone gave a brief speach. It was a great time and I really enjoyed listening to my classmates and their puppy raisers.
Once graduation was over, my raisers and I were interviewed by National Geographic for a special they're doing about working dogs. I was asked about getting Jim, my experiences at GDB, and some general questions about what it's like working with a guide dog. My puppy raisers were asked what it was like raising Jim, and whether it was difficult to give him up. I think the interview went well, and the program should be on sometime next year. I will be sure to update and let you know whenit's on!
It was a great day, and now, Jim and I are a team and ready to go home and begin our life together! I am so excited and I will certainly update you all on our progress!
Thanks for following my blog! I really appreciate it, and I'll have my Mom help me add some pictures here when I get home!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Training, days 13 and 14
So my formal training with Jim is now completed. I have enjoyed the experience, and it's certainly bitter sweet to be graduating tomorrow!
Yesterday, we went into San Francisco for one final city adventure. We went to peer 39 and Jim did a fabulous job at ignoring the sea lions! He looked at them, but decided that they weren't anything special after a while. After that I had lunch with my instructor at In-N-out, which is this burger place here in California which makes a good quick burger. After that, we took the mini van back to campus and had some great conversation on the way. I have really enjoyed working with everyone here, especially the instructors and Todd, my class supervisor. His wisdom and training experience have really been invaluable to me and he's worked with me pretty extensively on Jim's distraction issues. I really feel that he, more than anyone, has given me the tools to successfully control Jim in situations which cause him to be very excitable.
In the afternoon, I worked with Todd in downtown San Rafael. We worked on Jim's excitement level when people come and greet me. Todd was so funny when he imitated an excited woman, put on a high pitched voice and said, "Oh my god! Olivia! It is so wonderful to see you!" This got Jim totally excited and we had to do some corrections to calm him down. He responded well to the corrections, and I really feel that I can manage his distraction level with out any issues. I also talked to my other puppy raiser last night, and we discussed some of the tools she'd used to calm him down, so that was very helpful. It was awesome to talk to her and I'm so glad that both of my raisers want contact with me, and that they're coming to graduation tomorrow.
Today, we went to Muir Woods in the morning, and I worked with Todd and Angie to get some more practice with Jim's distractions in the afternoon. It was really neat to be able to work with Angie for a bit, Todd called her and told her to get really excited to see me, so she did, and Jim was excited, but Angie and Todd both said I used good handling and controled him just fine. After one correction he was able to keep his position and did what he was told. I was pleased!
Muir Woods was beautiful, it was great working on the trail and just being with nature. I have some pictures on my iPhone, and I hope they came out. When I get honme, I would like someone to go through my phone and pick out the good photos of my experiences here.
This afternoon, I also found out that National Geographic wants to interview me for a speecial they're doing on working dogs. They're going to be on campus filming graduation tomorrow and afterwards, they'll interview me about my experience getting Jim, they'll also interview my raisers about their experiences raising him. It should be a lot of fun. They could only pick one student from class to interview, and I was so honored that they chose me! Thre are so many great people here, and I feel that any of the nine of us could do a great job, but Todd, apparently, picked me out along with the marketing department. I also found out that someone in Maryland who made a generous donation to GDB wanted to sponcer a guide dog team from the Washington area. This basically means that her money went to some of the cost of training Jim for me. I am very greatful to her, and other people like her, who have contributed funds to give us these wonderful dogs.
This isn't a pitch for GDB, well, OK, it kind of is, but if you're insterested in giving money visit their website at
http://www.guidedogs.com
I am ready for bed, but I wanted to be sure that I posted and let you all know what's been going on here. Thank you for following me on this training journey with Jim. I will do my best to post tomorrow night after graduation! I'll also let you know how things are going once I get home!
Yesterday, we went into San Francisco for one final city adventure. We went to peer 39 and Jim did a fabulous job at ignoring the sea lions! He looked at them, but decided that they weren't anything special after a while. After that I had lunch with my instructor at In-N-out, which is this burger place here in California which makes a good quick burger. After that, we took the mini van back to campus and had some great conversation on the way. I have really enjoyed working with everyone here, especially the instructors and Todd, my class supervisor. His wisdom and training experience have really been invaluable to me and he's worked with me pretty extensively on Jim's distraction issues. I really feel that he, more than anyone, has given me the tools to successfully control Jim in situations which cause him to be very excitable.
