[Cagdu] Fw: in tribute

[ecwogan at aol.com]

Ken,
Why are you retiring  Gulliver?
Leaner


-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Volonte <kenvolonte at comcast.net>
To: Cagdu <cagdu at nfbcal.org>
Sent: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 8:41 pm
Subject: [Cagdu] Fw: in tribute











 
----- Original Message -----
From: Pamela
Caryl
To: Ken Volonte
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2007 7:53 AM
Subject: Re: in tribute

Oh,
Ken!!!!!!

Ken Volonte <kenvolonte at comcast.net>
wrote:




  It was a fast switch from my old guide Roydy to
   Gulliver; just a short Juno walk to determine my pace, and then I was 
ushered
  into the instructors' office where I met Gulliver.
   
      The first thing I noticed
  about him was how slim he was.  Roydy had weighed 84 pounds. 
  Gulliver was ten pounds lighter.  He was 25 inches at the shoulder. 

   
      Then I noticed his head. 
  It was a great broad head with a huge face.  Immediately I started
  scratching his ear, he licked me with the tip of his tongue.  When I
   didn't correct him, he licked me with a long slow stroke that covered 
half my
  face.  This was going to be like living with Dino. 
   
      As if to emphasize his size,
   he gave a raspy snarl and held my hand in his big mouth for just half 
a
  second.  My hand was covered with dog slobber. 
   
      After that intro, all bets
   were off.  Gulliver licked me and climbed on me much to the 
embarrassment
  of Kathie Pits my instructor.  "He's very friendly", and indeed he
  was. 
   
      He was also very cautious with
   a slower pace than I was used to.  He was so cautious that I didn't 
think
   he could take the busy crossing at Pacific and Alpine.  This was 
where
  many of my dogs had washed out. 
   
      The day before graduation,
   Todd and I drove back to Stockton just to see how Gulliver would 
react. 
   He paused only a second before crossing without a hitch.  He'd work 
out
  just fine. 
   
      Gulliver was very forgiving of
   my mistakes and hard on himself when he would let his attention 
wander. 
   Perhaps it took him a while to realize that I really was blind and 
not some
  impostor wearing sleep shades.  Dogs can tell.  Soon enough, people
  would see me all over town. 
   
      It was during this initial
   bonding period that I had to relearn something that all guide dog 
users
  need to know. It does not do to believe the yells of a public who
   will comment on every street crossing.  They will say the most 
terrible
  things in their efforts to be helpful.  "That dog's no good.  He
   needs to be trained", or in the next block, "That dog took you right 
through
  that construction.  He's amazing!" 
   
      I felt safe with
  Gulliver, not only because of his caution, but because of his
  protectiveness.  I think he saved me from being mugged once or
  twice. 
   
      We knew Stockton by day and
   night.  We knew where all the best waitresses were, the ones that 
would
   give Gulliver something special brought from home.  They would always 
say
  the same thing: "I know I'm not supposed to, but he's just so
  cute". 
   
      Cute wasn't the half of
  it.  In addition to his talents as a guide dog, Gulliver could act. 
   He had big sad eyes that could pierce even the most resolute heart.  
He
   accentuated his sad look with trembling, slobbering and stomach 
gurgling
   noises.  I can't swear to this, but I think he could make himself 
look
  skinnier. He's a yellow Lab.  What can I say. 
   
      Now it's time for Gulliver to
  retire.  He's ten and a half and it's getting hard for him to climb
  stairs and he doesn't do those dolphin leaps the way he used to. 

   
      Through the years, he's guided
   me and been in every sort of conveyance you could imagine.  We've 
even
  marched with the National Federation of the Blind in Atlanta this
  summer.  Indeed!  We were the first ones back to the hotel.  It
  makes me wonder why I'm retiring him. 
   
      I'll miss him; but he's going
  where there is a little Jack Russell Terrier named Bella.  She'll
   keep him young, and his replacement will keep me young.  Maybe that's 
why
  I use a guide dog.     




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