Hanni's enjoying her retirement. And she's earned it. Here's she's running around Allerton Park in Monticello, Ill.
Second dog syndrome. That’s what they call it at the Seeing Eye. Graduates return after retiring their first dog, and the second dog is never as good. The new dog goes after other dogs. The first one never did that. The first dog always went right to the door you were looking for, never peed on route, didn’t get distracted by sirens, always sat still while you did laps at the pool. No matter how hard the second dog tries, he just can’t live up.
I didn’t suffer from this syndrome when I retired Dora, my first dog. Can’t I ever, ever do anything normal?! Now, with my third dog, I’ve got Second Dog Syndrome. And I’ve got it bad.
Loyal blog readers know how difficult the decision to retire Hanni was. In her tenth year she was still guiding well and showing good judgment at intersections. The only problem? She was slowing down. From my blog post Saying goodbye to an old friend:
My Seeing Eye dog will be 11 years old in February. Walks to the Loop used to invigorate Hanni. Now they wear her out. She takes long naps after our excursions, and she doesn’t wake up from those naps as easily as she used to.
It’s time for Hanni to retire.
While training in New Jersey with Harper it was a joy to sail down city streets. I hadn’t clipped along that quickly in ages. Harper was fast. Efficient. Fun. Hanni really was slow. I’d been right to retire her.
But then we got home, and temperatures in Chicago plummeted. Wet sidewalks turned to ice. “Steady, Harper.” Steady. Slow down, Harper. Careful, Harper.” With this sort of weather, I can’t go anywhere fast. I could have kept working with Hanni longer.
Last week 20 inches of snow fell on Chicago. City trucks plowed all that snow off the streets and onto the sidewalks, making many corners impassable for pedestrians. My walks with Harper are now limited to short trips to his new emptying spot – a mound of snow near a dumpster. After each trip, Harper and I make time to dance in the living room to old lost & found CDs. Harper chews on Nylabones, fetches a squeak toy. And then, with nothing else to do, he sleeps. He has a bell on his collar. I can hear when he wakes up, and I can tell when he looks up at me, wondering why we aren’t going outside for a long walk. Poor Harper. All this snow and ice is preventing him from doing what he’s so good at: getting around city traffic quickly and efficiently.
The Seeing Eye has a full-time counselor on staff. Michele Drolet is blind and uses a Seeing Eye dog herself. I was feeling particularly blue this morning, so I gave her a call.
Everything I am feeling is perfectly normal, she said. I did the right thing retiring Hanni when I did. Harper won’t forget his lefts and his rights. She’s been getting calls from lots of graduates suffering in the snow. It will be spring soon. When it comes to me and counselors, though, the practical advice helps the most. “Get a pair of those ice cleat things.” She said she’d borrowed a pair of Yaktracks from a friend the day before. “They really work.” From the Yaktracks web site:
Named after the sure-footed Tibetan Yak, Yaktrax ice cleats stretch over everything from winter boots to your jogging shoes. Once in place, Yaktrax use a grid of skidlock steel coils that give you the traction of the famed mountain sheep on hard-pack snow and glare ice.
The copy says these Yaktracks were designed for people who walk across icy parking lots, sidewalks or simply want to walk their dog in the snow and ice. I’m going to give them a try.
The idea that these things might work has brightened my mood. Not sure why this all got to me today, maybe because it’s hanni’s birthday? She’s 11 years old today, and I’m tickled to hear what a grand old time she’s having in her retirement with Steven and Nancy. They spoil her, take her for walks, let her run and play in the snow. I do miss Hanni, but if anyone deserves a grand retirement, it’s her. Happy birthday, my dear old friend!
Happy birthday to Hanni! Glad to hear she is enjoying retirement.
I didn’t really suffer from second dog syndrome either. My second dog is a bit different than my first, but I was so ready for a new guide dog that could keep up with me again, that I eagerly welcomed the changes. And, although it pains me to admit it, my second dog is actually proving himself to be even better overall than my first dog was.
