Just before Christmas I had a call from guide dogs. The one I havd been waiting for for over a year.
“We think we have a match for you”
Excitment, hope, fear and absolute dread were some of the emotions that were stirred up. An appointment was made and Fizz was due to come out to meet me with Jo the GDMI (guide dog mobility instructor)
Fabulius Fizz……
A beautiful black lab, crossed with a golden retriever…. With the shiniest smoothest coat I have ever known.
She is a speedy little lady, that took my breathe away for the first five minutes of our matching walk, but actually, she wasn’t walking any faster than I used to walk with Vicky five year as ago. She was very easy to handle and we seemed to soon find a pace that worked well. She was a little cheeky, paying too much attention to the area where we walked (but only as it was all new to her)
Jo walked behind us with a second lead so that she could take control of needed, but after 15 minutes she removed it, she kept us walking for a further 15 minutes.
Jo thought we were a good match. Fizz is currently boarding (a foster home for guide dogs) with a family that are manic and the children are around the same age as my pair, she has settled well there having previously worked for a short time with a partner that decided for whatever reason, they didn’t wish to continue with Fizz.
Eek….. I felt the walk went really well, but was on tender hooks waiting for Jo to tell me what she thought.
Then it came….
“I think you worked beautifully together, if you agree (as I get to give my opinion too) I think this is the match for you and we should look at training dates and what the girls (Vicky & Fizz) think of each other”
So, a second meeting was arranged. Where Vicky met Fizz up the road, they had a good ‘doggy’ sniff of each other. Then Jo followed us home.
The girls got on like a house on fire. They had a good romp around with school other. Fizz took out each toy and several bones from the toy box, which Vicky didn’t bother with. After this they both calmed down and laid together on the rug without a fuss.
So….. We are to train together, from home, not in a group class.
And we are due to start on Monday 19th January.
This is when Vicky will return her harness and be able to rest her paws and enjoy her time to stay home.
Which having worked with her over the Christmas period and since doing the walk with Fizz, I have realised just how much she has slowed and just how much she has had enough now.
So, in just over one week…… LET THE FUN BEGIN !!!
