Bristol's Legacy

It is difficult to believe that it has been three years ago today that my beloved first guide dog Bristol died from cancer. That time in my life was one of the hardest. Upon reflection, there were also a lot of good moments.

 

Bristol touched the lives of almost everyone he encountered. It was only after his death that I truly understood the magnitude of Bristol’s presence in the lives of everyone he met. Everyone loved Bristol. Bristol helped give my sister the inspiration to get her guide dog Beacon. He comforted people by simply walking into a room. His goofy facial expressions and personality made almost everyone he met smile.  

 

I am calling this post “Bristol’s Legacy”. Bristol’s work continues three years later. He gave me my first experience of freedom in April of 2006. Through Bristol, I learned that I could navigate the world independently. He taught me to trust. He was everything to me.

 

I was devastated when I found out he was dying. He died with dignity. During the last month of his life, he was able to do many of the things he loved most. He was able to be a guide dog. He visited many of his countless friends.  On the last day of his life, he played fetch with my dad. Playing with a tennis ball was one of his favorite things to do.

 

Bristol gave me so much during our five years together. Even in his death, he gave me a remarkable gift. It was through his death that I got to know my best friend Jill. I credit Bristol with how quickly we became such close friends.  Bristol’s final gift to me is still an integral part of my life today.

 

Bristol brought my family together. My family banded together to cope with Bristol’s cancer and eventual death.

 

As many people know, Bristol was an awesome dog. I want to thank everyone who helped train him over the years. The trainers at Southeastern Guide dog did a wonderful job with him. I want to thank his puppy raisers, Carolyn and John. They dedicated two years of their lives to raising him from a puppy to a confident two-year-old guide dog to be. Without their hard work, the trainers would not have been able to hand me a wonderfully behaved and superb guide dog.

 

I still miss Bristol. I will always miss him. He was my first guide dog.  It was through my wonderful experience with Bristol that I had the courage to get my second guide dog Diesel. Bristol’s legacy is Diesel. Diesel continues what Bristol began. Diesel and I have a great working relationship thanks to all that Bristol taught me over the five years I had him.

Interactions with guide dogs

Over the years, people have had various reactions when seeing my guide dog. I want to take the time to tell readers about the best ways to interact with a guide dog handler.

 

Guide dogs are not in public places to entertain people. They have a special mission. The guide dog helps a blind or visually impaired person navigate independently. How the public responds to a guide dog team can either help or hinder them.

 

Guide dogs are supposed to be ignored when they are working. This is not to be mean to people, or the dog. It is for the safety for both the handler and the dog. If a guide dog is distracted by another person, he or she may lose focus and the handler and/or dog could be injured. People may ask if they can pet the dog. Each guide dog handler responds differently. Some are strict while others are more lenient. Please do not be offended if you are told that it is better if you do not pet the dog. The decision has nothing to do with you.

 

As for me, it depends on the situation I am in if I allow my guide dog to interact with people. I do allow people to pet my dog in some situations.

 

Another thing that frequently happens to me is that people will address the dog before speaking to me. Some people do not even acknowledge my presence. Keep in mind, the dog would not be in front of you if the handler was not there. So please acknowledge the owner and ignore the dog. As already stated above, if asked the owner may allow you to pet his or her dog. Please do not assume that it is okay to address the dog by name or reach down and pat the dog on the head.

 

Many guide dogs are affectionate. My guide dog is very loving. He receives plenty of attention while out of harness. While in harness, the dog still receives attention and praise from the owner. The dog loves to help the handler so please be courteous and help the dog successfully guide the owner.

In upcoming posts, I will write about other questions that I receive about working with a guide dog. If you have a question about guide dogs, feel free to comment on this post, or any future posts.

Two Years Later

Wow! Has it been nearly two years since I last wrote on my blog. A lot has happened in those two years. My relationship with Diesel continues to improve. He is now a wonderful guide dog and comical companion.

In May of 2013, I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in philosophy. In the fall of 2013, I entered the Master’s program in social work (MSW). I am currently a year into a two year program.

I will use this blog to tell stories about my journey with Diesel. I will also share my experiences in the master’s program and any other interesting life experiences.

Diesel: The Dog Who Continues My Independence

A year ago today, I flew home with Diesel, my new and very energetic second guide dog. At that time Diesel and I were still trying to figure each other out. One thing I knew for certain was that life with Diesel was not going to be dull. And I have been right about that.

Diesel was only eighteen months when I received him from Pilot Dogs. When he was first given to me, he was very difficult to handle. He did not know who I was and as a result acted like a wild animal. Thankfully, a lot of his out of control behavior diminished some after a few days of being together.

Once we got home last summer, we immediately had to begin working on my college campus. A new dog and a difficult path to a class meant that I had a difficult and interesting few weeks.

The biggest challenge however, was not the new school year, but adjusting to Diesel. He is so different than my first guide dog. Bristol was so calm. Diesel has a lot more energy and has a tendency to get over-excited. But with time, some of that over exuberant behavior has calmed down.

A year later I am beginning to enjoy working with him. The bond was slow to come this time. I know that part of that stems from losing Bristol so suddenly. I didn’t have time to grieve before I had to begin training with Diesel. My heart was not in it at first.

