The EE Mission

I've been reading, "Roadside Crosses" by Jeffrey Deaver. In typical Deaver fashion, it's given a good education, as well as a good mystery.

In "Crosses", a body language expert is attempting to solve a mystery where roadside crosses are left at sites BEFORE a death. Therefore, the accidents aren't accidents. Yet, there's so much more to the story, including cyber bullying, blogs and flaming wars.

One element of the story is a blog that is at the tipping point of getting international acclaim. While the body language expert interviews the blogger, she sees how important the noteriety is to him. One of her detectives has also given her a lesson in the psychology of bloggers; that many are ego driven wannabe journalists who want to be respected for their opinions and viewpoints.

First off, EVERYONE wants their opinion and viewpoint respected. I may have to beg to differ a bit with the idea of bloggers as wannabe journalists. Still, I see that point.

One other thing that, unbeknownst to this blogger, is that bloggers want other blogs to link to theirs, thereby boosting their legitimacy. Fair enough. It's a popularity contest, not that unlike having loads of friends on Facebook.

For this blogger of the last five years, if I were to fall into the mold of other bloggers, I should probably make more ado about Engel's Ensights. Yet? I've not taken great pains to promote it. My thoughts? If people like my point of view and writing style, they'll seek it out. I don't want to be known as a big time blogger as much as a big time speaker and author. And author of books, not blogs.

I guess that goes back to the mission statement of this blog: it's an extension of my monthly newsletter, also known as Engel's Ensights. And the point of that? To provide a motivational story or insights that help readers find hope and goodness in their own lives. Hopefully, those small realizations will help to improve the lives of those reading my schtuff.

Bonds Don't Have Anything To Do With Jail

From as early as I can remember, my aunt and uncle gave we kids savings bonds for Christmas. I was well into my teens before I got the concept that they'd paid about half the face value for these things. Then, if I held onto them for several years, they'd be worth the face value. And, if I continued to sit on them for a few years, they'd be worth even more.

Then, when I was 16, as was their tradition, my grandparents gave me a certificate of deposit. Every month, I'd get a statement through the mail showing that my CD had increased a little bit. My parents also got these, but they got something I didn't: these slick glossy magazine-like things from companies about share holdings and stocks. I didn't really know what they were, but I knew it had to do with money they'd invested.

Yesterday, I was sitting around with one of my buddies who is in his mid-40s. The subject of retirement came up and, while neither of us is ready to get the proverbial gold watch, we both know a person can't necessarily work forever. Therefore, a person should save for the future when they can't work. While I've set aside money in investments for my retirement and future, my friend has not.

"When I was growing up, all my folks told me was, 'Don't get arrested.' I've never learned anything about what I should be doing for my future or rainy days."

To me, my idea of bonds was the future. To him, bonds were what you got if you got in trouble with the law. My friend is a law abiding citizen, but with such a meager bit of advice, it's a wonder he hasn't ended up behind bars.

I am very, very lucky to have had such quality adult advisement from an early age. My friend? Not to say his family didn't love him, but the day to day survival was all that was on their radar.

Are parents to blame if a kid goes broke? Not by a long shot, but those of us who got good advisement from a young age are a lot more likely to end up sitting pretty down the line. I'm also very blessed to have had people who gave me a little money to see how it's done.

It just showed me a world I didn't grow up in. It's a world I want to be more compassionate towards, too. And it shows me what I want to instill in the minds of my stepkids, too.

What about you? Were you lucky like me? Or was your youthful advice just to stay out of trouble? In my world, the idea of breaking the law was so foreign that it never probably crossed my parents' minds to warn me about arrest...but instead, to show me how to live an upstanding, proper life which would result in security for the future. I am very, very lucky...and when I hear tales from "the other side", it makes me want to share what knowledge I have with others.

Garrett Is Mine

One of my Facebook friends is also a guide dog user, though from a different guide dog school. I'm not even sure which one, but, according to her status this morning, I know it's not the Seeing Eye. In her status, she was ecstatic about how the paperwork for her dog has finally come through and her dog now is officially hers. I don't know all the specifics of this school's process, but she's now had her dog for two years.

As you can imagine, she's excited and that shows through. I'm excited for her, too. So, I looked through her comments and saw that another one of her friends left a derogatory message about the difference in guide dog schools. Some people get all up in arms about their school; reflecting back to the days of gang wars over turf and colors. Me? I'm very much of the mindset: do whatever works best for you.

