Yesterday was a big day!
We got our leashes, but don’t get too excited—there’s no one on the other end of that leash yet. I’m sure I said the same thing when I was handed Neutron’s leash seven years ago, but I can’t believe the leash was originally this color! It’s so light and new and stiff! It will darken and lengthen and loosen up with use as it breaks in, but it was definitely a bit of a shock to be playing with it last night. The picture on the left shows a light-colored leash on a desk. There’s also a Braille book and a thermos visible on either side of the leash.
So yesterday, we arrived and got oriented to the building. I mostly remember where everything is from when I was here in 2017, but my dorm room is on the opposite side this time from where I am was then, and I did get a little turned around and attempt to get into some guy’s room my first try. Oops!
Once we got settled and unpacked, I did a Juno walk with my instructor out in the driveway—it had stopped snowing by then. A Juno walk is basically like a test drive, with the instructor playing the part of the dog. It’s a little awkward, because you’re holding the harness handle and your instructor is holding the other end, and also you’re praising another human being as if they’re a dog, and also practicing corrections with them, but it’s all part of your instructor learning how you operate as a handler so they can find the best match. Yes, you come into class and they have a few options for you on paper, but the instructors still need to get to know you, and learn your pace and how much pull you like on the harness and everything for themselves. They also have to break us folks coming back for successor dogs—or retrains as they call us—from all the bad habits we’ve picked up with our prior guides. Yes, I have a few from my time with Neutron, like pushing forward a little on the harness when I say “forward.”
So yesterday afternoon we did our first Juno walk. I should say I’m not sure exactly where Juno comes from or what it means, but they use it for a generic dog name. After the short Juno walk, I was free to finish unpacking, get settled, and explore the building a little more. I finished unpacking, unfortunately discovering that I couldn’t find my air pods. I was afraid I left them at the hotel, and Find My confirmed it. Our instructor team had someone stop by the hotel but they said they couldn’t find my air pods. I was a bit sad, but these are old and it’s probably time for me to get new ones, so I accept it as a consequence of the mad scramble to get here.
I then went down to the library in the basement, where they have a bunch of Braille books. You all know my weakness for hardcopy Braille books. And true to form, I found an astronomy book and a WWII history book to borrow. I spent a little time reading the astronomy book in the common lounge with some hot chocolate before dinner. After dinner was a welcome lecture, where we went over the basic house rules and everyone introduced themselves. After that, I hung out for about an hour with a few of my classmates, then went back to my room, did a little writing, and went to bed.
Back in D.C., I’m told Neutron is having a blast in the snow!
The picture shows Neutron whith his face covered in snow and his ears waggling. Did he stick his whole face in a snow bank? Seems like it!
I was really tired from all the traveling, particularly all the chaos of my early departure, but I didn’t sleep well. The radiator in my room would rattle at irregular intervals, seemingly just when I was about to drift off, as if it was trying to keep me up. I did some sleep some, but I woke up at 4:30 and never did get back to sleep. Wake up call came at 6:00, at which point I threw on clothes and stumbled into the common lounge for as much espresso as I could fit into the cup.
This morning we went downtown and did a second Juno walk, this time on the busy sidewalks. We navigated street crossings, icy patches, pedestrians, the works, all while trying out different paces, practicing keeping tension in the harness, and not moving before my dog—in this case my instructor—moves. I also talked a lot with my instructor about what I’m looking for in a dog in terms of their personality—a happy little go getter who likes to zoom through the city but is also okay if we’re chilling for a bit.
After everyone did their Juno walks we returned to the Seeing Eye’s main campus and met to go over how to put on and take off the collars, harnesses, and gentle leaders, practicing on the stuffed doggos in the common lounge. This would normally be old hat for the retrains, but they actually have a new kind of harness with a magnetic closure now. It took me a minute to get the hang of it, but I think it will be way easier and faster to take the harness on and off.
Next was lunch, then another trip downtown for our third and final Juno walk, this time following the route we’ll do tomorrow with our new dogs. We had another welcome lecture, this one including some historical facts about the Seeing Eye. I’ve heard this a couple times but it’s always nice to get a refresher, and there were definitely a few factoids that I didn’t remember. We had dinner, a fire drill, a rundown of how dog day is going to go tomorrow, and then a wine and cheese reception where we got to socialize and say hello to our class manager’s dogs, which was great because some of us are very dog deprived at this point. I also made a point to introduce my classmates to The Cheese Tax. Very important cultural knowledge.
My instructor tells me that she thinks she knows who she wants to give me and says they are a good little buddy. I’m not supposed to share with everyone the details about my new dog for a few days. I need to give both of us time to bond and get used to each other and make sure the match is working well. So since I can’t share for a bit, I’m going to refer to them on here as Little Buddy, because I think that’s the perfect code name.
Today, it’s finally starting to sink in and feel real that I’m getting a new Seeing Eye dog. It’s finally starting to feel exciting! I’m super tired already, so I hope I sleep tonight, but of course, it’s the night before dog day, so probably not.