Shaman has passed the blindfold test !

Well, Shaman has passed the blindfold test. This was conducted in an area which was semi familiar and another area which was new to Shaman. He had to cross 5 busy streets, find a bus stop, ride up on the bus lift, and then when we got to our destination, ride the lift down and then we went into a restaurant to have lunch and celebrate the occasion. He was perfect! His new harness arrived the day after my birthday, 63 years young now! The burgundy color looks nice on his golden coat. I also got a new leash to match the harness. He is a wonderful dog and I love him very much! I hope we have a good partnership for many years as it took me 1 1/2 years to find the right dog and I do not want to repeat the process any time soon. I will continue to use Nala once in a while as she still hates to be left home, when she sees me going out with Shaman. I must keep her happy and this seems to work. I still have no pictures for this blog yet as Nick was unable to come today with his camera. May be next week end ???? I will continue to cronnicle Shaman's life as my guide dog from time to time here for any one who is interested. We still have some things to work on and the bond between us will grow as time goes on. I enjoy sharing this with people......To be continued.......

I am so proud of Shaman!

On July 2nd, we went to the bank and picked up my money. This time the bus had the new ramp, which I like much better then the lifts. Shaman led me right up into the bus and off we went to do some shopping. He was very good in all the stores we went into. We spent a lot of time in one shoe store as I had to try on so many shoes until I found a pair that fit my small but wide feet. The sales lady was very patient with me and I really appreciated that. She commented on how cute Shaman's shoes were and she said she was glad to see that I cared enough about my dogs feet to have shoes for him. It is so hot here in Arizona, that I would never leave home in the summer with out putting shoes on the dogs. I then went to Walmart to look at printers as mine nolonger works. I found a good one for a reasnoable price, that will work with my computer. Shaman was so good. He just sat down and waited until I was done looking at the printers. The salesman was impressed with him, as he was so calm and well behaved. I picked up a few more items and then we headed for home as it looked like it just might rain. It did rain as we waited for the bus, but we did not get wet as we waited under the roof at the bus station. By the time we got home, it had already rained there. I thought Shaman would be tired from working most of the day but he trotted home as if we had only been out for a short time. He has unlimmited energy. I am so proud of Shaman. I thought it would take longer to train him for guide work than it has. It was slow at first but once he realized what I wanted of him, he picked up on the training quite fast. He is doing so well for such a young dog. We still have a few things to work on but I think that it will not take long before he will be certified. By his trainer. To be continued..................

Shaman was outstanding to day!

I have decided that Shaman is ready to start going to all the places that I go. He is ready to be a guide dog.I took him on the bus by myself today. This bus had a short lift and I can't fit on the lift with the dog. I extended Shaman's leash and he went up the steps and stood waiting for me to come up on the lift. He was perfect! He loves to ride on the bus so he was good. I went to the doctor's office and he was again perfect. We had to cross 2 very busy main streets and he was perfect. No hesitation at all, and he waited for me to tell him when to cross . We walked through the Mall and stopped at the food court to have a snack. Shaman went under the table and stayed there while I ate my ice cream. When I was finished, I gave him some water and some doggie treats. I asked him to find the trash can and he took me to the closest one by the door. We took another walk around the Mall and I asked him to find the elevator. He heard the word elevator and perked up as he loves to ride the elevator. He found it quickly and up we went.Walked around the upper level and then left the Mall to go to the Bus station. I gave the forward command to cross the street,but he did not go forward. A car came around the corner and if he had gone on my command , we could have been hit as this car was speeding and went through the red light! I praised him and gave him some good pets and I big kiss. We then had to wait for the light to change again and this time he proceded on my command to go forward. We took the bus to the grocery store. While on the bus, a man stepped on Shaman and he yelped and then tucked his feet under neath himself. We picked up the few things I needed and then headed for home. I am so proud of him! He acted like he had beed a guide dog for years,instead of only a short time. I know he is going to be a wonderful guide for me......To be continued.....