Having said that, I thought the summation of this friend's comment was a little slanted. So, now I respond and give some info:

One reason I love The Seeing Eye is because, as soon as I get on the plane to come home, my dog is officially mine. Many schools have a partial ownership between the school and the dog handler. Then, if anything goes wrong during that partial ownership time, the school can replace the dog with another, retire the dog, provide additional training, etc. Where the Seeing Eye differs is that if there's any question of retirement or replacement, that choice is up to me, the handler. I mean that choice is solely up to me. The Seeing Eye always stands at the ready to offer guidance, assistance, advice, additional training and eval, but the final choice is up to me.

I personally consider this a huge sign of respect to Seeing Eye graduates. However, as the friend of a friend's comment stated, he/she considers this being thrown to the wolves. In the 15 plus years of handling a Seeing Eye dog, I have never once felt like I didn't have all the power of the Seeing Eye in support of me and my choices. They are simply a phone call away. If I need, a trainer will jump on a plane to come to my home and work with me. If I need advice on a troubling situation, they're there at the end of the 800 number. The friend of a friend's comment made it sound as though The Eye says, "See ya in 10 years" and never follows up with the handler. Not true, not true.

To have that support and those resources gives me some peace of mind like I can't describe. Never, ever do I feel alone in working with my dog. Garrett is officially mine, but that ownership is tied closely with as much or as little support as I choose. And what I choose will, of course, be up to me and me alone. This kind of respect for individuality is what will keep me coming back to the Seeing Eye as long as I'm able.

Christmas Chairity...Incognito!

This is one of my fav times of year, mainly because we get to see the public at it's best. Now, if you've just come from the busiest shopping day of the year and mile long lines at Wally World, you may not have witnessed the best of folks. But, just look through some of the headlines and you may find a different story.

Lately, I've been skimming articles about something that makes me very, very happy: chairitable giving. Anonymous chairitable giving. Mainly in the form of donations into Salvation Army bell ringer buckets. Every year, the Salvation Army finds a great deal of gold coins, luxury watches, wads of bills, etc. I just find this cool! The donor isn't looking for accolades, but just wants to give for the sake of giving. They're not getting the tax write off, they're not getting congrats and compliments, really nothing more than the "God bless you" of the bell ringer.

The best kind of chairity is anonymous. Then, no one can second guess motivations of the donor. At this time of year, what can you do, strictly for the joy of giving? Anything you can drop in the bucket that's more than your spare change? Whatever you do, your true desire to give should be noted...by you and only you.

Bringing The G Dog Hoe

Well, now that we've been home to Orlando for over 24 hours, I think I can safely say Garrett is settling in well. Let us return to the thrilling days of, well, yesterday morning, to a far away place called Newark Airport. Joy, one of the trainers for our Seeing Eye class, gave us a lift to the airport. All the way, Garrett had his big, yellow lab head laying in my lap; an action Joy called, "mushy." Pretty appropo.

At Newark, we were on a completely full flight. Never ideal. Still, Garrett curled up at my feet and seemed to take the flight quite well. Only when we were on approach to Orlando did he get up and look around. Even that seemed more like curiousity than discomfort. On the ground in Orlado, he walked off the plane like he owned it and, there at the top of the ramp was Marvelyne (and man, it was good to hug her for the first time in three weeks.)

To keep from getting Garrett any more stressed out than necessary, we went sighted guide through MCO. Garrett on leash in my left hand, my right on the small of Marvelyne's back.

Once home, we went to some neutral territory out on the sidewalk to intro Garrett to my stepdaughter's dog. Smooches is a little schnauzerpoo and wasn't quite sure what to think of Garrett. Still, no aggression or feather ruffling on either of ther parts. After park time, Garrett got to sniff his way around the house. He seems to find the front door quite interesting. Not sure if it's the cut glass, the view into the front yard, just where he entered the house OR b/c it's where his harness hangs.
After sniffing around the house and relaxing for a bit, we went to one of our fav local restaurants. Apparently, Garrett likes Mexican crumbs. He really did fine, but laying down onto a floor where folks have been dropping their crumbs is, in a word, heaven (for Garrett, not me.)

This afternoon, we took about a mile long walk around our neighborhood. I want to be sure Garrett isn't being challenged here at first, but can do routes that build his confidence in his work and with me at the other end of the harness handle. This seems like a perfect route to accomplish just that.

Now that we're home, I'll still give some frequent updates on Garrett. Yet, the focus of Engel's Ensights will return to what it was prior to dog training; thought provoking inspirational and motivational tidbits from the life of yours truly.

