Disclaimer: How I wish the boys were mine. But no, they belong to someone else.
Thanks to my guide dog Hula's puppy walkers for doing the beta work on this story.
Please read 'Here comes goodbye' before you read this story. Although I think this one could be read as a stand alone story too. Happy reading and reviewing.]
This story had been written after Darkflame's Pyre had asked me to write a story on how Hula and I met. So here it is for those of you who had been wondering about it to.
My first thought upon awaking was to take my guide dog Zahara out for her busy. Sitting up in bed, I realized that she wasn't there, banging the wall with her tail or jumping up to greet me. Where a dog should have been at the foot of my bed, attached to a benching chain, there was only an empty space.
I was so used to following a routine with my guide dog that I had no idea what to do now that she was gone. I just wanted to run away and cry. I felt so lost and alone without my guide bugging the hell out of me to take her outside or to play with her.
Hoping I wouldn't meet anyone, I crept down to the dogs' feeding room. I stood for a while at the door that leads out to the kennels for a while listening to the birds and the barking of the dogs.
I found myself walking down the row of kennels to where I knew Zahara would be, wagging her tail faster and faster as I came closer to fetch her. The other dogs jumped up against their gates as I passed by, barking to get my attention. Stopping at the last kennel, I saw Zahara looking at me from behind her gate. I put out my hand to pet her. "Hey girl, how are you?" As I tried to touch her the image of Zahara disappeared before my eyes-the kennel was empty. I gripped the gate bars with both hands and dropped my head against them.
My beloved pup was gone! Surely Zahara must hate me for having left her, never to return ever again. But in the back of my mind I also heard the trainer assuring me that Zahara would be very happy in her new home with her new friend, and that dogs, unlike humans, don't hold grudges.
I slowly became aware of the house mother calling me. Dragging myself away from the empty kennel, I headed towards her. Looking up at me from her electric wheelchair she saw my pain. "Hey, John, it's okay. You'll be just fine once you have your new baby at your side. Come eat your breakfast."
Nodding my head, I silently followed the house mother to the dining room and sat down at the long table. Staring vacantly out of the open sliding doors, I was aware only of the cool breeze coming in. There was a tap on my arm. I gave a startled "Huh?" This time the house mother whacked me. "Only a monkey says 'Huh'!" I could imagine her reproving look. "Sorry, Mam. I was thinking about Zahara." My face reddened. This wasn't the first time I'd been scolded by this woman, but even so I loved to talk to her. She was a real mom to everyone, chiding you when you did something wrong, praising you when you did something right.
As the house mother served up my cereal, I kept on wanting to reach down under the table to check where Zahara should have been beside my feet. When a cold bowl touched my hand I took it with a sheepish smile: "Thanks, Mam." Once finished, I left the dining room and walked past my old room. Again, there was Zahara, looking at me from inside the room. I turned away and hurried on. Safely inside my new room, I threw myself onto the bed and buried my face in my pillow. Zahara was haunting me everywhere I went.
I must have dozed off because new voices down the hall and in the courtyard roused me. It was the others, the students who were coming for their first or even second guide dog. I could hear the trainers greeting them. I wanted to hide and never come out.
And then, the dreaded knock at the door, as Zahara's trainer came in. He asked gently: "Hallo, John. Ready to begin training with your new guide?" "No!" I burst out. "I'll never be ready! I feel so horrible about all of this. I mean Zahara's your dog, you trained her, and now I've brought her back here. Aren't you mad at me for doing that?"
I could hear the smile in the trainer's voice: "Of course I'm not mad with you. Sometimes it happens that the dogs we train end up returning here. You tried hard to get Zahara to behave and do the job she was trained for. Zahara was a mismatch. But I'm pretty sure that the dog we have for you now is the right one for you and that you will have lots of fun with her." Seeing my hopeful look, he added: "No, you can't see her just yet." Taking my arm, he shoved me out the door. "Go say hi to everyone."
On the second day the trainers pretended that they were the dogs. We had to make them sit, stay, lie down and sit up again, or stand. When the dog, um, trainer, didn't listen, we had to repeat the command in a harsher voice. It was quite embarrassing ordering the trainers about in this way.
The third day we learnt how to give a correction using the harness. I ended up breaking one trainer's harness twice. "Gosh, you're strict," he commented. "No way your new dog will misbehave with you behind the handle." I wasn't sure if she was complaining or complimenting me.
For the next class, we were sat in the lounge again, this time with our harnesses, leads, brushes and collars laid out on the floor before each person. The harnesses had been taken apart and we had to learn how to put all the bits and pieces together again. Our reward, when we had mastered this, was to be told the names of our puppy walkers and dogs. Back in our rooms, we waited excitedly for the long-awaited, much looked forward to moment. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I could hear the panting of dogs and the other students talking to their new friends. The closer the sounds got, the giddier I became. Asmy door opened, I leapt up, only to trip over my own feet and fall down. From where I was on my hands and knees all I registered was a huge fluffy tail waving from side to side and two big beautiful eyes staring at me. What a funny sight for both the trainer and dog!
