Re: A Question About Guide Dogs
Being from North Carolina myself, I know how country/rural some of those towns can be. I've never even heard of Hayesville! Apparently, it has a population of 311. My Hometown is about 4250 if you don't take in the surrounding towns. I think living out in the sticks can be hard as a blind person in general. Town may be ten miles away, but do you have parks around your house? a little run-in store? Is it all just woods? Can you take transportation from your house and get into town so you can work the dog there? What might you and the dog do together on a day to day basis?
You're 17 now, so what are your plans after high school? Are you going to continue your education, or stay home while you plan things out? If you stay at home for a bit, what are you and the dog going to do with your time? My girl is lazy and does okay with fewer walks, but other dogs will be higher energy. A guide dog school will ask you questions like this. what is your routine like? What de stinations will you travel to? What are you going to be doing with your life? Will the dog get enough work, or will you just keep it at home all the time?
It sounds like your parents are driving this train, and that concerns me. A dog is your responsibility, as others have said. The key word here is your. Your partner. Dependent on you. You are its lleader. you aren't just responsible for feeding it and cleaning up after it, but it's on you to make sure the dog is exercised, and behaves well, and isn't bored. When people refuse you access to a place, it's on you to step up and speak for yourself. You have to keep up the dog's training. You have to take on a guardian role and decide what is best for your dog, and for you both as a working team. It's your job to educate yourself and figure out which school is best for you. You have to be at the front of this train, leading this whole process.
All that said, I think you absolutely can work a do g in po-dunk rural North Carolina. But I think it requires a lot of self-advocacy, meaning you have to stand up for yourself and take charge of your own life. I think it will certainly be harder for a team than living in town, but it can be done if you're motivated. I didn't get my dog until after college, because I was barely able to manage my own life at the time, let alone be a parent/guardian/leader for another living being. Do your own research on the internet. Your parents absolutely should not be the ones handling all this for you.
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