NYC and Beyond!

The last couple days have been really busy, as evidenced by the fact I haven't blogged in a while. Here's a quick re-cap...

Mall work: A mall food court probably offers the most distraction for a Seeing Eye dog than anywhere else. A close second might be Petsmart. Anywho, we went to the food court to grab lunch and work the dogs through it to see how easily they'd distract on food debris. Just think of all the crap on the floor in the food court and, well, you get the picture.

As with most everything, Garrett did really well NOT distracting on the tasty morsels. He eyed a piece of chicken at one point, but didn't lunge for it. A good walk around the food court gave a lot of confidence for more realistic situations. I can't think the last time I actually ate in a mall food court (probably a airport mall somewhere), but knowing G-Dog won't be sniffing on leftover French fries while we walk along is a great thing.

Yesterday was kinda the capstone of Seeing Eye dog training: New York, New York. With some potential plans of relocating, this was especially helpful. Thanks to a major back up on the George Washington bridge, our training time in the city was reduced. Still, Garrett got to experience the Port Authority, the subways and a good walk up 8th Avenue. With holiday shoppers everywhere, NYC was a little more challenging than I anticipated. Yet again, Garrett took it like a champ!

A handful of classmates who live within a drive left today. Brings our group down to a total of about 14 souls. Most of the rest of us leave tomorrow, but a few are still here until Thursday. When I had my exit interview with Seeing Eye president, Jim Kutsch, the first question was: do you feel confident enough to return home? I like this. After all, our whole goal is to learn to handle a Seeing Eye dog with competence and confidence. Garrett's attentiveness to NYC and pretty much everything else gives a lot of assuredness that home will be no problem.

And home awaits! It's been just under three weeks since I arrived at The Eye. From then until now? 180 degree turnaround. Garrett is a fantastic dog and I think our life together is going to be even more fantastic than I'm currently thinking. So, without further ado, I've taken my suitcases out of the closet for Garrett to sniff. Later today, we'll start packing those and be ready to get outta Dodge!

Wallers to Maddi!

Today is my stepdaughter, Maddison's, 20th birthday. Just wanted to publically wish her a happy Bday! Love ya, Maddi!

Gettin' 'Er Done

Well, the last few days haven't been exciting activities, but they're certainly necessary. The mundane daily life things like revolving doors, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, etc. Feels like the old Larry the Cable Guy's phrase of "Get 'Er Done." It may not be glamorous, but it's part of life I need to accomplish.

Last evening, Garrett went on his first night route. We circled around the night life section of Morristown and Garrett did great! While the town was hoppin', due to the cold the sidewalks were practically bare. Even so, without an overabundance of obstacles, Garrett swung through tables, lightpoles, parking meters and around hedgerows to successfully show competence for night travel.

Night travel can present some interesting distractions for dogs, not the least of which is the simple fact it's harder to see. But, lighted storefront windows with mannequins, neon signs, etc. can be interesting and, in rare cases, frightening for a dog. Luckily, Garrett treats the night walk with the same caution as a regular daytime hike.

We also grabbed coffee at an organic and fair trade coffee house yesterday afternoon.As much of my life as is spent in restaurants, it was comforting to see Garrett lie down and (other than a little scrounging for crumbs) chill while we were having coffee. I think he'll be the kind of dog that can curl up under a table for hours and be happy.

Today, we'll do some "country work." This is simply a route where there are no sidewalks nor curbs. Since my neighborhood is still being built, there are large stretches of land where there are no sidewalks. Getting the G Man adept at country work is going to be key. I'll let ya know how it goes.

In A Living Painting

Ever seen the work of M.C. Escher? If so, you'll probably recall the geographical scenes, the combination of real and imaginary, and you might just feel like you're on an acid trip.

One Escher work I recall shows a room of staircases ascending and descending in different ways. Probably dozens of these non-sensical stairs lead to the same place: no where.

Well, that painting was what today was like. We visited the Morris County, NJ courthouse to do some training. Officially, it was to help us learn to navigate metal detectors. In reality, it was such an exercise in dog trust.

See, the courthouse is probably 100 plus years old. And like so many old buildings, it's been built onto time and time again. Throughout the courthouse, there are short flights of stairs leading practically everywhere. Or no where.

Following Garrett through this puzzle was one of the most difficult tasks to date. Walking down a hallway, there'd suddenly appear a flight of six steps leading to a different level of the courthouse. Combine that with the tons and ttons of people in the courthouse awaiting hearings and it made for some tough travel.

