by Shelbi Felter
From the Editor: Each year we at the Monitor encourage and sometimes beg for folks to write about their first experience at convention. Our thanks to Shelbi for this article and her advice to guide dog users. Here is what she says:
As the excitement of convention started to build, the first task was to pack. My black labrador guide dog, Kristen, and I usually share a large, checked suitcase, with packing cubes. This is my sixth national convention, and fourth with Kristen. With all the travel that we’ve done, I’ve learned it is much easier when Kristen has her own packing cube. In separate plastic bags, I was able to pack all of her food, her vitamins, her medication for the month, lots of poop bags, her light-up collar, Nylabones, stuffies, teeth-cleaning wipes, ear wipes, and wipes for her body. Yes, it is a lot, but it is like traveling with a baby. To keep Kristen cool, we used the Ruffwear cooling vest and Musher’s Secret. My girl does not like wearing booties, but Musher’s Secret protects the bottom of her paws throughout the day. I made sure we took lots of water breaks, with her collapsable bowl, and took advantage of air conditioning and shade as much as possible. I also packed a lightweight rain jacket for her, but we did not use it. Some items were definitely not essential, but my girl loves being dressed, so I also packed her princess dress, Minnie ears, Fourth of July dress, and dress for banquet.
This year, we took advantage of being in Orlando and began our trip five days before convention with a visit to Disneyworld. Kristen did amazing guiding around the theme parks. Although she does love to work, playtime—especially in these types of environments—is crucial. We roomed with my best friend, Lindsay, and her guide dog, Eve. This was great, since the dogs were able to play during their time off throughout the entire trip.
For me and Kristen to be successful and have less stress, if possible, we try to get to the convention hotel at least a day before everything starts. This allows us to walk around in a stress-free environment and have her start to locate a few of the important places we will be going throughout the week. Kristen’s favorite thing, while working and not, is targeting. For those who don’t know, targeting is when you task the dog with finding something. It can be as simple as an elevator button or the door to outside. The convention and hotel environment are full of constant targeting tasks. Although Kristen was working, it was also like a fun game for her. As the week went on, she started to memorize our routes to the hotel room, to the dog relief areas outside, to the escalators and elevators, to the meeting rooms, and to the microwave in the hotel lobby. Kristen even became adept at finding familiar friends in crowds.
Convention is very, very busy and packed with excitement, but it can also be very stressful. It is very important to be in tune with your dog and recognize their stress responses and how to fix them. This could mean knowing the best places to put them during a meeting, such as under the chair, so that way they are protected more from people walking by and canes. It is important to know your own stress levels as well. There were many times throughout convention when Kristen and I took a break from the large crowd and watched a couple of the meetings from our room on Zoom. Sadly, this did cause us to miss a door prize, but ultimately, I think it helped keep both of us sane.
We attended many meetings and met with many friends, old and new. I am truly grateful to have attended another convention with my amazing girl by my side. I also was elected as a board member for the National Organization of Blind Educators. This is an extreme honor; during the school year, Kristen and I work with elementary students with special needs. We also had the extreme honor at the National Association of Guide Dog Users business meeting of reading the NFB Pledge. This was amazing, since this year we celebrate a huge milestone anniversary, the fiftieth, of our pledge.
As always, this year’s convention flew by and created so many lasting memories. I cannot wait until we are all back together again next year, my guide dog by my side, in New Orleans!