Meghan's Story
Dog Guide Etiquette
Elli
Training Journal 1999
Dori
Dori's Homecoming
Dori At Three
Cane or Dog Guide?
The First Seeing Eye Dogs
Dog Guides and Stereotypes
The Battle for Access
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My name is Meghan. I am ten years old, and I am a retired Seeing Eye dog. I met my person in October, 2001. I want to tell you a little bit about what my life was like as a working dog.
One of the things my person was excited about was the letter my puppy raiser wrote about me. She was a teacher, and I got to go to school every day and do things with first-graders. Sarah (my person) was very happy about this because she worked part-time taking care of little kids. She was glad that I knew how fun kids are and how to behave around them.
When Sarah worked in the nursery at church, I had a special corner where I lay down to rest. Sometimes the children were allowed to pet me. Getting petted was a special treat for me. I knew that I must still listen to Sarah's commands and obey and that if I didn't obey the petting would stop. I was always very gentle with the children. I loved to give kisses, and I enjoyed having my head and belly rubbed.
During part of the time when I was working, Sarah lived in an apartment with a balcony. I loved to go out on the balcony with her and look around while she watered her flowers. That was our morning routine. Sarah wasn't quite sure what we would do for a routine when the balcony was covered with snow. We always found womething different to do, especially when Sarah went back to school.
I loved to go with Sarah to big conventions like the American Council for the Blind conventions and the Church of God conventions. Sarah says one of the neat things about me is that the harder the work is, the more I seemed to like it. She says I'm a very good worker in crowded places. I was always very careful not to let her bump into things or other people.
There were a lot of other dogs at the ACB conventions, and I tried hard not to pay attention to them when I was working. When Sarah was in the hotel room with her friends, I was allowed to play with her friends' dogs. We had a lot of fun. Sarah's friend, Christy, was there with her dog, Viola, and they stayed in a room with us one year. Viola went to school with me, and Sarah and Christy came to school to meet us at the same time. For a while, Sarah and I also lived at Christy's house, where there were also a bunch of cats.
I love to swim. The above pictures were taken at Sarah's niece's birthday party one year. I was allowed in the pool, and I had a big time! Now I like to go swimming any chance I get! Sarah says that I need to learn that sometimes I need to take a break from swimming and rest. She had to drag me out of a pool when we lived in Florida and lock me up behind a fence so that I wouldn't jump back in. YYou should've heard the noise I made! I was not at all happy about being left behind while she got back in that wonderful water! She says I sounded a lot like a mad monkey. I resemble that remark.
Sarah had other dogs before me. They worked very hard, and she is as proud of them as she is of me. Elli lived with Sarah's parents after she retired, and Dori lives with some of Sarah's friends. I live with Sarah's parents now. I get lots of privileges now that I didn't get when I was working. I get to sleep on the beds and eat a few things I wasn't allowed to eat before. My favorite things are marshmallows! Mmmm! I sure wish I was allowed on the couch! It would be so much fun to watch for Sarah's parents when they are on their way home! Sarah wrote some stories about them, and I hope you'll read them too.
I'm glad that my puppy raiser taught me how to behave and pay attention to important things like what Sarah is saying. I'm also glad that my trainer helped me to become such a good worker. Those things make Sarah very happy, and when Sarah is happy I am happy.
I thought I might tell you about some of Sarah's favorite places to shop for me. Well, she also shops for herself at some of these places. If you have a dog, you might like some of these places, too.
Rios' is a little shop in Morristown, where the Seeing Eye is. Sarah and I went there while she was training with me, and she bought a statue of a Labrador retriever and had it engraved with my name and class date. She also has one for Elli and one for Dori. Rio's also has charms. They will even mail things to you. The address and phone number are:
Rios' EngravingGuide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI) is a group that is affiliated with the American Council of the Blind. GDUI provides information about the rights of people who use dog guides and also helps to protect those rights. GDUI also has special things for sale for people and their dogs. To see their catalog, you can visit the GDUI Website.
LDS Leather Company makes collars, leashes, harnesses, and other neat things. Sarah bought me a harness duffle from there so I could carry my own things when we travel. They also have rain gear for dogs. To see their catalog, visit LDS Leather Company.
Sarah loves stuffed animals, especially if she can find Labs. If you're like Sarah, you'll want to visit Becca's Workshop. This link takes you to the page where all the stuffed Labs are.
Sarah J. Blake