I pushed myself up into a sitting position. Passing me the lead, the trainer said: "This is Hula, your new guide." Hula bounced up and pasted a sloppy doggy kiss all over my face. The trainer grinned wickedly at my surprise and then left the two of us together. As soon as the door clicked shut Hula started to lick me, whimpering softly all the while. She licked my hands, face, neck and everywhere else she could find skin. She stopped only when the phone in my pocket began vibrating. I fumbled for it, but before I could utter a word, Hula squealed excitedly, trying to grab the phone from my hand. "Sorry, Dad, Hula wanted to speak to you first. Oh, that's her name by the way. She's a golden retriever."
Dad asked: "Hula who?" I laughed out loud. Playing along, I answered: "Hula-Hoop." My family persisted: "Hula-Hoop who?" Now laughing really hard, I said. "Hula-Hoop saying hello to you." A knock interrupted us. As the door opened, Hula dived towards it, room taking me with her. The trainer immediately corrected Hula, before saying: "It's your turn to do some house obedience with Hula and me." And none too soon, I thought to myself.
We began by making Hula sit at my door and wait there until I was out the door and had said 'come'. Then we practiced walking together at a slow and fast pace. I was surprised to find Hula was responding to me as if I had been working with her for years. When I mentioned this, the trainer, patting Hula on her head, agreed: "Hula's picked up that you mean what you say. She's already accepting you as the leader, something we don't always so soon after we've handed the dog over. So whatever you're doing, keep at it and her bond with you will grow stronger as the weeks pass." I felt like I'd been patted on the head too! "But," he cautioned, "you'll also have to get Hula to fall in love with you, because she's still head-over-heels in love with her trainer."
I almost said 'Huh?' but knowing the house mother was watching us I just managed to stop myself. As the house mother came closer Hula protectively tried to block her path. I gave her a quick "No, sit." Hula did as she was told. The house mother smiled approvingly: "Well now, who do we have here?" I beamed: "This is Hula. I love her already." Reversing her wheelchair, the house mother said: "I can see that you two will spend many happy years together. I told you that you'd feel much better once you had your new baby at your side."
It was time to take our dogs out to the busy field. Everyone was battling to get their dogs to either leave someone else's dog or to get them to slow down. It was chaotic!. Hula, also, tried her luck with me, but changed her mind when I reprimanded her. Instead, she channelled her energy into her tail, smacking everything and everyone with it as she strutted about.
After all the doggie mayhem we were left to bond with our new guides and do whatever we wanted to. I took a shower after first benching Hula for two very good reasons. One, my bathroom didn't have a door and the trainers had told me Hula loved water. I didn't want a wet dog with me in the shower, or out of it, for that matter. Two, I didn't know her well enough to trust her not to eat my precious chocolate on the bedside table.
The trainer called from the passage: "Time to go to dinner with your dogs." As I walked down the passage I heard a couple of students struggling to get their dogs to leave each other alone at the dining room door. I wondered just what fun the dogs might get up to when we were all at the table together.
As we settled our dogs next to us we were told what we would be having for dinner. The trainers helped the house mother and house father serve our food. While we were in the house we weren't allowed to do anything for ourselves. Our food, coffee, and other drinks were made and handed to us. I guess this made it easier for us and for everyone else.
We all were having a good time until a strange sawing sound rose above the chatter. Vibrations had been running through the table but I hadn't paid any attention to them. The woman next to me tapped my arm: "John, just check whether Hula's doing something under there."
I dropped my knife and fork on my plate, and felt for Hula's lead. To my horror I found out the cause of the rumbles! Hula was gnawing the table leg! I gave her a jerk, but she ignored me. I jerked her lead again, this time giving her one hell of a correction. She sprung up, banging her head hard against the underside of the table. Making Hula lie down again, I sat down on her shortened lead to keep her close to me, and finished my dinner, although I no longer felt hungry. I was feeling guilty and embarrassed about having to be extra firm with my dog.
After taking our guides out for a final busy we went to bed. I woke up in the early hours of the morning wondering what was going on. Something was crawling up against my leg, but for some reason I didn't feel afraid. It took my brain some time to realize that it was Hula trying to sneak onto my bed without waking me up. I found this so cute that at first I didn't have the heart to tell Hula to get off my bed. She gave a satisfied sigh as she snuggled closer, but I had to let her know that her little mission had failed. "Get off, girl! I will be killed if anyone finds you on the bed." How she managed to get onto my bed, benched as she was, I didn't know.
The first two weeks of classes went off really well. I had only a couple of hiccups. One was whenever Hula saw her beloved trainer. No matter how much I begged her to come, or pulled on her lead to move on, she wouldn't budge until her trainer disappeared. She was clearly still very much in love with him! The other was while we were walking past the zoo, when the wind started to blow towards us, bringing the smell of wild animals with it. Hula instinctively put the brakes on. Again she wouldn't move. When she did react, it was only to jump and buck in fright. The trainers had to walk with us back to the bus, encouraging Hula all the way and ensuring she didn't pull me into a tree or wall in her hurry to escape the beastly scents.
