Rookie Tails: A Seeing Eye Dog Team's First National Convention
by Alyssa and Jan Henson
From the Editor: This article is authored by one human and one guide dog. I suspect Alyssa is the better typist, though she tells me her dog Jan has a Facebook page and quite a following. Here is what the team has to say about their adventure to the 2022 National Convention:
When I think about my experience attending my first national convention, the word that comes to mind is energy. By that I mean over 2,400 blind people were putting their energy into one cause, and that cause is continuing to stand up for our right to equal access within our society. With the resolutions calling for the end of many discriminatory practices, we as blind people are taking important steps to insuring that we get the equal access we deserve.
It was energizing to attend a convention with so many meetings that covered topics which are of significant interest to me. I personally attended meetings facilitated by the National Association of Guide Dog Users and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, where I was given the chance to let my voice be heard on these important matters.
As a guide dog handler, the National Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU) meetings were highly informative and covered a wide array of issues specifically pertaining to the guide dog handler community. I learned about being a better self-advocate and was among the first to hear the resolutions regarding the continued discriminatory practices of Uber and Lyft drivers. I was extremely satisfied when both of those resolutions passed during general session. It was neat sitting in a room with probably a couple hundred guide dogs and witnessing all of those dogs behaving in a professional manner. A convention like this is a huge undertaking for a guide dog. With that in mind, I would like to share some guide dog convention survival tips. Some of these are my own, and others were passed down by veteran guide dog handling convention attendees.
1. Learn where the relieving areas are as soon as possible. It is important to know these because your dog will need them often.
2. Allow extra relieving breaks. Along with knowing where the appropriate relieving areas are, it is important to allow your dog plenty of opportunities to take advantage of those spots since working in a convention environment is highly demanding.
3. Give yourself extra time to navigate to and from meetings. It's no secret that the meeting rooms and areas around them can become quite crowded right before and after meetings, so giving yourself and your dog extra travel time is essential.
4. Give your dog work breaks when you can. If you have time between meetings, stop back at your room to allow your dog a few minutes of off-harness time. Much like us, our dogs need to decompress after a hard day's work.
5. Be patient with yourself and your dog. Remember, convention is a very demanding environment for dogs and handlers alike, so be patient, offer your dog lots of praise, and keep good control of your dog at all times.
I hope these tips are helpful to any future guide dog teams wishing to attend a national convention. Jan and I had a wonderful time attending the convention, as well as meeting new friends and catching up with friends from around the country. I know Jan particularly enjoyed meeting some new dogs, even if she only got to see them from a distance. Speaking of Jan, I thought it would be fun for the last part of this piece to try to put myself in her paws and think about what she might say if she could speak. So let's hear a few words from the mind of Jan.
Hello and tail wags to my Federation friends! When my handler told me about the convention, I didn't know what to think. How could a place be full of so many canes and dogs? I hadn't been around that many dogs at once since my training at the Seeing Eye where I met my handler. Once I was at the convention, I found out everything my handler said was true. Attending a convention is hard work for us dogs, and every dog has a different experience, but I'd say I had a good one. I met many friendly people and a bunch of friendly dogs. There were labs like myself, but also golden retrievers, German shepherds, poodles, and I even saw a boxer! I loved guiding my handler to the many events of the convention, and I hear the food around the city was pretty good. Too bad I had to stick with kibble. As we write this, it's past my dinner time, speaking of food, so I need to let my handler know it's time to get off the computer and get me some grub! Now for a few final remarks from my handler.
Ah yes, the computer is back in the hands of the human. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend the 2022 National Convention in New Orleans. I had a great time meeting new people, reuniting with friends, checking out new products in the exhibit hall, attending meetings, trying new foods, meeting some awesome guide dogs, and feeling the positive energy that is an NFB convention. I look forward to the possibility of attending the 2023 Convention in Houston. Until then, as many of us guide dog handlers say, let's move forward.