Together (13 page)

chapter thirteen

Dinner was
over, and the moment had arrived. All the students moved into the big common
room and sat in chairs spread out with enough space so that their animals could
lie comfortably next to them.

Brenden
sensed a change in the atmosphere. People were quietly anticipating what was to
come. It was much like the feeling he used to get before taking the field for a
big football game. Nervous anticipation, he decided. People on edge. And what
was he feeling? Despite himself there was a sense of—what was it? Anticipation?
Curiosity? Dread? Hope? He couldn't tell.

He still did
not quite believe that he really wanted a dog, but he had to admit that the
last two days with this guy, Smitty, had been—well, it had been interesting. He
had learned a lot, and he noticed that his senses were much more alive than
they had been when he was sighted or in the rehabilitation program. He at least
acknowledged to himself that he was willing to experiment, to meet this new
animal, to check it out and see what happened.

The sliding
door opened at the far end of the room, and he heard the sound of jingling
chains and leashes. Spontaneous and enthusiastic applause broke out. The dogs
were here, and so was Smitty.

"Good
evening, ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "Your best friends have
arrived, or at least I hope so. Remember the basic rule. At this point in your
relationship, the dogs know more about the work than you do, so you're going to
have to earn their love. Because of the way things operate around here, with
most of you coming back for your second, third, or—"

"Fifth
dog," Jimmy put in.

Smitty
chuckled.

"Or
fifth, Jimmy. I know most of you, and so I've got a pretty good idea of the
matches we've made. Let's begin. In deference to your age, Jimmy, we'll start
with you. Stand up and take two steps forward."

Jimmy's chair
squeaked as the old man stepped out. An assistant came forward with Nan, and as
Jimmy's hands stretched out and touched her, tears began to fill his eyes and
pour down his face.

"Oh
Smitty," he said shakily, "you old son of a gun. You found another
golden. Oh my, another golden."

Jimmy was
hugging the young dog now, and she licked his face.

"A match
made in heaven, Jimmy," Smitty said. "Made in heaven."

Lorraine was
next, and she was given one of the new Labradoodles that Smitty said would be
great for her to work with on the west side of Manhattan.

Now Smitty
stood in front of Brenden. "Well, Brenden, I know it's your first dog, and
you're probably pretty nervous, but I want you to know that I think I picked
you out a great one."

Smitty was
glad that Brenden couldn't see his eyes, because behind them was his passionate
hope that this young guy might just be right for Nelson.

He went on.
"I know we talked about your application and your desire to be active, so
we chose an animal that we think can be just as enthusiastic. Let me introduce
you to your new black Lab guide dog, Nelson."

Brenden heard
the jingling of a collar and the click of nails on the tile floor as someone
brought this Nelson across the room. What was he supposed to do? Reach out and
pat the animal or stand still? He didn't know, and more than that, he felt
embarrassed and somewhat awkward among these people who seemed to be so
comfortable in their relationships with new dogs.

"Come
on, Brenden," Smitty said, "reach out and pat him. He's right in
front of you."

Brenden moved
his hand tentatively forward, and his motion seemed to unnerve the young dog.
He turned his head and sort of stepped back.

"Come
on, Nelson," the woman handler said, encouraging, "meet your new
master."

"Maybe
we should forget it," Brenden blurted out.

Smitty
interrupted. "Maybe you ought to get right down there on your knees, pal,
and give him a hug. That's what they want. They want to know you love
them."

Smitty didn't
miss the way Brenden knelt in front of the dog. Thirty years of working as a
trainer told him immediately that this newly blind guy still wasn't sure if he
wanted an animal or not, and Smitty noted that he would have to continue to
watch closely for all of the danger signs. Smitty hoped he hadn't made another
mistake.

Brenden's
hands were finally exploring the animal, feeling the contours of a large head,
thick neck, broad shoulders, deep chest, short, coarse coat, and a tail that
now wagged with delight at being petted, even if the touch was tentative.

"All he
wants is to work and be loved," Smitty said. "Not too different from
any of us, if you think about it. Now Andrea will give you his leash. Just tell
him 'down,' and keep him right next to your chair while we give out the other
dogs."

Over the next
half hour Brenden listened to the overwhelming happiness as the rest of the
class met their new guide dog companions. What he felt was a mixture of
discomfort and fear as he realized how little he knew about working with
animals.

Oh sure, he
loved Gus. Gus was his friend. But their relationship didn't involve any direct
responsibility, one for the other. He had to admit he was scared. Afraid
of—what? Failure? He wasn't sure.

He held the
leash tightly in both hands and never reached down to pat the animal that lay
quietly on the floor next to his chair. Every once in a while the young man
touched the dog with his foot just to make sure he hadn't moved, but he simply
wasn't comfortable enough to make real physical contact.

He noticed that every time Smitty came by, the dog's tail
thumped the floor.
That's who he loves,
Brenden thought.
He loves his trainer. Well, he probably doesn't
have to worry. I may not be around long anyway.

Smitty
addressed the group again. "Okay everybody, you know the rules. No
cheating and trying to work with your animal until we start class tomorrow.
Just love them and keep them at heel, and don't let them mess with the other
dogs. Let's have a nice social hour, and then we'll turn in. There'll be a lot
of work tomorrow, so try to catch some real Zs, even though I know you'll
probably be up all night checking to make sure that your new friend is
real."