I’ve been having the winter blues too though; it’s tough get out to work him with all the ice and snow we’ve been buried under this winter. Like you, we want to just go, go go, but instead our walks must be disappointingly slow and short. I’ve been considering a pair of YakTrax too, but my friends give them mixed reviews. So, I’m really just hoping for an early Spring! 🙂
Oh, yes, I am also hoping for an early Spring! Just heard on the radio that it might be in the 40s on Wednesday. Let’s hope.
Hang in there, Beth. It’s supposed to warm up a little bit this weekend and maybe some snow will disappear and you and Harper can get out for a walk. Things will get better for Harper. I loved the picture of Hanni. She looks very happy.
Nancy (of Nancy and Steven who adopted Hanni when she retired) posted that photo on Facebook and Mike really, really liked it. So when I emailed her the other night to ask her to send a photo for me to use with this blog post, I specifically requested that photo. Glad you like it, and glad Hanni looks so happy!
Great post, honest and moving as your writing typically is.
I’m a doofus because I have some YakTrax and I never thought to mention it! As a person who has a hard time remaining upright even in normal weather, I do love the YakTrax. Before I started wearing them this winter I toppled twice on the ice. I have 2 caveats though: 1. Be careful when you come inside on slick tile floors…I did a little creative mini skating going into the bathroom at the Savoy 16 last weekend. 2. Make sure they are really on your boots, with the ends pulled well up over the toes and heel; I lost one twice during walks (later found when I realized what happened) until I figured out how to really secure them. And lastly, this winter has been an SOB, no doubt about it.
Yeah, it’s crummy out, but Mr. Groundhog DID NOT see his shadow, so spring is on the way:) Currently 3 degrees outside….
Did Mr. Groundhog even make it out of his hole? How could he, with all the snow piled up over it?!
Our sidewalks are covered in 3′ of snow and the sides of the road at this point are non-existant due to the snow, I am totally going stir crazy not being able to get out and walk and train Jess the way I want to and need to. I have YakTrax and have used them when we get lots of ice and they do work very well. They make 2 kinds that I know of 1 for more active wear and 1 for just walking. The more active wear kind have a strap that goes over your shoe so they tend to stay on your feet better.
Oh I feel for you trying to keep Harper exercised, etc.! In MD, we have a much milder winter (save last year!) for the most part than Chicago (one of the things I like about living here!) but we do get ice on occasion and have had our share of it this year as well as just a few inches of snow but it froze over and became crunchy and dangerous/difficult for some dogs. I have yaktrax and LOVE them for walking the dogs-I am still careful but they really do work. Like someone else said though-make sure you get them on well or you can lose one. I have herding dogs and they need quite a bit of exercise/work and they have been suffering from lack there of but my consequence of such is that they are restless, etc. where yours can be much more serious.
I had to laugh BTW at your description of blind people cleaning up after their dogs….I clean up in much the same manner each morning when we are out at “o’ dark 40″…feel around for the warmth of it. Of course for me, I can see the general area they are in making it much easier!
Hoping the groundhog is right and that your snow is gone soon…I can’t imagine how difficult it is for you with the intersections blocked!
Sheila
I’m feeling the blues myself these days and I’m chalking them up the the winter and how depressing it can be. So let’s blame this damn winter for bringing on the second dog syndrome and the blues…..Hanni can never be replaced for so many reasons, we know that. However, that young whippersnapper, Harper, I have a strong feeling that in time (most definitely after the winter!!!) he will not replace Hanni, but will definitely make a special place of his own in your home and your heart.
Love you calling Harper a “whippersnapper” –that is *exactly* the right name for him!
Hope the Yaktracks help, and Happy birthday to hanni.
Happy birthday Hanni! I did disability awareness training in an all girls school and they were amazed by your book today and really enjoyed reading it.
I bought yak trax in December after having the same frustrations as you and Harper last winter. They are great and I was able to walk O.J a lot more easily.
Jen
Thanks for using my book, Jenny –what a thrill to think they are reading about my Seeing Eye dogs and me in Ireland!
Hey, Beth, it will get better! Winter is always a tough time to get a new dog.
Second dog syndrome happens to many of us and with dogs other than our second one.
It’s comparison to the perfect dog, at just the right time in our lives that sets us up for frustration and sometimes disappointment. I seem to have an “Every other dog,” thing going on. As I prepare to retire my current dog, who is perfect for me at this time in my life, I am thinking about how I can change this fenominon. People who say, “Just stop comparing them,” don’t get it, and aren’t helpful.
