What I wish I knew before getting a Guide Dog

Before applying for Eve I remember asking my friends who had guide dogs many questions, but the one question I regret not asking them was “What do you wish you knew before getting a guide dog?” If someone asked me the following question here are the things I would tell them: 

When doing your home interview walk as close to your normal walking speed with both your cane and Juno: It is important to walk as close to your normal walking speed as possible both with your cane and Juno, as this is an important factor that the training team will consider when looking at matching a dog to you. 

Before going into class you might have cold feet, just know that’s normal: I remember before going into class having this feeling of Is this really happening? and Am I doing this for the right reasons? I remember sharing these feelings with @shelbi_nichole, @livingblindly, and @seyoon.c_, as I shared these feelings they reminded me that these feelings were completely normal. The one word of advice I can give you is take time for yourself before going into class, whatever that looks like for you. For me that meant having a spa day with a few of my closest friends before going into class. By doing this it really helped me get my mind off of what was to come, while giving me the selfcare I needed.   

Lindsay getting her hair done before attending guide dog school.

You may gain weight while in class from all of the good food, but do not worry you will most likely lose it once you get home from all of the walking: I remember while being in class I might have gained ten pounds, but after the first few months of being home I remember losing that weight from all of the walking I was doing. All I can say is attribute the weight gain to all of the good food you will eat while in class. 

They may test you: In the first few months coming home your guide dog may test you to figure out what they could get away with. For me, Eve would test me by stopping randomly, but with positive encouragement and obedience I am always able to get her going again. 

It is quite an upper body workout: You may find early in your training that your upper body may hurt in places that you may not have before. For me this ment my neck, left arm, left elbow and shoulder. Going into class I expected my left arm to hurt at my shoulder and elbow, as I don’t have full use of my left arm and hand, so moving my arm in ways I never had was going to take some adjusting. What I did not expect was neck pain. You see, as someone with remaining vision, before getting Eve I did not realize how much time I spent looking down not to trip on cracks or other hazards. When getting Eve, she has given me the ability to hold my head higher and look forward, as a result, my neck would hurt from being in the wrong position for so long. 

They may not choose the path you would with your White cane: In some cases guide dogs may not choose the path you would with your white cane to get to a destination. For example, on a number of occasions while I was working at CSULB Eve would choose not to go down the stairs, as there were large crowds of people coming up and down these staircases, instead she would choose less traveled paths like a down hill grass path because in her mind we could get to a given destination faster this way.

Although you have a guide dog it’s important to keep up your cane skills, as you never know when you will need them. I remember the first time picking up my cane after coming home with Eve to run a short errand and remember thinking “how do I cross this parking lot?” I share this story to say even though you have a guide dog it’s important to keep up your cane skills because you never know when you will need them. There may come a time that you go somewhere that your guide dog may not be able to come with you, requiring you to use your cane. 

The ignorance of the public: On occasions I will get questions from the public that either do not make sense or show the person’s lack of knowledge. Some of the ignorant questions that I have often gotten are: 

Q: “What do we do if your dog has an accident in the office?” 

A: “I would clean it up.” For the record, this has not happened, as I take her out on a regular basis. 

Q: “Can you call your training team because you are struggling with stairs.” 

A: “ I am struggling with stairs because there are 40,000 people around us and she is seeing all of them as an obstacle, especially if they are glued to their phones and not paying attention to where they are walking.”  

Q: “We are struggling to get therapy dogs to help students, can she step in and assist our students?”

A: “Absolutely not, a therapy dog is there to provide comfort and does not require $50,000 to perform their task like a guide dog does. If I allowed this it could jeopardize the independence, I have built for myself.” 

You may have points where you question if this lifestyle is for you: There might be points early in your partnership where you might think that you can get somewhere quicker with your cane or you might be dealing with a strange behavior. Just be patient with yourself and know with time it will and does get better. 

Lindsay standing in front of a colorful question mark made with light up sticks.

The image of the question mark was taken at the Houston Color Factory just before the National Federation of the Blind’s 2023 Convention was to take place. This question mark symbolizes everything I was feeling in the moment, as there was a lot of uncertainty I was feeling to embark on the next chapter in my life once this convention ended.