Still, taking on this challenge and watching Garrett do so well at it was such a confidence booster. The only real correction he needed throughout was for sniffing at a woman in the elevator. That's it. We probably spent 30 minutes going through this maze and the only bad point was a little sniff? I consider that a pretty darned good exercise.

The Panel

In addition to the Elm Street route today, I also sat on a panel discussion with two of my fellow students. The audience was comprised of orientation and mobility specialists in training. We were asked questions about working with a dog, the benefits and drawbacks, our experiences working out in the "real world" with our dogs, etc.

One thing I kept returning to was just how respectful the Seeing Eye is to we students/graduates. First, just in the treatment of each student as an individual. Second, in respect to our relationships with our dogs. Once we all leave training, our dogs are ours. Garrett is mine. Thus, when it's time for him to retire(hopefully a decade from now), it will be my choice where he'll go. I can keep him as a pet, I can give him to friends OR the Seeing Eye has a long list of those ready and willing to adopt retired dogs. To the best of my knowledge, The Seeing Eye is the only dog guide school in the country to give their students this choice and this level of respect. The others require the dog to be returned to the school where they'll be farmed out from there. I don't like this idea, so the Seeing Eye will always have my "business" and support.

Today was an especially Arctic day in Morristown. Real temp around freezing, but wind gusts as high as 25 mph. Still, we braved the elements and went out on route. Garrett had virtually no issues along the route and really seems to be a great worker. When he trots, I feel like he's really in the working zone and is doing his job well. Again, barricades that cross the sidewalk were present. In this case, Garrett has to walk me to the edge of the street, wait for his command to go into the street, then hug the street line until we're past the obstacle. Throw in the routine traffic checks, both planned and unplanned, and the planned and unplanned dog distractions and it can be a challenge. Yet, he did it with the grace I've come to expect from the G Man.

Tomorrow ends this route with another solo. After the morning solo session, we'll start free lance training, including airports, escalators, restaurants and, best of all, New York. I should have some great stories to share from NYC!

For 12 blocks, a Pee and a Sniff Aren't Bad

Yep, just finished doing the Elm Street route for the second time today. Garrett apparently had to pee at one stop, but other than that and sniffing at a passing stranger, he was thumbs up all the way around. All in all, I'm still impressed as to what a serious worker he is.

Real temp this morning at 5:30 park time was 28 and it hasn't gotten much past that. Is it ironic that my warmest hoodie advertises Florida? Maybe, maybe.

I only caught about half of today's traffic lecture due to a conference call, but from what I heard in the last few minutes, I'll be studying up on the multitude of lectures on mp3 that the Eye gives us. Having every lecture, handout and coupon in mp3 format is one of the awesome things about the program here. Before, it was 12 cassette tapes. Before that? Nothing, just use your memory. Now, with a couple of minutes to transfer the info, I had a reference library at my fingertips...and will for years to come.

We'll continue to do the Elm Street route tomorrow, complete with traffic checks, dog distractions and barricades, all of which G handled like a champ once again. The traffic check today was in the toyota Prius, so it was silent until it was right up on us. Garrett did his traffic check move by stopping mid-stream and taking a quick step back. Proud of that boy for how he does with traffic!

More soon...

The Wag

I know Garrett and I are still getting used to one another, but I've gotta say that his lack of tail wagging isn't something I'm used to. When he's playing or getting praise, he'll give wags, but in general, he seems pretty serious about his work.

While coming upstairs this morning after breakfast, I felt another dog's nose nudging the back of my leg...until I figured out it wasn't another dog, nor his nose, but Garrett wagging his tail while we ascended. It's the first time I've seen him wagging that tail while he's working. Hoping he begins to understand that we call guiding "work", but hopefully it's fun for the dog.

Since it's Sunday, it's a lazy day around here. No trips, no real hardcore training. Still, I want to get out and work Garrett, so we just hit the leisure path. Throughout the one third mile track, he kept his attention focused and appropriate. He also showed me back to the building with no hesitation whatsoever. All in all, a fine job once again!

The Solo

While Saturday is usually a lazy day around the Eye, we did end up doing some training in the form of (insert scary music) the solo. Now, this isn't nearly as crazy as it might sound. We've been working this route for the last two days, and our dogs were familiar with it before we ever started working together. Still, there's a bit of trepidation before being cut loose to figure out everything on one's own.

And, as I'd expect, Garrett did it like a champ! In 10 blocks, he did one snag of turning up into a parking area, but I quickly figured out the mistake, retraced our steps and got back on track. This isn't to mention the 9.9 blocks he did like a well seasoned vet of guiding.