Using some of my new skills like clicker training, is one way I can try to change it.
Then there is grieving for our previous dog. Sometimes we may not give ourselves enough time to work our way through it before going back for the next one. I’ve certainly done that.
Are there places like malls that you can go for walks inside until the snow begins to melt? Does Chicago have skyways like Minneapolis does? Could you play some of the clicker games that help build your relationship with your dog, and teach him things you want him to know at the same time?
Using the clicker to help build your relationship with harper could actually be a productive way to spend this time where traveling is tough. Then when the weather improves, you will have a great foundation to work from. The click-to-guide listserv is a good place to get started.
Short walks are better than no walks. And – remember it’s February. We’re on the down hill slide…
Hang in there, and thanks for sharing this side of guide dog handling.
What a great idea –Using the clicker to help build my relationship with harper could actually be a productive way to spend this time stuck inside. Thanks for the suggestion, Lolly — don’t think I would have come up with that one myself.
Then when
Hi Beth, Happy Brithday to Harper. I’m sure you and Mike are missing Hanni but Harper will be wonderful, too. I have a friend that usees Yaktracks and likes them a lot. Enjoy! Spring is just around the corner.
Ah, yes. Don’t know how old you are, but I can *still( remember being in college and feeling the Illinois frost back in January of 1979…
Oh, if only I had read all these Yaktracks warnings before I tried them – I *did* fall on the lobby floor downstairs after trying them out in the great outdoors. Wasn’t hurt, thank goodness. Have been careful on tile ever since.
And then this morning I went to put my boots on and, you’ll never guess. Only one still had the Yaktrack on it! Must have lost the other in the snow last night.
My sister Bev is coming in from Michigan tomorrow and offered to take me out to run errands. Maybe she and I will go out to a running store tomorrow and buy a pair of the ones for more “active wear” the ones that Katrin above says stay on better.
Can’t believe you haven’t tried Yaktracks before! I love them and have friends who actually run in them. You might even find them on sale at Sierra Trading Post on line. I also think LLBean has their own version. They will make you feel much more secure in winter here. I sent them to my dad as well.
And very belated congratulations on the new man in your life (Harper that is) and your successful training with him. I followed your posts and Mike’s (great job Mike) and loved hearing about the progress. Too bad dogs don’t sled, which is one of the best ways to enjoy the weather right now.
Gretchen
You know, I’m guessing one of the reasons I never tried Yaktracks before is that, without ever actually *seeing* them being worn by anyone, I didn’t realize they existed! Thanks for the heads up on Sierra Trading post, I might see if I can get them at a discount.
Your comment about sledding made me smile, I used to *love* to sled as a kid. Also helps remind me of the positive things about snow and cold — thanks.
Beth
Letting Hanni retire was the right thing to do and missing her is natural. I’ve lost two dogs in the last year or so and it’s devestating. Even if they were living, with someone else, it wouldn’t make me miss them any less. They are part of us and Harper will be too. He just has a lot to live up to. Give yourself a break. And know….Harper won’t let you down and you will have a very special (yet different) bond with him in time. Hang in there….mid 50s next week!!
Amy
Thanks for the encouragement, Amy, You are so right –Harper and I are getting closer and closer each day.
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Thanks for your honesty. It is such a journey and adore my second guide, Cricket … it may be the third that have this experience with. Hoping for spring soon!
Buying Yaktrax saved me from the Chicago winter this year too! I love them.
Second Dog Syndrome…even though I don’t have a service dog I think that is what happened to me after I lost my heart dog Ginger and got a new dog. It just wasn’t the same. Ginger was so in-tune with me and went everywhere with me (everywhere pets are allowed) and then having to start again with a new dog was just so hard. I was glad I had decided to get an adult dog though instead of buying a puppy that I originally wanted. I had just lost my 12 year old Golden (Ginger) and 14 year old terrier mix Pooch, within 3 months of each other, and I think a puppy would have been a huge shock to the system after having gotten used to two senior dogs! My “new” dog Bianca the GSD came to me at 4 years old so the transition was less of a shock but still so difficult…
It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one…thanks!
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