Burgess continues to be a wonder. Every day is another level of trust and love, both personally and professionally. The body positioning required to be led by a guide dog is tantamount to ballet...it's sort of a turnout...very foreign feeling to the body, but like ballet, every little movement has a meaning all it's own...to you and to the dog; but when it's done right, it's a thing of beauty.
Every day I spend with big Burgess is another marvel of communication. The day we were introduced, the first thing he did was put his big paw on my knee and look me straight in the eye...he continues to do that whether we're on the bus to go for guide training, or in the dayroom watching TV, or just in my room playing. I did'nt understand that gesture then, but I do NOW. It's his way of saying, "I love you". There's others...his chin resting on my lap, his five-minute wiggle dance when we first wake up...or even a quick smile he'll flash me. Tonight while playing tug of war with him, the "King of the Kennel" yanked me out of my chair on onto the floor.
Like all roomates though, there were personal hurdles to be surmounted. For instance, when I took him out for a walk, he wouldn't go at all for two days...nothing. Actually he STILL won't go in front of me...unless my back is turned. He'll circle around me a bunch of times to see if I'm looking, so now the deal is, that I turn my back and he shows me where it is afterwards, for scooping purposes. Burgess the persnickety pooper.
The revelation of today is trust your dog. Stay with the stride of your guide.
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