Journal
Working in the City
Working in the City
16th September 2009
Introduction
Vance was always meant to be a city dog. When I was originally assessed before joining the waiting list one of the prime factors noted was my busy life, living and working in London. Until last week, however, due to a number of issues, I hadn't been able to return to my London home, and consequently had not rehearsed any routes there.
All of that changed last Thursday (10/09/2009) when we made our way up to Waterloo for my final three days of training. Here are my recollections of this short but intensive introduction to working a guide dog on the mean streets of London.
Journal Article
Arriving at London Waterloo last Wednesday, accompanied by our trusty Guide Dogs trainers, Vance and I were both looking forward to the day ahead. Circumstances beyond my control had meant that I was unable to return to my London flat, meaning that in order to practice the routes that I would require on my full-time return to the city entailed a ninety minute each-way train journey and a mile's walk at each end of the day, in addition to the street pounding we would surely face when undergoing the main part of the training. This was by no means ideal, and hence much of our energy in the time since returning from Barnett Hill had been spent honing our (probably mostly my) skills, and experience of working together.
The main priorities in London were to be able to get up to my London office from my current location, to be able to commute to work there once I return full-time, to find my way around the part of south-west London where I live, and to reach Greenland Dock in Rotherhithe, where I sail with Tideway Sailability (www.tidewaysailability.org).
The first part of this was relatively easy. After negotiating the new ticket barriers at Waterloo we strode out across the busy concourse heading for the Victory Arch and the steps down to the bus stop. At least it should have been easy - trying to get a guide dog to take a straight line through a station environment entirely lacking in natural direct routes is difficult enough, discovering that the bus stop has moved since the last time you were there is just needless complication. Nevertheless Vance immediately began to demonstrate why he had been matched with me. Eagerly looking ahead, taking in everything around him, Vance navigated a path between the ambling crowds, roller suitcases and concourse furniture - speeding up to overtake slow moving couples before steadying himself behind larger groups. Whilst his enthusiasm sometimes got the better of both of us, leaving me breathlessly attempting to slow him down, he was clearly in his element. Once on the bus however he happily sunk to the floor, and took his chance of a rest before the next period of work began.
Prior to London the busiest street in which I had worked Vance was on the residential element of my training, when we paid a visit to Guildford on one busy Monday afternoon. My abiding memory of that walk - perhaps only ten minutes in length, was of being entirely overwhelmed by the speed of travel, rush of senses, and need to communicate clearly and efficiently with my guide. Vance showed himself to be truly brilliant at maneuvering in complex street environments, leaving me feeling decidedly outclassed, and flattened by my own inability to put into practice all that I had learnt to that day. After what had seemed to me to have been a successful and promising first week I suddenly felt quite deflated at the thought of just how far I still had to go.
Guildford had certainly been a shock, but thankfully I had been warned to expect these occasion lows and set-backs. In some ways it made me more determined to think more carefully about what I was doing, what I was saying and how I was saying it, and to treat the training period with an even greater degree of respect. This never was going to be a walk in the park, and I really had to concentrate. In hindsight it proved to be a turning point for me. I already knew how important it was to control my speed when working Vance, but Guildford focused my mind further - if I was to understand the world around me, and give Vance the instructions and reassurance he needed to guide me through it, it would be imperative to prioritise those "steadies" and plan my communication more carefully.
Practice certainly also played its part. Once back at home the two of us were able to bond in a more natural environment. Whilst I still had much to learn - particularly in terms of the content and delivery of my communication with Vance when working, our walks on familiary territory allowed me address these difficulties more constructively, until as if by magic, the once-alien commands became a little more intuitive. Only then, once I no longer had to think "forward", "find left" or "steady" - and instead responded naturally to circumstances, I was able to think about the encouragement I gave to Vance - providing him with the impetus to continue striving to please me.
This is all a rather long-winded way of explaining how I got from my first busy walk, to my second one. Central London is not short on distractions, and even Vance - a quite conscientious worker - can be led astray. He loves, however, nothing better than to rush through throngs of tourists planning and revising his route, adjusting to the demands placed upon him by each new pavement. Vance really showed what he could do - on Victoria Street, in Docklands, outside the Palace of Westminster and along Whitehall. Time after time he proved how much easier my mobility can be, not only at night when I lose most of my sight, but also in the day when street furniture, vehicles and other pedestrians present a constant hazard.
After our third trip to London on Monday, walking routes from work to Vauxhall Station, and from the office along to Charing Cross (a vital route required when meeting friends for drinks...) we received the news we had been working towards. Just over a month after setting out on this great journey together we had now come to the end of our formal training. The Guide Dogs instructors felt that I was now working Vance in an appropriate, safe way, consistent with the advice I had been given. I was now much more comfortable and confident with him, and benefiting from my good sense of direction and knowledge of routes. We were now ready to go out into the big wide world (well, within reason), and would not - unless I felt the need, require another visit until the six/eight week follow-up.
This is brilliant news, as it frees me to travel around as I need to, and to begin truly benefiting from the additional indepedence and freedom that Vance gives to me. I would like to thank Delia and Emma for their incredible help, support and belief throughout this period.
I only hope that I can live up to their expectations, and be a good owner for Vance - I certainly owe it to him.