In the afternoon, I worked with Todd in downtown San Rafael. We worked on Jim's excitement level when people come and greet me. Todd was so funny when he imitated an excited woman, put on a high pitched voice and said, "Oh my god! Olivia! It is so wonderful to see you!" This got Jim totally excited and we had to do some corrections to calm him down. He responded well to the corrections, and I really feel that I can manage his distraction level with out any issues. I also talked to my other puppy raiser last night, and we discussed some of the tools she'd used to calm him down, so that was very helpful. It was awesome to talk to her and I'm so glad that both of my raisers want contact with me, and that they're coming to graduation tomorrow.
Today, we went to Muir Woods in the morning, and I worked with Todd and Angie to get some more practice with Jim's distractions in the afternoon. It was really neat to be able to work with Angie for a bit, Todd called her and told her to get really excited to see me, so she did, and Jim was excited, but Angie and Todd both said I used good handling and controled him just fine. After one correction he was able to keep his position and did what he was told. I was pleased!
Muir Woods was beautiful, it was great working on the trail and just being with nature. I have some pictures on my iPhone, and I hope they came out. When I get honme, I would like someone to go through my phone and pick out the good photos of my experiences here.
This afternoon, I also found out that National Geographic wants to interview me for a speecial they're doing on working dogs. They're going to be on campus filming graduation tomorrow and afterwards, they'll interview me about my experience getting Jim, they'll also interview my raisers about their experiences raising him. It should be a lot of fun. They could only pick one student from class to interview, and I was so honored that they chose me! Thre are so many great people here, and I feel that any of the nine of us could do a great job, but Todd, apparently, picked me out along with the marketing department. I also found out that someone in Maryland who made a generous donation to GDB wanted to sponcer a guide dog team from the Washington area. This basically means that her money went to some of the cost of training Jim for me. I am very greatful to her, and other people like her, who have contributed funds to give us these wonderful dogs.
This isn't a pitch for GDB, well, OK, it kind of is, but if you're insterested in giving money visit their website at
http://www.guidedogs.com
I am ready for bed, but I wanted to be sure that I posted and let you all know what's been going on here. Thank you for following me on this training journey with Jim. I will do my best to post tomorrow night after graduation! I'll also let you know how things are going once I get home!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Training, day 12
Today was a good day for Jim and me. We went to the airport in the morning, and worked on some practice with clicker training in the afternoon. We also had a night route where we worked from the downtown lounge in San Rafael to this icecream store called 31 flavors. Jim did really well on the route, until we saw these girls who my instructor told me were stoned or drunk. They started yelling at me about my guide dog, and I was at a tricky point in the route with a really flat curb. It was also an area that I hadn't been to before, so that posed a bit of a challenge, but after an instructor helped get me back on the right track we were fine and finished the route with absolutely no problems. I was very pleased to see how well Jim did in that situation, even though we were both a bit discombobulated we were able to work through things and figure them out.
When I got back, I talked to one of Jim's puppy raisers. He was raised by two families, one who had him for most of the time, and another who took him at the end to help him with his distraction issues greeting people. Both of them are such great people, and I am so excited to meet them all! I am really greatful for all that they've done, and for the fact that they have both worked so hard to turn him into the wonderful boy that heis today! If it weren't for all their love and dedication he wouldn't be going home on Saturday to join me in my crazy and hectic life working at Apple. LOL, both of his puppy rasing families are loyal mac users so we joked that he was just meant to be an Apple dog. :)
Well, I think that's aboutit. Tomorrow, we head into San Francisco one more time, and do something in San Rafael in the afternoon. I can't believe that we only have two more days of training left. This time has just flown, and going home will be really exciting, but there will also be a bit of sadness. I've enjoyed this experience so much, loved my instructors, made some good friends, and most importantly, gotten a wonderful dog! I am very excited to take on the world with Jim at my side, and I know that we will work well together for many years to come!
