[access-uk] Re: Doping a guide dog?
- From: "Peter Logue" <plsd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 10:12:12 -0000
Hi Jackie, Anthony Gordon and all.
Ernie is fine this morning. He was his very normal self when he woke up. I
still don't know if anyone in the bar gave him anything. I can only go by my
own sense of how he was acting and the opinions of my friends who insisted
that Ernie was just not as settled at my feet as usual. His manner through
the evening might have been down to his awareness that his master had been
hurt. Who knows. He wasn't scolded at all for the incident, but perhaps they
know. . Certainly one does lose confidence when an incident like this
occurs. I've never really felt 100% safe when it comes to doors and
corners and steps on my right hand side as Ernie tends not to give me enough
room. Last summer I was walking along Helensburgh waterfront, a one mile
walk I enjoy twice a week, when Ernie came up behind two old ladies. Well,
he skirted around them and took me too far to the right and caused me to
walk off the edge of the 7 foot promenade. Luckily this promenade has a 45
foot slope rather than a sheer drop, but it could have been quite bad if the
tide had been in. I don't know what happened at the station, whither Ernie
skirted a suitcase and took me off the edge or I got disoriented or a
combination of both. I certainly thought I was in the middle of the walk not
in fact heading for the edge of the platform. This is how accidents happen
though and probably no matter how hard I try, I'll always get disoriented
and lost a time or two. It might only be for three seconds, but that's all
it takes.
The main thing is there's no serious injury and Ernie is running in
circles.
Peter Logue
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Jackie Cairns
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 8:42 AM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Doping a guide dog?
Hi Peter
So sorry to hear about your fall and the problems you experienced with
Ernie.
I do hope your dog recovers, and that this experience hasn't affected your
confidence too much as it would understandably do after a fall like that.
Good luck.
Jackie
Email: cairnsplace@xxxxxxx
Skype Name: Cairnsplace
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Logue" <plsd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 11:35 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Doping a guide dog?
> Hi all,
> Today I was in Helensburgh where my wife and I had just bought another
> house. I had gone over the property, was quite pleased with the purchase
> and
> went to celebrate with a pint or two. My favourite bar is really quite
> nice
> and caters to all types. However they also cater to a great many sailors
> from navy boats that come to dock at Faslane submarine base. Today was no
> different and the place was quite busy. After a brief 15 minutes I thought
> my guide dog was a little listless, kept putting his chin on my knee. I
> thought he wanted a drink, so I took him a drink. He still kept putting
> his
> chin on my knee. The place was busy with all kinds of sailors, some were
> very friendly, having not seen a lovely dog for some time and wanted his
> attention. Still his chin was on my knee though. So maybe he wanted a pee
> or
> to spend. I took him outside between the cars and he peed a little. Inside
> again he had a sip of water and tried to settle. But it soon occurred that
> he was up on his
> Haunches instead of laying at rest. I just could not figure it out. The
> place was busy, but its often busy. Sailors are petting him and making a
> fuss, as they always do to a fine looking dog. At this time my friends are
> telling me that Ernie is looking listless and apprehensive in a manner
> that
> they had not ever seen before. Anyway its time to go so I harness up the
> dog
> and head over to the train station for the train. To cut this short, we
> are
> heading up the pavement and into the station where the platforms lie. The
> train is dead ahead so I tell my guide dog ... Forward Ernie, find the
> door.
> He moves forward and walks me right off the platform and I go crashing
> right
> onto the tracks. Apparently Ernie had seen the doors alright, but the
> doors
> he saw were on the train of the far platform, not any train dead ahead. I
> can't see of course, as my vision is just dark smoke so I thought he was
> heading for the door, going by the sound of things as I tend to do these
> days. It was a close escape I guess. Anyway I felt I had to call my wife
> for
> an escort home as I was quite shaken, as was ernie. As we got home we
> noticed that Ernie was still listless and he went on to sleep all night,
> not
> wanting to go out for a pee or nothin'. Later at night when called to
> head
> upstairs he usually bounds up two at a time. But tonight he just barely
> made it up. And when we were upstairs and we encouraged him to a little
> play, he just laid his head down and could care less. I'm hoping the poor
> guy isn't in some kind of extasy nightmare but unable to relate. I'm
> hoping
> some sailor didn't slip him a piece of blue chocolate. I can't figure why
> he'd walk me off the edge of a platform. I can't explain his listlessness;
> he's usually such a vibrant dog. I hope no-one has slipped him something.
> As
> to my fall, a torm pair of pants, a badly bruised leg, a sore ego and
> totally embarrassed. I'll be phoning guide dogs tomorrow to get to the
> bottome of why Ernie would walk me over the brink when he has turned left,
> then right, then right these past two years. Luckily I was in the depot of
> helensburgh central. Had I been in Queen street, I'd have met the 25,000
> volt third rail.
> Peter Logue.
>
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