Jimmy
interrupted again. "Hey, Smitty, is it all right, since I've had four dogs
before this girl, if I teach her to go down the hall and find Lorraine's
room?"

"Jimmy,
you're impossible," Smitty said with a smile in his voice. "Okay
Breakfast is at seven. See you in the morning."

Smitty watched Brenden from a distance, understanding the
tension the guy felt.
I'm going to have to get in this
young man's head,
he realized, looking at him for
probably the tenth time.
If I had it to do over again, I
don't think I'd give Nelson to this guy. The dog is too good. As of now, I
don't know if McCarthy can ever come to appreciate him, but I've been wrong
before, so we'll try it. We'll see.

When the
social hour was over, Smitty made sure he accompanied Brenden and Nelson to
their bedroom. The dog kept pulling on his leash, trying to get to Smitty.
Brenden was surprised that the trainer completely ignored the animal.

"Why
don't you talk to him?" Brenden asked. "He obviously wants to be with
you and not me."

"That's
true," Smitty said, "but you're his master now. Other than to correct
him and work with you, I have to ignore him."

Brenden still
didn't understand. "But isn't that hard?" he asked. "I mean to
not pay attention to him?"

"It's
the toughest part of what I do"—Smitty sighed—"when I have to give up
a friend, but that's part of the job. There is compensation. When I see a team
come together, it feels great. I hope that happens to you, McCarthy. Now reach
down at the end of the bed. You'll find a tie down link, and I want you to attach
Nelson's leash to it. Do you feel it?"

Brenden bent
down and found what Smitty was talking about.

"When
you go to bed, he may do some crying as long as he thinks I'm still in the
building, but don't pay any attention to him. Just tell him no, and if he keeps
it up, give him one reassuring pat. No more than that. If you give him too much
love, he'll think that crying at night is okay. There's a lot of psychology in
this process, Brenden. There's an awful lot to learn."

As the door
closed and Smitty left the room, the Lab began to whine. Brenden hated the
sound.

"Okay,
fur ball, okay," he said, "just shut up, will ya? I probably don't
want to be here any more than you do, but for now we're stuck with each other,
so let's try to get a little sleep, okay?"

The dog's
answer was to whine again, forcing Brenden to climb out of bed and pat him.

"Listen,
Nelson," he said in the dark, "you seem like a nice enough fella, and
I'm sorry you drew me. Let's just try to get along, all right?"

The animal
sniffed the man as if he was trying to decide where Brenden was really coming
from. Then he rolled onto his side, exposing his belly, and the man tentatively
rubbed it. The dog's sigh said he was resigned to the idea that he would be
staying here tonight, and he soon fell asleep. He probably thought his present
circumstance was at least better than the kennel. Brenden climbed back into bed
and fell asleep as well.

Brenden didn't need his
alarm
clock
to wake him up the next morning. The big dog licked his foot. Somehow in the
night, the man extended it outside the sheets, and his toes were very much in
the animal's reach. The dog gave a good morning lick to each one.

Other people
were already up. Brenden could hear the sounds of dogs and humans moving up and
down the corridor outside his door, and he soon joined them. He was surprised
when everybody headed outside before sitting down to breakfast.

"It's
time to park our dogs," Jimmy said. "This is when you find out if you
really want one, when you have to clean up after them."

"What
are you talking about?" Brenden said. "You mean we actually have
to—"

"That's
right," another student's voice chimed in. "You have to get right
down there and pick it up."

"Actually,"
Smitty said, "there's a technique, but you won't be learning that today.
We have a common area for parking. These guys are just giving you a hard time,
Brenden."

"Parking?"
Brenden said. "That sounds like a pretty good word for what happens."

"You'll
find out how good it is," Jimmy told him. "That's a word you really
want your dog to know."

Everybody
talked about the dogs during breakfast, giving first impressions and sharing
how special each already thought his or her new friend to be. They all
expressed feelings except Brenden. At this point, he had no feelings about
Nelson. They were just there together, not bonded.

All the
students crowded into vans, and at a little after eight, they arrived at the
lounge to begin the first day's interaction with their new working partners.

As Brenden
would quickly learn, every day began with obedience. Those basic commands of
come,
down, sit, stay,
and
heel
reminded the dog he now worked for a new master and
gave the student the confidence to believe that he could handle his animal.

This work
went on through the morning, and after lunch Brenden was surprised when Smitty
told him that they were actually going to be harness training with their dogs
right away. He hadn't realized it would happen that fast.

They stood
outside the lounge on the corner of First Street, an area that Smitty said was
a long block of just straight walking.

"Don't
worry," he told Brenden, "all you're going to do is walk up and down
here, maybe a hundred and fifty yards, to get used to the feeling of a real
animal pulling on the harness. Okay? I have to warn you, Nelson is a
particularly strong dog. When you give him the command, 'Nelson, forward,'
you're really going to get a response, so be ready to feel some real torque in
the harness. The key to good work is not in how hard the dog pulls but in how
steady the pull is. If it's steady, you can read it and understand the
subtleties, and I can tell you from my work with Nelson, his pull is wonderful.
Are you ready? Okay, give him the command, and then follow your dog."