When I got back, I talked to one of Jim's puppy raisers. He was raised by two families, one who had him for most of the time, and another who took him at the end to help him with his distraction issues greeting people. Both of them are such great people, and I am so excited to meet them all! I am really greatful for all that they've done, and for the fact that they have both worked so hard to turn him into the wonderful boy that heis today! If it weren't for all their love and dedication he wouldn't be going home on Saturday to join me in my crazy and hectic life working at Apple. LOL, both of his puppy rasing families are loyal mac users so we joked that he was just meant to be an Apple dog. :)
Well, I think that's aboutit. Tomorrow, we head into San Francisco one more time, and do something in San Rafael in the afternoon. I can't believe that we only have two more days of training left. This time has just flown, and going home will be really exciting, but there will also be a bit of sadness. I've enjoyed this experience so much, loved my instructors, made some good friends, and most importantly, gotten a wonderful dog! I am very excited to take on the world with Jim at my side, and I know that we will work well together for many years to come!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Training, day 11
Today marked day 11 of training. Jim and I went to Berkeley, worked around the UC Berkeley campus, and went on a very long route in Downtown San Rafael. I think that today was his best day yet; I noticed a lot of improvement in his sniffing and distraction level. He responded to corrections well, and did not need his gentle leader at all today. When we were on campus he did a great job of finding his line and working through paths.
In the afternoon, he worked through a Wholefoods, and a Petco with a lot of success. He followed my instructor beautifuly in the petstore, and did very well in the grocery store when he was surrounded by a great deal of bread and bagles. Again, I was proud of him! We walked all the way back from the east end of San Rafael, under the 101, and worked our way back to the Downtown Lounge, which is on fourth street between F and E. I got him a toy in the petstore, it's a bone with a rope on the end, and he seems to love playing with it. It was his first present from me, and I feel like he deserves it because he's been working very hard for me over the past two weeks. I will have to work him to the petstore at home, to keep his distraction skills up to date.
When we got back, I hung out with some friends, went to an Applebees for dinner, and took it easy for the rest of the evening. I can't believe that I graduate on Saturday afternoon. Just, how'd that happen? It seemed like such a long time, and now my three weeks is winding down. It will be nice to get home, but as I've said before I will miss the Bay Area a great deal, and am already trying to figure out when I might be able to get back here to visit friends.
Well, I think that's about all I've got. Tomorrow we go to the airport and see how that works before we fly home, not sure what's going on for the rest of the day.
I hope everyone's doing well! Thanks for reading, as always!
In the afternoon, he worked through a Wholefoods, and a Petco with a lot of success. He followed my instructor beautifuly in the petstore, and did very well in the grocery store when he was surrounded by a great deal of bread and bagles. Again, I was proud of him! We walked all the way back from the east end of San Rafael, under the 101, and worked our way back to the Downtown Lounge, which is on fourth street between F and E. I got him a toy in the petstore, it's a bone with a rope on the end, and he seems to love playing with it. It was his first present from me, and I feel like he deserves it because he's been working very hard for me over the past two weeks. I will have to work him to the petstore at home, to keep his distraction skills up to date.
When we got back, I hung out with some friends, went to an Applebees for dinner, and took it easy for the rest of the evening. I can't believe that I graduate on Saturday afternoon. Just, how'd that happen? It seemed like such a long time, and now my three weeks is winding down. It will be nice to get home, but as I've said before I will miss the Bay Area a great deal, and am already trying to figure out when I might be able to get back here to visit friends.
Well, I think that's about all I've got. Tomorrow we go to the airport and see how that works before we fly home, not sure what's going on for the rest of the day.
I hope everyone's doing well! Thanks for reading, as always!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Training, day 10
I can't believe I've been here for two weeks, and that this marks day ten of training. Today, we went into San Francisco and worked around the Embarcadero neighborhood. Jim did great when we rode the BART from Montgomery street to Embarcadero and he seemed to like the escalators. We also practiced revolving doors in a large office building on California street, and for some reason, this got my boy really excited. He was galoping in harness and it was very funny, but I had to take a second in the lobby to calm him down before we worked out to the next set of revolving doors where he did better. We also got "fun facts" about our dogs when they were puppies today. Apparently, Jim lived with a cat, which is awesome because it means he should be good with cats. He slept in a crate in the bedroom, and enjoyed going to visit his raisers mother at a retirement community. His raiser said that he has a lot of enthusiasm and energy, and that sometimes he needs a little help with his excitement level, but that he is quickly able to get himself back under control once you calm him down. She is absolutely correct! He is such a great dog, and his silly side is part of what makes him so much fun, though he, does, indeed, need a bit of help calming down at times.
