[Cagdu] Fw: in tribute

Sat Aug 18 13:18:36 PDT 2007

Gulliver's in good health now, but he's starting to have trouble with his
hind quarters.  I just don't want to work him until he's in so much pain
that he can't work any more.  So he's going to a family friend where I can
see him every once in a while.  I've seen guides worked literally until they
die-- and there's that question: "Ken do you think that if I'd given my dog
this or that supplement, do you think I could have worked her for a couple
more days"?  I'm really ambivalent about this.  That's why I wrote the
tribute.  Writing this makes me sad just like I was when I realized that
Gulliver was ten and not nine. I gotta go.   Ken
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <ecwogan at aol.com>
To: <cagdu at nfbcal.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 12:17 PM
Subject: Re: [Cagdu] Fw: in tribute

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