blindness, disability awareness, dog guides, to the dogs and beyond

To the Dogs and Beyond 07: The Tree

Written by Sarah Blake LaRose on . Leave a comment

My neighborhood was fairly quiet; and Elli and I could walk on residential sidewalks most of the time. Elli had to learn to ignore toads, which were plentiful in Texas during the summer. With my cane, I never thought about toads. With Elli, I knew about every toad we encountered–at least, until she learned to ignore them.

On one block, our route took us past a holly tree that overspread the sidewalk. Elli was trained to avoid overhanging objects; but occasionally she had her mind on other things (like the toads). This was apparently the case the first time we encountered the holly tree.

I ran into the tree at full speed. Thorns stuck in my arms and face. Elli stopped. I followed the procedure for correcting her for running me into a tree. I shook the holly tree, thorns and all, and said, “Pfui!” through my tears. I then took several paces back and commanded, “Forward.”

Elli took some tentative steps forward, turned left and walked into the street, making a wide berth around the holly tree. After passing the tree, she turned back toward the sidewalk and got back on course. I hugged her and praised her loudly.

A few weeks later, some relatives came to visit from out of town. I decided to take them out to watch Elli work. Elli and I set out, and the relatives followed at a good distance.

When we encountered the tree, Elli went out into the street. But she would not go back to the sidewalk. Instead, she looked back at my relatives, ensuring that they, too, skirted the tree.

Looking back at incidents like this, I realize how well Elli and I were bonding already, just in those first few weeks. It is normal for a person to wonder whether the bond with the dog is working. It takes some time for the relationship to become cemented. But a dog begins to show that she will work for the person early in the relationship. One of my later trainers said, “When you go home, you are your dog’s trainer.” Whatever behaviors I reinforce, the dog will continue.

This Series

to the dogs and beyond – Sarah Blake LaRose


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To the Dogs and Beyond 11: Would I Ever Like to Drive?

Tuesday March 1st, 2016 12:00:33 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
Today’s post is a bit of a departure from my stories about my experiences with dog guides. Part of my goal for this series was to communicate about travel and things that affect me as a blind person who travels. That is something I want to do today. During my adult life, I have taken […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 10: My Humbling

Monday February 29th, 2016 12:00:43 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
Many people report that their confidence increases as they begin to travel widely with their first dog guide. My experience was no exception as Elli and I came home from training and went about our routines. I am not convinced that the increase in confidence had everything to do with Elli. A good deal of […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 09: Elli’s Great Distraction

Monday February 22nd, 2016 12:00:31 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
While I was in training with Elli, I decided to solve the problem of my voice loss by teaching her to work in response to hand signals only. During times when we were not practicing routes, we walked around the building, and I gave her hand signals corresponding to my verbal commands, praising her with […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 08: The Great Nap

Saturday February 20th, 2016 12:00:55 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
Elli and I spent one year at Anderson University, the college I had attended during the year prior to my training. This year was very challenging. Elli developed some stress-related illness, and I struggled with loss of my vision which eventually required surgery. For my third year of college, I transferred to a large college […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 07: The Tree

Friday February 19th, 2016 12:00:08 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
My neighborhood was fairly quiet; and Elli and I could walk on residential sidewalks most of the time. Elli had to learn to ignore toads, which were plentiful in Texas during the summer. With my cane, I never thought about toads. With Elli, I knew about every toad we encountered–at least, until she learned to […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 06: Elli and the Cat

Thursday February 18th, 2016 12:00:32 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
Training with a dog guide has evolved in many ways over the last 25 years. Schools have addressed discipline techniques so that the relationship focuses on preventing distractions and rewarding positive behaviors. New strategies for traffic work have been introduced so that dogs are able to work effectively in our society’s complex environment. Additionally, The […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 05: The Parking Lot

Wednesday February 17th, 2016 12:00:53 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
Training was not always a smooth experience. It is very intense; and I struggled with a great fear of failure. I realize now that this is a common experience for people who are training with their first dogs. Some people talk about it openly, and some hide it deep inside. I hid my fear. for […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 04: What a Big Mouth You Have

Tuesday February 16th, 2016 12:00:10 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
After lunch on Sunday afternoon, all students retired to their rooms. No, this was not an afternoon siesta. It wasn’t even quiet. For me, it felt a bit like a strange game of hide and seek, except that I wasn’t allowed to do any seeking. I heard instructors walking around the halls, accompanied by panting […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 03: Waiting for Dog

Monday February 15th, 2016 12:00:00 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
Today, social media makes it easy to know who is doing what in dog training. People can easily follow the progress of a friend or family member who chooses to post updates on Facebook or in a blog. The Seeing Eye installed a technology center in 1994 so that students could access reading machines and […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 02: Into the Lion’s Den

Monday February 15th, 2016 01:03:29 AM Sarah Blake LaRose
My first class date at The Seeing Eye was scheduled for July, 1991. I was notified in January, and I was comfortable that I had plenty of time to prepare. My second semester at Anderson University ended in early May, and I took a trip to visit a friend for a few days. When I […]

To the Dogs and Beyond 01: Stepping Out of Dog Fear

Sunday February 7th, 2016 10:27:14 PM Sarah Blake LaRose
Twenty-five years ago, I did something that changed my life. I did not realize at the time how much it would change me; and maybe it changed the people around me. During the last few months, I have realized that it continues to change me even though things are very different now. So it is […]





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About Sarah Blake LaRose

Sarah Blake LaRose teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Anderson, Indiana. She is one of three blind academic scholars who received the Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind in 2016 in recognition of innovative work in the field of access to biblical language texts and tools for people who are blind. In addition to her work as a professor, she provides braille transcription services specializing in ancient languages. Her research interests concern the intersection of disability, poverty, and biblical studies.
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About Sarah Blake LaRose

Sarah Blake LaRose teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry in Anderson, Indiana. She is one of three blind academic scholars who received the Jacob Bolotin Award from the National Federation of the Blind in 2016 in recognition of innovative work in the field of access to biblical language texts and tools for people who are blind. In addition to her work as a professor, she provides braille transcription services specializing in ancient languages. Her research interests concern the intersection of disability, poverty, and biblical studies.

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