It's kinda hard to believe that a week ago, we were all just arriving into Morristown. And that the dogs have only been with us for five days. Major strides made in that short time.

This afternoon nothing was scheduled, but we did take a swing around the leisure path; a .3 mile track with gazebos and winding walkways and windchimes every so often. It's a great place to stretch the ol' legs or to give the dogs some extra practice.

So far, the area where Garrett has impressed me the most is with dog distractions. He seems uninterested in playing with dogs, sniffing other dogs, any interaction with other dogs. This is strictly while in harness. Back at the Eye, he's eyeing up his fellow doggy classmates with a look of play. His ability to keep a clear vision for the route is going to be really beneficial back home. I really plan on keeping his socialization and behavoir to other dogs on a positive note once we're badck in Orlando.

Yep, He's Officially A Lab

So, if you know a lab, you know the powerful tail. I just finished a cup of coffee and Garrett whipped around, his tail hitting my coffee cup and sending it flying. Yep, he's officially a lab.

Afternoon walks went pretty well yesterday. Trainers will set up barracades with orange cones in the middle of the sidewalk. Garrett walked my knees into one and I stumbled a bit, but no injuries or anything. After correcting him and trying it again, he practically tiptoed through the barracade, showing he now gets it. One other little snag when we got too close to a pedestrian, but keep in mind he's a young dog, he's been mine less than four days and we're still getting used to one another. In a 10 plus block walk, I think having only two snags ain't too bad.

He's continually showing me more of his personality. My legs are the wickets and he's the croquet ball-this is about his favorite thing I've found so far. The tail is wagging more and he's eating and drinking fine.

Today is the same route and we'll solo it tomorrow. I'm quite sure with two practice sessions today, we'll be good to go. Plus, this morning is the lecture on a dog's senses. This is fascinating stuff; how a dog sees, their physiological make up compared to a human and how tyhat alters their perception of their environment. Perfect example is that dogs can't see incredibly well far out in front of them unless something is moving. But, their eyes are created to detect movement. Really interesting stuff like that. Will share more when I learn it.

Photo of Garrett

The G Man Cometh

Okay, little breakthroughs just keep coming! Garrett is doing a lot of little things to start to let his personality shine through. Before, he was sweet and docile, but he didn't react to much affection. Now, he's seeking it out. He'll use his paws and arms to bat my hands around, he'll roll over for belly rubs and that tail continues to keep wagging.

Yesterday afternoon, we started working on clicker training. This is a technique of opperent conditioning to get the dog to target to specific things; elevators, doors, etc. There's food involved and, Garrett being a lab, is one happy guy to work on clicker training. We're just ankle deep into it now, but I'll report more as we go along.

Today, it's bloody cold out. Bundling up now to go out to breakfast and then onto the training routes. More later...

Comin' Around

Before I get into Garrett's progress, I have to wish my lovely bride, Marvelyne, a very happy birthday. Babe, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me and I love you.

In addition to having the freedom to miss my wife's birthday for Seeing Eye dog training, I'm also blessed today by some cool breakthroughs. Garrett is starting to show more of his personality and, thanks to a large hunk of cotton, I'm getting to see it.

See, it's a miserable day in Morrisstown. Think Seattle but colder and with more wind. We were able to go out and take the Maple Street route with corrections and, with all the wind and rain, Garrett only needed one, maybe two corrections. With a 20 plus mph wind blowing rain on us, this is pretty darned good. Byut, the personality thing...

When we went out to park time at 5:30 in the a.m., it was raining. Not as bad as when we were on route, but still coming down. When we got back up to the room, I pulled out the doggy dry off towel and Garrett came out of his shell! Turns out, he absolutely loves getting dryed off. Back, legs, head, neck, belly, chest, he starts wagging and playing like a pup. As I was bent over toweling him off, he also thinks that's time to pretend he's a croquet ball and go through the wickets, er, my legs. He's been wagging a good bit more and I'm sure that'll continue. When we were just sitting in a lecture, he was sitting between my legs and, just for a couple seconds, turned up to look at me and ask for some head pats. First time he's really shown any affection with his head. He tends not to look at me very much, but this will most likely change as the bond continues to grow.

This afternoon, all routes have been cancelled. Just too bad of weather where traffic is hard to judge and rain so thick it's hard for the dogs to see. But, if the day ended now? It'd be on an up note for some cool breakthroughs happening today.