Splash on national TV The American Spirit

KPIX 5, "Good Question"

Splash update

I realize it has been a while since I posted about my adventures with Splash. We have had some action packed time since the Alumni Reunion in Portland. On Saturday Sept 20th, Splash and I went to a small scrimmage regatta down the peninsula. I brought her canvas portable crate, and had her stay upstairs in the BIAC boathouse at 6:30am. She gladly slipped into the crate, and slept while our boat (the four that will be going to the Head of the Charles regatta in Oct) made our way out into the bay about 3 miles, and raced back. The water got rough, and the wind picked up the further out into the bay we got. When I returned, Jeanine had checked in on Splash multiple times and she was very happy in her crate. I think she was the smarter one of the 2 of us. Then we rushed back to GDB to get changed in time to attend the annual Volunteer Recognition luncheon. This was Splash’s’ debut with many of the volunteers (I was the director of the volunteer program for 11 years) and she was a huge hit. She got to meet lots of the volunteers, and many remembered her liter from puppy socialization. It was also a hard day as Deanne’s passing was known and recent.

When we returned home I quickly packed, and Larry and I were off for a weekend in Sea Ranch. One of his customers has a house there and generously offered to let us stay there for the weekend. It is a 2 hour drive, and it was incredibly relaxing… no cell reception or internet connection, just the sound of the ocean, and the smells of sea air. Splash, Larry and I took lots of walks by the ocean, and relaxed….

We returned on Monday evening, and I had to pack to get ready for a trip to Phoenix the next morning. Splash and I were off for our second trip together to visit the Foundation for Blind Children. It was hot in Phoenix, but Splash handled it well. She was a wonderful ambassador as she sat for a couple hours under the board room table at FBC. The flights, again were uneventful, and I feel completely relaxed again going through airports.

Saturday Sept 27 was an action packed day, beginning with rowing practice. Splash assumed her position in the back seat of mom’s car and slept while our Head of the Charles boat trained with the rest of the boats and did a long practice piece (about 2 hours). A quick clothes change, and up to Guide Dogs for a picnic we hosted with the Blind Babies Foundation. There were about 60 people on campus, and lots of little ones. Splash was wonderful with all of the attention, and even though there were 3 lab breeder dogs there for the kids to pet, Splash was a big hit with her long soft coat. That got wrapped up at 2:30, and Jeanine and I quickly made our way to Etta’s ranch in Glen Ellen to pick her up, and head over to Napa for the annual Guide Dogs Wine Gala. Splash had many more introductions and lots of admiration throughout the evening. Fortunately the tables are located inside a tent on the lawn, so Splash sprawled out for a nap when we were seated for dinner. We spent the night at the ranch, and had a wonderfully relaxing day; Splash and I got to enjoy a little nap under the palm tree that was Deanne’s favorite place to hang out.

Monday Sept 29th, Splash and I accompanied my sister in law to the hospital for a procedure. We were allowed to stay in the room while it was being done because the physician was a dog lover, and was enthralled with Splash. Splash was curled up under my chair, and never made a move for the 2 hours in the small room. What a great girl!

Well now we are up to date…. No travel this week.

Thank You Deanne

Deanne
Born April 23, 1994 at Guide Dogs for the Blind, her parents were Heather and Hampton, and her siblings Dedre, Datona, Dauber and Dietrich. Deanne and Dedre became active Guide Dogs and both worked more than 7 years. Deanne and her buddy Honcho, a black lab, followed a similar path. They were born 6 days apart, and after they were socialized by loving staff and volunteers they were transported to Colorado to be placed with puppy raisers for a year, and then returned to Guide Dogs for their formal training. I received Deanne in January of 1996, and graduated February 2nd, and my friend Ken, who also works at Guide Dogs, received Honcho in March.

When I was matched with Deanne, she was my dream dog. I had always wanted to be matched with a German shepherd (my previous 3 guides had been Labradors), and she was no ordinary dog. I recognized her intelligence, grace and wisdom from the first meeting. Our training was smooth, and the bond developed quickly. Her trainer Stephanie clearly loved Deanne, and I could tell when she gave her to me it was a special gift.

