I Gotta dog, (nearly)

[tiddy ogg]

A year ago my old guide dog (leader dog) died, and I was in a bad physical way anyway, my injuries from an old accident after many years starting to make themselves known.
Had hip replacement, and applied for new dog. They seemed to be trying to delay things... wait until you're fit then contact us again. But eventually:
A couple of weeks ago, woman from guide dog association came out, saw me walking with long cane, said she was happy for me to do that, but would see about dog alternative, but that I was a low priority.
Tuesday. Area manager came out, took a lot of details, pretended to be dog and led me round the roads.
Wednesday: Came out again with dog. I walked the beast up the road and back, to be told that my follwing skills were poor, my anticipation was poor, my balance was poor, my ability to walk a tstraight line was non-existent, but as my long cane walking was even more useless I'd be put on the waiting list in the top priority group, but due to the special requirements of my lack of balance etc it would need a special dog and could be 12-18 months.
Thursday, (today) He came out again with the same dog, which my wife says is the ugliest dog she's ever seen,) and we went on a longer walk. I tripped over and probably would have fallen had it not been for him catching me.
We get home, and he starts on again about special requirements, that I need a robust dog that can correct my erratic wanderings, that I need a dog not easily distracted, a country dog, not like the town dog that is ugly bug Barber, says he'll come again tomorrow with the same dog, then on Saturday bring more paperwork, essential dog equipment, that I can have the mutt to stay with me until the following Wednesday, whereupon I start training with it!

Talk about shock and awe, my flabber has never been so ghasted.
Was getting the negative vibes all the way through until then.
So unless I push it under a truck tomorrow, I gotta dog!!
Even if it is the ugliest one in the world. (But it is cute, anyway.)

[the_antisocial_hermit]

Congrats. Sounds like a good doggy.

[Racetyme]

Thats great actually! I had no idea it was so hard to get a dog, you'd think they would make that sort of thing easier, because its so necessary.

[Pie]

Your blind?

[tiddy ogg]

It's no good putting any old dog with a partner. It all depends on your environment, (does the dog mind 10 ton trucks roaring past, if that's where you walk, or is it distracted by little fluffy lambs wandering around,) how fast you walk, how tall you are etc. Once you're matched, if it don't work out it's failure all round.
Actually I tried my best to blow it this time...
"Any preferences?"
"Preferably a yellow one as there's more chance of me managing to see it and not walk over it at home."
"Would you accept a second-hand dog? One that had been out before."
"I'd prefer not, if you only have 2 or 3 years with it, it's a hell of a wrench changing again, and then having to re-train."

So what do I get: a black dog, cross between curly coat retriever and lab, which had been out before for 6 months with a man who died suddenly. (Not, I hope, because the dog pushed him under a bus.)
Now it's just a few weeks of work teaching him the routes.
*very happy*

[hEarty]

That is very good to hear! I am sure that it will all work out just great for you!

[kinvoya]

Whoo hoo! Yay for your new dog! I wish I could have a dog where I live.

What are the routes like where you live in the country? Is it like, long lanes leading to the village or do you live in the village?

[tiddy ogg]

Up to the shops is a busy road, but I can go on a circular trip taking in the edge of the New Forest, (I'll explain that to Merkins if necessary, it's New because it's only 940 years old.)
So the dog doesn't have to be traffic-shy, nor distracted by other dogs, horses etc.
He's a big solid brute, just like the wife... Hush don't tell her.

[kinvoya]

Hey! We have really old trees, too! The oldest in the friggin world (I think)...and big, really big trees that we cut down to build backyard fences. So there!

Isn't a merkin a pubic wig? ARE YOU CALLING MY COUNTRY A PUBIC WIG you moon language speaking foreigner!!!??? Sit tight, I'm calling Bush right now and we should be invading soon.

You know I'm teasing you, right?

[N-Aldwitch]

Mind if I ask what caused the blindness Tiddy Ogg? Is it severe? You must have a little bit of sight to see Cantr, right?? That'd suck otherwise!!! (hehe just guessing what people say!! fun! "you want me to execute the prisoner? ok. oops, that WAS the town leader!")

[SekoETC]

Have you never heard of screen readers? I once heard that there's at least one Cantr player who uses one, I assumed it might be tiddy ogg. Is this the case?

[tiddy ogg]

I don't think I'm the only blind player. But N-altwich, text-to-speech software plus a lot of extra bits makes Cantr accessible... except for sailing, and I cheat there by getting my wife to look at the maps every so often.
The Cantr programmers have done exactly the right thing with the alt text descriptions of graphics.

[west]

Isn't a merkin a pubic wig?

sit tight, I'm calling Bush right now and we should be invading soon.

You mean you're calling Merkin.

[deadboy]

Congrats on the new dog Tiddly and congrats to cantr for being a blind people friendly game, I can't say I was really aware there were any

[N-Aldwitch]

Tiddy, I see why you must hate Pie, with his poor spelling... lol, I remember using a text-to-speech once, and it hated misspellings..