[Cagdu] the kid's back!

[Ken Volonte]

Hi everybody.  Gulliver's been pressed into service again.  I have to get new stuff for him, as they only gave my friend Pam a cloth leash and leather collar.  We picked him up last night.

    On the way back home, I realized that I had a prescription waiting at Walgreens.  As I didn't have full regalia for Gulliver to properly guide, Velvet went into the store.  An hour went by and I started getting nervous.  This was late at night, and Walgreens wasn't in the best part of town.  

    Reluctantly, I harnessed Gulliver up and holding only the handle of one of those old harnesses with all the J links between the harness and the handle, Gulliver and I went into Walgreens.  His guide work was flawless, as he took me past the photo counter and directly to the pharmacy counter where Velvet was still sitting.  It was no wonder that people were having to wait so long.  There was only one person staffed to take care of a full compliment of druggies on a Friday night. 

    The reason I'm telling this story is to show that even with the odds against us, even with no guarantee of success, I had the confidence to trust this dog.  I knew that if at all possible, he'd get me where I needed to be.  

    Bryant couldn't have gotten me across that parking lot even in full leash and harness.  Something hit me last night.  I had tried all the things I knew to do with Bryant and nothing worked.  He was a great dog, but he wasn't a guide dog, at least not yet. 

    The school had done all they could to mold him into a guide in the shortest possible time, even to the point of injuring his throat so that he couldn't growl.  He could just hum with attitude. After all that, it broke my heart he couldn't guide.  It just broke my heart. 

    Well, it's off to Pet-smart now and then to breakfast.  Bye for now.      
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