Deanne and I quickly became a strong team. Just a short six months after graduating we experienced a near miss with a bulldozer on the Guide Dogs campus. Over the next week her confidence quickly eroded, and I was told she would need to be retired. Kris Kroner offered to see if she could restore her confidence and keep her working as my guide, no guarantees. I would do anything to keep working with Deanne, and was happy to wait through this process which took over a month. The wait and trust in her was worth it, and we were able to work for another 7 years! I feel forever indebted to Kris.

During the ensuing 7 years, the depth and strength of our love for each other, and our working relationship expanded so vast that it can’t be described with words. Deanne loved her friends, both human and canine, enjoyed being in charge, solving problems and figuring out situations. She never forgot a person, dog or place. She loved to say hi to babies, much to the utter horror to the mothers. The babies always shrilled and giggled with excitement to see her. She loved soft fleece toys, and never damaged any of them, collecting 2 large sacks by the time she retired. She loved to make them squeak or make noise, frequently biting them so they would repeat the noise.

Deanne gave hundreds of tours, speaking engagements, and interviewed every volunteer that walked through the doors at Guide Dogs. She told me when she liked or distrusted people. She saved my life on many occasions, at intersections, open manholes, cliff edges, train platforms and once when someone meant me harm in Little Rock, Arkansas. We were together 24/7 for 7.5 years, through adventures too numerous to document. Deanne was the bridesmaid for my wedding, waited and consoled my mom when I was lost in the Pacific Ocean for 7 hours crossing from Catalina to Marina Del Rey in a rowboat. She sailed around Catalina Island following our rowboat as we circumnavigated the 50 miles, sleeping with me in the bow of the boat overnight before sailing back to the mainland. Deanne traveled through countless airports, and made several trips to Canada along with many states in the US. One of her last great feats was to guide me down the streets of San Francisco on January 18th 2002 as I carried the Olympic torch. She knew what her job was that night, as she did every time I picked up her harness handle, with a crowd of hundreds, police and motorcycles escorting us down the middle of the street with a 12-inch flame above our heads.

A sad milestone for me was the day I realized that Deanne needed to retire. She collapsed in pain as she got out of the car, and the diagnosis was degenerative disc disease. I wouldn’t contribute to future problems, and stopped working her that day. I always thought that Stephanie, her instructor, would adopt her at retirement. Leaving her home 8 hours a day wasn’t an option, not for Deanne. Stephanie was thrilled to have the opportunity to adopt Deanne, and needed to think about it. She always said Deanne was the best shepherd she had ever trained, and would love to have her. Stephanie realized this was not the right time in her life to adopt Deanne to give her the attention she deserved. As I was walking away from the kennels from this news, I was distressed, and thinking, who could possibly be good enough to adopt Deanne. It would have to be someone who would appreciate, understand her, and provide a life she deserved in retirement.

Distracted in thought, Deanne and I walked back toward the Volunteer Center. Deanne greeted Etta Allen on the path; I had a revelation at that moment -- Etta loves shepherds, she had recently lost a foster shepherd, Jenet -- she would be the perfect fit. I asked Etta to think about it, and she came back with “I don’t need to think about it, I would love to adopt her”. I was overwhelmed with relief, and knew at that moment it was Deanne that had decided on Etta…

Over the next couple months while I was waiting for a new shepherd guide, I heeled Deanne and used my cane. Etta came to Guide Dogs twice a week to build her relationship with Deanne, taking her for walks, and then outings to the places that would be part of her new life with Etta. She took her to her place of business, board meetings at Marin General, West America and the State Board of Equalization. Then for overnights at her homes in Marin and Sonoma counties.

