A Journey of Change, Patience, and Love
Last Winter, Quan had a series of seizures. It was absolutely terrifying. I took him to the vet and called the school where he was trained. The consensus was to wait and see. I remember being told that, sometimes, a dog will have a seizure and never have another one.
Unfortunately, this is not what happened with Quan. A few weeks after that first seizure he had three in a row. We took him to the emergency vet where he stayed overnight. They put him on medication and we brought him home the next day.
For several days, he seemed disoriented and not very stable on his feet. We babied him and helped him the best we could. His vision on the right side was definitely affected requiring caution when navigating doorways and stairs.
It seemed clear that Quan’s working life was over. I called the school to let them know what was going on and completed my application to train with a new dog. I have to admit, all of that seemed distant and slightly amorphous. I was focused on Quan in the “here and now.”
A few weeks after the last seizure, we tried taking a little walk on our quiet dirt road. I walked sighted guide with my husband, Jim. Although I took my harness with me, I just had Quan on a leash. He moved slowly at first but seemed to enjoy the little outing. After a week or so of these walks, I noticed that Quan was pulling ahead on his leash. So I harnessed him and, to my surprise, he pulled right out and guided me all the way home.
I experimented with letting Quan work in various environments. Granted, none of these were especially arduous, complicated, or dangerous. He wanted to work so I let him.
Fast forward to today. I guess the average dog handler would say that Quan is semi-retired. His pace is often too slow for my liking. He occasionally gets too close to the right edge of sidewalks and I step off. And he’s not great at marching right up to intersections and halting on a dime.
I’ve made allowances for all of this. When he seems slow or reluctant, I sometimes just take Jim’s arm and walk sighted guide for a bit. Or I let Jim lead with Quan following him quite readily. Sometimes I use a lightweight cane so I can keep track of the right edge of the sidewalk or path and avoid stepping off.
The old boy still has some surprises up his sleeve. We went to the beach recently and he did great. He worked without hesitation. Even on long hikes he pulled steadily and guided flawlessly.
Last weekend, we climbed a mountain in a local park. It was the same thing. He never hesitated, working beautifully for the entire five mile hike. Quan and I led the entire way back and he nailed every turn in the complicated route.
It’s now been almost a year since I completed my application to train with a new dog. The problem is that the school doesn’t have many shepherds available right now. Quan is doing the best he can. I know his work will never be what it was. I’m grateful when he pulls right out in harness. Otherwise, I’m trying to be patient and flexible.
