Two Weeks to Go

In two weeks I will be with Dinka in Beit Oved! As time goes by and the course and my new partnership with DInka slowly grow closer, my longing for a dog grows stronger. I am ready to begin a new partnership now, inspired by the memories of the wonderful partnership I had with Suki. I know that one of the things that is helping me keenly look forward to a new partnership with Dinka is the knowledge of what a wonderful partnership I had with Suki, and I know I can have that again.


After making contact with DInka's puppy raiser I was able to excitedly scroll through dozens of pictures depicting DInka from early puppyhood until the day she was returned to Beit Oved to begin her training. There was great love there and a lot of devotion. I can't wait to give DInka that same devotion that her puppy raiser gave her, and to let her use everything she has learned in her training to help get my life back on track again.

Until then, Suki remains in my mind. It has been three months now since I lost her, and although it seems an eternity since I have been without a dog by my side, memories of Suki are still as vivid as ever. I continually push those last horrible moments out of my mind and dwell on the fun times – recalling our last days together in New York, reading the humorous accounts of our times together in my blog, thankful for the wealth of pictures and stories that I saved . The fond memories will remain with me forever. I know that there will be certain things that DInka will do that will bring a comforting reminder of Suki. Will Dinka like the beach and get into water at any opportunity? Will she lay with one foreleg curled as I once saw her do in Beit Oved, just as Suki used to do? Will she approach me waving a toy, eager to play? Will she pull on the harness eagerly as we approach the sea? I realize that these things, or any other reminder of Suki, will be a comfort - a sort of continuity. Both dogs have their own character, charm, and delightful personality, and there will be other things that I will discover that will make DInka special. I will love DInka unconditionally, and still love Suki and cherish the memories of the time I had with her.

Dinka's Puppy Days

It is hard to keep rumors from running along the grapevine of the Internet like wildfire.  With forums and Facebook acquaintences people are all in contact with eath other and if A knows B and B knows C, than soon an acquaintence will be established between A and C.  And so, the cat - or rather, the dog - got out of the bag and Dinka's puppy raiser and I found each other.  And now that the news is out, we will lay low until the course begins.  However, we are both delighted, and can share the mixed sadness and joy of seeing a new partnership beginning after difficult partings - she from Dinka and me from Suki.

So here, courtesy of DInka's puppy raiser -  is one of the many photos of DInka when she was about 8 weeks old in December of 2010 with her blue puppy jacket looking like a stuffed toy dog.  And today she is still lovely.

One Week with a Substitute Dog

When my friend Liron told me that she was going to Mykanos for a week and needed to find a place to leave Petel, I realized that this was a great opportunity for all three of us to benefit: Petel would have a week in the country, Liron would have a solution for caring for Petel, and I would have a dog to care for and enjoy for a week.   So arrangements were made for me to collect Petel and for me to return her to Tel Aviv the following week.
Petel did very well here - she seemed to settle down and was content.  Although I was not sure I would work with her in harness, I soon realized that the temptation was too great to resist, and that I could not walk her and use a cane at the same time.  I realized even more acutely how much I depended on Suki and how much I miss having a guide dog, how difficult it is to get around without one and how lonely it is in the house - even with Nuala here.  Friends, taxi drivers, and other acquaintences greeted me and enthusiastically congratulated me on my new guide dog, and I had to tell them that this was not my new dog - not yet...
I felt a real pang of sorrow when I returned to Tel Aviv, transferred Petel to Liron's neighbor who would bring her home, and then turned away to make my way back to the train station with a cane.  I boarded the train, missing SUki more acutely than I had for a long time.  Even someone else's guide dog is a comfort.  Only five weeks to go until the course!