On the day I packed up her belongings, as my mom waited in the living room, Deanne began bringing out some toys and formed a lineup of only the toys that my mom had given her over the years. Deanne’s way of saying thank you! Then the day came to make the transfer. I couldn’t be there to hand her the leash (it was too difficult to do), so I let Etta know that Deanne would be on tie-down at my desk with all of her toys, food and equipment. I would let Deanne get settled in with Etta, as I went off to Spain to compete in the World Rowing Championships, and then return for 3 weeks of training in Oregon with my new Guide Dog Hedda.

I missed Deanne terribly, and was scared and excited all at the same time to see her again. I didn’t know how she would greet me, would she be happy to see me again? I met Etta and Deanne using my cane without Hedda, by the pond at the Guide Dogs campus. We were both unsure how to greet each other, and then she came up to me and pressed her head against my leg, I knew it was ok, and we hugged and enjoyed our reunion. After a while I knew it was time to part, Etta and Deanne turned and walked away. Deanne stopped, sat down, threw her head back like a coyote, and howled, a sound that was so wolf-like, and body piercing both Etta and I were stunned and frozen in place. After a few minutes, Deanne got up and walked willingly to the car. I can recall the sound to this day, Deanne was letting us know a period of her life had ended, and a new one began.

Our life together didn’t end. Deanne and Hedda met, and my fears that Deanne would be jealous of Hedda were exactly the opposite of what happened. It was Hedda that was jealous of Deanne, and the way she looked at me. That quickly faded as they developed their friendship through frequent visits at Guide Dogs and up at the Ranch. Deanne taught Hedda that she wouldn’t greet her unless she was behaving herself. Sitting just out of Hedda’s reach, with her head turned away. Then kissing her when she was under control.

Deanne, Hedda, Etta and I shared many visits, and stories about Deanne over the next 6 years. The people Etta met because they were friends with Deanne before she knew her. As with my relationship with Deanne, Etta’s relationship with her grew in depth as the months passed. Deanne’s wisdom and connection with people was displayed over and over through the work she continued to do. At the hospital in Santa Rosa, and Marin General, she had a way of knowing what people needed in order to heal. She helped a child who was deathly afraid of dogs learn to interact and love her. She attended board meetings, reigned over the vineyards at the ranch, and continue to delight her friends, canine and human.

When her rear end began to fail, she never gave up walking; she persevered when any other dog would have given up. She remained in charge until the end. The last time I remember seeing her, Hedda found an old bone of hers buried in the dirt. Hedda had been enjoying the bone for at least an hour while Deanne slept under her palm tree. Deanne barked for Etta to come help her to the house, and had been carefully planning her route, to walk by Hedda, and at just the right moment, grab the bone. She walked several feet out of Hedda’s reach, dropped to the ground, and began to chew the bone. She was still in charge!

Hedda is now retired after 6 years of working, and I just received my new German shepherd Guide Dog Splash. I never got to see Deanne again after the day she took the bone from Hedda. But I have that as my last memory of her. Hedda has now passed the torch to Splash, and Deanne’s flame has been extinguished. The loss is an open wound now, but her memories will remain bright in my memories forever.

Deanne brought Etta and me together. I know Etta loved her as much as I did, and I know Deanne made the perfect choice in Etta to adopt her. She must have known that Etta would care for and appreciate her in a way no one else could. Deanne lived almost 14.5 years, and if it hadn’t been for Etta’s excellent care we wouldn’t have been graced with Deanne’s presence as long as we did. Thank you Etta. Thank you Deanne!

Splash flies like a seasoned veteran!

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We have had a busy week and a half since I last posted. The most significant event was flying to Portland last Thursday for the the 2nd Guide Dogs for the Blind Alumni Reunion. Jeanine and I left last Thursday afternoon for the reunion, flying out of the Oakland Airport for Portland. The airport was very quiet, no lines, so we were able to take our time through the security area. Splash was very relaxed as she got her pat-down after alarming the machine. She just thought it was another admirorer wanting to pet her. We flew Alaska Airlines, and now they are using the smaller Horizion jets for this trip. They are four seats across, 2 on each side. We got the bulkhead, Splash, scooted right over to the window seat, curled up, and that was the end of the story. It was very uneventful, as she didn't even respond to take-off or landing. We made our way through the airport to the garage for our rental car and drove out to Gresham.