After we went to the city we had meetings with our instructors about going home. We talked about introducing Jim to my parents dogs, as well as friends and family. Basically, as long as he's off harness and under control, you can pet him.
I also found out today, that my official first day of work is next Wednesday, the day before the iPhone launch. Nothing like baptism by fire, right? I am so excited to start my job, it's what I'm looking forward to most when I get home.
We ended our day with a night route. Jim did well on this route where we went from the buss to the downtown lounge. He seems to love night work and he got very excited in harness again, so I used the gentle leader which calmed him down a great deal. I might use this at first while I'm at work; it just mellows him out and makes him easier to control when he sees dogs and children, two of his major distractions.
That, in a nutshell, was my day. Tomorrow we go to Berkeley, where we'll do some more city work as well as some work on a college campus, I think. Not sure what else is on the cards for tomorrow, but I'd better go get some sleep, so I'm ready for it!
After we went to the city we had meetings with our instructors about going home. We talked about introducing Jim to my parents dogs, as well as friends and family. Basically, as long as he's off harness and under control, you can pet him.
I also found out today, that my official first day of work is next Wednesday, the day before the iPhone launch. Nothing like baptism by fire, right? I am so excited to start my job, it's what I'm looking forward to most when I get home.
We ended our day with a night route. Jim did well on this route where we went from the buss to the downtown lounge. He seems to love night work and he got very excited in harness again, so I used the gentle leader which calmed him down a great deal. I might use this at first while I'm at work; it just mellows him out and makes him easier to control when he sees dogs and children, two of his major distractions.
That, in a nutshell, was my day. Tomorrow we go to Berkeley, where we'll do some more city work as well as some work on a college campus, I think. Not sure what else is on the cards for tomorrow, but I'd better go get some sleep, so I'm ready for it!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Day off
So today was a day off. My class spent the afternoon going to wine country, which was fantastic! We went to the Jacuzzi Winery in Sanoma County and it was great! I tasted some wonderful wines and got a couple of bottles to take home next week.
I was also able to catch up with a friend today, we took my dog for a walk around campus, and ate some great food! It was nice to catch up with him and spend some time together; I really enjoyed it.
Not much else happened, my boy was overjoyed to see me when we got back from our class trip and was ridiculous! He wagged his entire body, roled on his back, and was cute in a way that only labs can be. Pete, one of our class supervisors, spent the night tonight. I like hanging out with him, he has a great sense of humor. This evening, I was walking down the hall and he was joking with me he said, "Go to bed, or I'll put you on tie-down! " It was so funny! We had a nice dinner of chili and cornbread. I have enjoyed the food here, but I'll be glad to get home and do some cooking. I'm not sure what's happening when I get home on Sunday, I guess I will have to play it by ear. I'll be glad to start my life with Jim, but as I said yesterday, I am really going to miss the bay area. Tomorrow, we go into San Francisco, and I'm not sure what else is on the schedule!
I'm off to bed, but I'll check in tomorrow, as usual!
I was also able to catch up with a friend today, we took my dog for a walk around campus, and ate some great food! It was nice to catch up with him and spend some time together; I really enjoyed it.
Not much else happened, my boy was overjoyed to see me when we got back from our class trip and was ridiculous! He wagged his entire body, roled on his back, and was cute in a way that only labs can be. Pete, one of our class supervisors, spent the night tonight. I like hanging out with him, he has a great sense of humor. This evening, I was walking down the hall and he was joking with me he said, "Go to bed, or I'll put you on tie-down! " It was so funny! We had a nice dinner of chili and cornbread. I have enjoyed the food here, but I'll be glad to get home and do some cooking. I'm not sure what's happening when I get home on Sunday, I guess I will have to play it by ear. I'll be glad to start my life with Jim, but as I said yesterday, I am really going to miss the bay area. Tomorrow, we go into San Francisco, and I'm not sure what else is on the schedule!
I'm off to bed, but I'll check in tomorrow, as usual!
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