Corbin went for his first walk outdoors with me today. I ordered the harness from MyPreciousKid.com last week, and it arrived in the mail yesterday. I wanted something that didn't look very utilitarian; I don't really care if people think I'm cruel because I know I'm just keeping my son safe, but this will be fun for him to put on and hopefully he won't always see it as restraining or confining.
After talking with a field rep from Guide Dogs for the Blind, I decided to do the first few walks with just my cane. After all, Corbin has only been walking on his own since february, and he isn't able to walk for a long period of time yet. I have to adjust my pace to his, and then I'll have to teach Deedee acordingly, but I feel it will be easier for Corbin and I to learn to walk together first and then add deedee into the mix.
Corbin and I went with my friend, and soon-to-be roommate, B and her 6-month-old chocolate lab Reese. Deedee was great, it was Reese who was eating pinecones, using my cane as a skipping rope, and just being generally puppyish. The advantage a pet has to living with a guide dog is that the guide will often teach them things. Endora encouraged my old roommates' dog to cross the kitchen floor even though he was scared of the slippery laminate. She also calmed him down during thunder storms. Of course, the pet dog can also teach the guide its bad manners, but we just won't go there.
Corbin thought my cane was fascinating, too. Once he realized the trick of the game was to tap it from side to side, he wanted to help. I held firmly onto his hand and kept the harness looped around my wrist (I want to use it only as a backup, not a primary method of controlling him when we're out), but that didn't really stop him from reaching out, grabbing my cane, and violently thumping it on the sidewalk. I had to stop every few minutes to wrestle it out of his grip. Things might have went smoother if B and I weren't killing ourselves laughing, but it was hard not to with Corbin's and Reese's antics.
When Corbin and I entered the convenience store, B stayed outside with the two dogs. Corbin decided that he was going to swipe some chocolate bars that were underneath the counter. I had to pick him up and hold him while I paid for my purchases, and then a customer who was behind me brought them outside because Corbin was fascinated with those chocolate bars. As soon as I went to pick up my bag, he went straight for them. At 15 months, it's not embarrassing, but it would be at 2 or 3.
Corbin almost made it the whole way home. He was so pooped, he went to bed as soon as we got in the house, and he changed into his pajamas. I'd say our first walk was a success, even if it was a three-ring circus. I really think B and I `should have our own reality TV show. Actually, it'd have to double as a sitcom, because even when we do really mundane things like walk to the variety store, it's an adventure.
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