We stayed at the Guide Dogs apartment over the student lounge in Gresham. When we arrived the students from the current Oregon class where there to do a night route. It was fun to introduce Splash to the instructors.

When I travel, I have always had the rule that my guides get to sleep on the bed with me, this is not the case at home. Splash willingly jumped up on the bed with me, and settled right into snuggle mode.

On Friday morning (at 5am) Splash stayed at the apartment with Jeanine, and I got picked up by a friend, Molly, who I had been emailing with about their new adaptive program. We went to the Lake Oswego Community rowing boathouse on the Willamet River. I got to row in an 8 for some very nice pieces. It was a lot of fun, and a good workout.

We spent a few hours relaxing after that, and then got in some shopping at the Colombia sportswear outlet (you know there is no sales tax in Oregon) Splash was a great shopper dog, and it turned out the person who helped us was a puppy raiser for GDB, and was thrilled to meet Splash (of course).

Then to the Doubletree in downtown Portland for the Reunion. There were about 150 people and about 100 Guide Dogs. Splash was amazing in the huge hotel, locating my room like a heat seaking missle every time, the elevators, the rooms where we met and the relieving area. She acted like an old seasoned dog, not the newest graduate in the bunch. It was great catching up with old friends, and the only dog that Splash reacted to (with excitement) was her sister Sarah Lee. She did enjoy meeting the only other shepherd besides Sarah Lee, Wila, Kim Samco's guide. Those shepherds sure like their own kind.

The agenda was packed, and included speeches, a banquet dinner, and a trip out to the Oregon campus. I made sure that we took a spin on the Oregon Trail at campus so she could stretch her legs and we could enjoy the woods.

The flight home was as anti-climatic as the flight out, and I am thrilled to be able to travel again with a Guide Dog by my side!

We got Monday off to recover, and Splash and I stayed close to home, did laundry, and I caught up on some work. I got to have lunch with the current class, and sat next to the new student who received her brother, Sanders. The siblings enjoyed saying hi to each other. Sanders aparently looks a lot like Splash, but it huge!

Saturday is the annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon, which we will attend, and Splash will make her debut with the volunteers.

Visit from the Spauldings!

Yesterday afternoon, the Spauldings came for a visit. Splash recognized the sound of their desel truck when it came up the hill and got very excited. She was thrilled that they came to visit her, and she couldn't wait to show them around. They got to see all of her favorite places in the house, and of course her toys. It was a lot of fun getting to spend time with the family one on one, as last weekend was a mob scene, and there wasn't much opportunity to talk. I got to hear more baby Splash stories, and splash intermittently wiggled her way around the room to say hi to everyone, but especially Justin. After the visit, Splash listened to the car drive away, and then wanted to go back out to the pool, and splash some more. I was glad to see that she didn't want to leave with them, but was very happy for their visit.

Last week Kirk sent me an email, and he gave me permission to print it here. It was dear to my heart, and I wanted to find just the right words to respond.,... I was at a loss... you will see why

