Retiring Dori

When I went to the Seeing Eye to train with my second dog, I decided to keep a journal about my experiences. People often ask me what training is like, whether I must return for more training with each new dog, etc. I wanted to provide an inside look at the training experience.

My journal served as background material for several articles which appeared in electronic and print media. I looked forward to continuing to write about Dori's work with me.

Unfortunately, Dori's ability to cope with the responsibilities of guidework began to deteriorate. At the time of completion of my last article in a series written for The Braille Forum, Dori was taking medication for a bladder infection. This was not unusual; Elli had had a number of bladder infections and even some liver infections when she was young and still adjusting to a new way of life.

Dori's bladder infection did not respond well to treatment. After two rounds of antibiotics failed to address the cause of her incontinence, I opted to try hormone therapy. It, too, failed.

I took Dori to Purdue University for extensive testing. There she was diagnosed with mycoplasma, an infrction which is often difficult to treat. In humans, it is responsible for chronic respiratory infections. In animals, it is responsible for urinary tract infections. Diagnosis is difficult because the bacteria grow very slowly in culture.

I gave Dori strong antibiotics for two months before returning to Purdue for more testing. I waited another month for the results, during which time I continued giving antibiotics.

Dori's test results were finally normal, but her bladder control was still very poor. The veterinarian thought that it would improve as her urinary tract became less sensitive. However, he expressed confusion about the severity of her problem, stating that most dogs can live with mycoplasma without experiencing incontinence.

I began to ask questions. Mycoplasma is a bacteria which often lies dormant in the body unless the affected body system is weakened. What could have weakened Dori's urinary tract? I couldn't shake the memory of the small convention in Chicago which I had attended jwith Dori just after her third birthday. It was there that I began to understand Dori's low tolerance for stress and how her poor behavior was a means of communicating with me.

Just two weeks after the convention, I had taken Dori to visit relatives during the Thanksgiving weekend. She had relieved herself every two hours during waking hours. She appeared to return to a normal relieving schedule upon returning home; but just five days later, she had her first accident at home.

Could stress have weakened her urinary tract?

I began to watch Dori's behavior and relieving patterns very closely. On days when we stayed home, she was calm and had excellent control. If we went out for a walk and came in contact with loud vehicles, she became frightened and had accidents later in the day. If we stayed home and I became anxious or upset about something, Dori often became incontinent.

I had requested a visit from a field representative. The visit had been postponed because of difficulty with travel arrangements during the second week of September. After noticing a pattern in Dori's reactions to stressful events, I made a difficult decision. Dori's sensitivities were causing me to curtail my normal activities. She could not handle the stresses associated with guidework. Dori would need to retire.

In early October, Dori went to live with a friend who lives in my community. No decision has ever been harder for me to make. At no time in my life have I faced more guilt and grief. Knowing how often I reacted poorly to Dori's symptoms makes accepting her retirement very difficult. Yet I also know that I was reacting to the failure of techniques which should have been successful in correcting behavior problems but could not do so because the behaviors were Dori's attempts to communicate rather than attempts to test her limits.

I returned to the Seeing Eye in late October and received a beautiful yellow Labrador retriever, Meghan. Meghan experienced some stress-related illness during her adjustment period; however, I was able to work creatively with school staff to find a solution which would allow her to come home with me. Meghan's behavior is very typical but far from unmanageable. I have learned and continue to learn to listen to her body language and to recognize her needs.

I think of Dori's period of service as a guide in the same way that I think of my ability to do math. I have the skills to be successful at math, and if necessary I can bdo it very well; but after a time, doing math is very frustrating to me. This is why I don't work as an accountant. In the same way, I know that Dori has the skills and the intelligence to guide; but guiding is very stressful for her. It is not consistent, even if the route is the same every day. Police cars and ambulances pass; I have emotional reactions to things which have nothing to do with travel. Dori needs more consistency than I can provide.

I have heard much debate about early retirement, and I suspect the debate will continue for as long as people work with dog guides. I wanted to work with Dori until she was old. Perhaps I could have done so if I had chosen to accommodate her very special needs. But it wouldn't have been humane to require her to continue working when she was clearly unhealthy emotionally; and she wouldn't have been providing me the independence which dog guides are known to provide. Life is not a race to see who can work a dog for the longest time. Life is about being independent, active, and safe. To compromise any of these elements is to compromise the true quality of the person/dog guide team.

RETIRING DORI

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