In fact, I questioned last summer whether I was ready for another dog. But I knew that without a dog, my life would be more difficult. A guide dog gives me so much more freedom than a cane does. My friend Jill has helped me to understand that I have to think of the positive aspects. Yes, I will inevitably have to go through another devastating loss. I hope that that is years from now. The reward of having a guide dog is stronger than the painful loss though. I know that throughout my life, I will have many dogs to keep my life interesting and fun.

So how has Diesel changed in the last year? As I’ve already said, he is calmer. When I first came home with him, I couldn’t touch him without him going crazy with excitement. Today I am able to sit down beside him and pet him without being jumped on. He has also become more loving. At first his excitement level prevented much affection between us. Now I can reach down and hug him.

One thing that has not changed, and I’m glad it hasn’t, is his fun personality. Ever heard of the class clown? That is Diesel wherever he goes!

The last year with Diesel has certainly been a fun one. We both have changed in so many ways. I hope to have many more anniversaries with Diesel on August twelfth.

Life After Bristol

This time a year ago, I was in Columbus, Ohio receiving my second guide dog. I was still reeling from the sudden death of Bristol from cancer. But as I quickly had to realize, life had to go on.

Even in the midst of grief, I was happy to have a new guide dog. Last summer, I wasn’t even sure if I would have a dog in time to start school again. I had a lot of feelings of hopelessness last summer as I waited for news about a new dog. My friend Jill insisted that I would know that I had a dog by her birthday which is on August twelfth. She was more than right.

I not only had a dog by her birthday, but I was flying home with him to begin our lives together. My guide dog’s name is Diesel. He is an energetic black Labrador Retriever. Life with Diesel is certainly been interesting so far.

It has been a year since I last posted to my blog. A lot has happened since then. I will be sharing with you all that has happened since the loss of Bristol. I still miss him. The pain is still very much at the surface, but I also have a lot of things that bring me happiness.

In his final days, Bristol gave me a gift. It was through his illness that I gained an incredible friend. Jill and I knew each other before his cancer diagnosis, but it was as I struggled to cope with the diagnosis and the inevitable loss of Bristol that Jill became more than a friend to me. Jill was with me through all of last summer and is still one of my closest friends. She is more than a friend to me. She is like a second mother to me. I have a connection with Jill that I do not have with anyone else. She will be mentioned frequently as I recount all of the events that have occurred in the last year.

The loss of Bristol

On July sixteenth, 2011, I had to say goodbye to my beloved guide dog and faithful companion Bristol. After his cancer diagnosis in early June, his health rapidly declined. His vet had told us that the cancer was aggressive and he was in the advanced stages of the cancer. His nose bleeds kept getting worse and more frequent. We had to make the difficult decision to let him go on July fifteenth when we could not get the bleeding to stop. The next morning I had to hug my best friend for the last time as I told him goodbye and that I loved him.

We were not sure how much time we had left with him. I enjoyed every moment I had with him during his last month of life. He was well enough at first to visit his many friends. In five years, Bristol made many friends. He will be dearly missed by all of them.

Even at the end of his life, he continued to do what he did best. That is he touched everyone that he came in contact with. For instance, he made a new friend when my mother and I started going to a gym. One of the staff members got to know and love Bristol. He almost instantly won Jenny’s heart. Everytime he walked into the gym, his tail would start wagging and he would drag me over to see her. In a way, she kept him going in his last few weeks of life. Going to visit her was one of the highlights of his day! Thank you Jenny for being a part of his final weeks and making his last weeks fun!

As much as I miss Bristol, it is time for me to move on to my new adventure with a new guide dog. I leave this Sunday to meet my new guide dog.

I will always love Bristol. He will always hold a special place in my heart. He was my first guide dog. Bristol showed me that I can have a full and active life even though I can’t see. I will always be grateful to him for the gift of independence that he gave me.

Bristol: 12/29/03 to 7/16/11

Sad News About Bristol

I have known for quite some time now that Bristol would soon be retiring. However, I wish it did not have to happen the way it did. Bristol is now in a medical retirement.

A few weeks ago, Bristol got a nose bleed. Neither my parents nor I could figure out what caused it. I took him to the vet and on his x-rays, there appeared to be what looked like a small metallic object in his nasal cavities. The vet scoped his nasal cavities and on a second x-ray, there was nothing there.

I wish I could say that this is the end of the story, but sadly it is not. The vet sent off tissues taken from the scoping to be tested to be sure that nothing else was going on. A week later, I got some devastating news. Bristol has cancer.

He has spindle Cell sarcoma which is a connective tissue cancer. He also has osteo sarcoma which is a bone cancer. At this stage in the cancer, there is not much we can do. Radiation is an option, but it would not cure him.

So I have made the decision to allow Bristol to live out the remainder of his life as comfortable as possible. He is now living with my parents.

Even though it is not the retirement for Bristol that any of us wanted, we are trying to enjoy him. I am taking him to have fun with all of his many friends to have fun. Everyone who knows him is having fun spoiling him.

We are taking it day by day with Bristol. We do not know how long he has left. The vet said it could be tomorrow or it could be a year. It really depends on how he is doing. For now, he is still doing okay. We have to keep him cool and calm to prevent nose bleeds. We have medication that we can give him to help with the nose bleeds.

I am trying to cope with his cancer diagnosis and with not having a new guide dog. I am back to using the cane which is a constant struggle for me. I feel as though I have lost most of my independence. I am not sure when I will get a new dog. I am hoping to have a new dog by the beginning of my fall semester. If I don’t, I’m not sure what is going to happen.