 
Aerial:
Regarding your gold medal, Splash: 
In December on 2006, GDB gave us a small bundle of fluff named Splash. GDB also gave us an outline of what they would like to hav e as an end result. Well,we went to work and began molding this precious material. Barb, Justin, Dana and I started the process of forming this hairy ball into something more desirable.
Shannon, as well as all of the young members of our club, eagerly jumped into the foundry to be a part of forging something so extraordinarily unique.
We all pushed, pulled, pounded and coaxed our undertaking into a well-rounded and stable configuration.  It then came time to pass her on to the next artist to work their magic and apply their adept talents.  Adam and the kennel staff took our product and began refining and adding a more elegant shape. They used all of their tools to carve and burnish a fledging work in progress. Obviously they took their task seriously as they continued the operation.  When Adam finished with his charge, he too had to pass on his culmination to another. Marc joined this dedicated society and took everything we had accomplished and began the job of polishing and cleaning any flaws left behind. Clearly, he was as committed to this process as all of those before him. When he finished sharpening, etching and buffing, the outcome was something exceptionally special. 
And yet after all of our work, dreams and the dedication of many, something was clearly missing. While our outcome was undoubtedly beautiful, it was still not what we had pictured in our imagination. A very important element was still lacking. Our result was missing the glow need to complete the task.  On
August 30th, that all changed when Splash walked out on that stage, stood by your side and looked up at you with total dedication and a brilliant luminescence. She is now complete.  
While Splash may be your Gold Medal, you are the one who makes her shine. So, don’t be surprised if the next time we meet, I’m wearing sunglasses.  
Your friends – Kirk, Barb, Justin and Dana

Its been a week since graduation

I cant believe its been a week since Splash and I graduated. It has been a busy week for sure. Sunday we attended the wedding of my rowing coach at the Berkeley Botanical Gardens, followed by a reception at the Cal boathouse. Erin, the bow of the womens gold medal winning 8 in Beijing was there and she brought the medal! That was very cool and heavy too. Splash did a great job avoiding the food on the floor, and getting to meet a whole new group of people. The daughter of the Guide Dogs board president in 1989 when I graduated with my first dog Webster was there, and we had a great talk about Guide Dogs. There was another woman there who was a puppy raiser.

Monday we enjoyed a little R and R, walked to town and back early in the morning when it was still cool. Splash did an excellent job, and is very comfortable with the route now.

Tuesday and Wednesday were intense work days, lots of meetings, and catch up from being away from my desk for 3 weeks. We slipped in a couple walks to Starbucks, and play sessions in the grass paddock.

Thursday we held a Guide Dog Lifestyles workshop in the dorm for people considering getting a Guide Dog. The workshops are about 6 hours and include an opportunity to work a dog in San Rafael. The group was very attentive and entheusiastic. Splash enjoyed meeting everyone.

Friday we went to San Francisco to the Lighthouse for the Blind on Van Ness St. I spoke on a panel on a broadcast webinar about access technology. My portion was on fitness equipment. There were three of us, the moderator was Mary Alice from CSB, a O&M specialist LisaMaria who is a Judo athlete who also tried out for the Paralympics, and myself. We spoke about accessable heart monitors, the rowing machine with speech sofware, and how to make those flat screens accessable on treadmills etc. There were about 50 people in attendance, and the rest were on the phone/ computer.

Afterwards Tony, LisaMaria, Mary Alice, Jeanine and I went out to Chilis so we could socialize a little. Splash did a great job working me down Van Ness (a very busy main thoroughfair in SF. We walked in front of City Hall where they had literally run the red carpet down the stairs and across the sidewalk (not for us however) and several blocks to the restaurant. On the way back she had a momentary lapse of control as she lept with 4 feet off the ground after a pigeon. She then realized what she did, and was shagrinned! She turned back to me as if to say, "I am so sorry"

Saturday... Rowing (we have done this routine now Wed, Thurs, Friday and Sat, and she has this down. She jumps into the back seat of mom's car and takes a nap, and gets admired by her friends as they pass by. Saturdays practices are longer, and an hour later, so it was 9 when we drove north to Petaluma. It was already hot (high 80's) and will probably get into the 100's today. I got to watch the US Paralympic team enter the Birds Nest at the opening ceremonies for the Paralympics. They are being broadcast on Paralympicsport.tv Splash went for a romp in the pool, while I hung the laundry. Then it was hair cut day and nail day, so Larry dropped us off downtown. Everyone admired Splash, and I get 2 comments consistantly, "she is so beautiful" and "she is so calm". Thats my girl! Tomorrow the Spauldings are going to come by for a visit. Splash will be so excited to see them I am sure (me too!)