On the first two weekends our guide dogs were taken away from us and we were allowed to go home or visit friends. We got our dogs back from the kennels every Monday and, oh boy, were they happy to see us! I felt sorry for Hula the second Monday as she was led out. She charged forwards, tail waving madly, as she tried to reach me. She didn't even bother to look at her old beloved trainer. Now that was progress! The trainer had to correct Hula several times and walk back and forth with her until she realized that she had to walk 'nice and easy' in order to get to me. When Hula finally got close enough she leapt towards me, and as I grabbed hold of her, she neatly turned around and promptly sat down at my left side, just where she should be. I hadn't had to say a single word to get her to behave. I felt so chuffed!
During the first week we had had our photos taken with our dogs so that we could give the puppy walkers a memento of their puppies. Getting us humans to smile was easy enough, but the trainers had to work hard to get the dogs to look at the camera.
In the second week we went to a pizza restaurant. Happily, all the dogs behaved very well despite the tempting food aromas and activity all around us. Hula didn't try to eat the table. She was so quiet that I had to check a few times to see if she were still there under the table.
When the last weekend arrived I couldn't believe that three whole weeks of training had gone by. We all had mixed feelings about saying goodbye to everyone, going home and getting on with our own lives with our new companions. That final weekend our dogs stayed with us, as did the trainers. XXX
On the Saturday afternoon we were to meet our puppy walkers. But we had two last walks to do beforehand. The first walk went off well and I felt so proud of my new guide. Hula held her head high as if parading on the doggy walkway to fame. We then went on to a shopping mall. Just inside the mall was a butcher's shop on our left. As we got to it, Hula froze on the spot—her usual trick whenever she was unhappy about something. We got her past the butchery only by hypeing her up, after which she dragged me into a pillar in her excitement.
Once more Hula stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted a huge plush lion standing outside one of the shops in the mall. The trainer had to coax Hula up close to the lion for a reassuring look and a sniff, before she would move on. When we got back to the bus we had a good laugh with everyone about our very scary encounters.
On getting back to the training centre it too late to wash the dogs as had been planned, so we had to make do with a good brushing instead. Hula was candyfloss fluffy by the time I finished with her, and her tail wagged madly when she stepped out of her kennel. I think she found it funny that I had ended up with her hair all over me. I heard one of the trainers say: "Looks like we've got another retriever and it's walking on two paws."
After our last lunch together, we set off by bus for our very last walk of all. This was our dogs' graduation walk in which we would show the puppy walkers who we were and how well trained their pups had now become. Again Hula walked well and as we turned around to retrace our steps, I smiled to myself in relief, only to smack my face against a street pole. Someone called out: "Ouch, that's got to hurt!" I was so stunned that I just stood there for a few seconds before managing to show Hula what she had done wrong by doing the about-turn again. I was also so embarrassed that I couldn't look anyone in the eye as we walked back to the bus as fast as we could.
Back at the centre, it wasn't easy to get our dogs to focus on their busies. We could hear the puppy walkers arriving and the dogs could see them too. We all then gathered at the front door to wait for the trainers to let us out onto the grass where our visitors would be waiting. Each of us were given the framed photos we had had taken with our dogs, to present to the puppy walkers when we greeted them. Knowing that the dogs would likely make a dash for their puppy walkers, we were told, once we were led out the front door, to let go of the lead as soon as the dogs started to pull. For a moment I felt quite sorry for Hula's puppy walkers. I knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of her jumps.
After a little while I noticed that Hula had started to wag her tail. Had she spotted her puppy walkers? A trainer told me that it was time to walk forwards. At my first step Hula started pulling madly. Dropping the lead, I listened as she bolted straight to her puppy walkers. I walked closer so I could hear them talk and play with Hula. It was my turn to be jumped at as Hula showed them who her new owner was. While she was running and leaping around in circles, someone took the photo from my hand and guided me to a seat at a table. The table wobbled when Hula crashed against it. Around me, I could hear the other puppy walkers greeting their dogs and the new owners.
I realized with a start that I was being spoken to. The puppy walker on my right introduced herself: "I'm Lis, and on your left is my daughter, Megan. She was Hula's puppy walker for the first two months until she had to go back to work. Then I took Hula over during the week, but Megs still had her on the weekends. So you can say raising her was a joint effort." I responded: "I'm John. It's so nice to meet you." I could see that they loved Hula dearly. I silently promised Hula that I would love her just as much as I had loved my first guide dog and that I would take good care of her. I knew that my family would love Hula to bits.
Hula suddenly pulled and nearly dragged me off my chair. I wondered how I would ever manage to talk to my puppy walkers and eat and drink something without it ending up on the ground or me. Lis, reading my thoughts, asked: "Would you like some coffee and chocolate cake, John?" I accepted eagerly, thinking: "If only they knew how much I loved anything chocolate." Before Lis could move, her daughter stood up: "It's okay Mom, I'll go get it for us."
I was beginning to feel quite relaxed when Lis suddenly asked. "I hear that Hula's your second guide dog. What had happened to your first one?" My heart sank. But deciding not to beat around the bush, I replied: "My first guide dog, Zahara, had some, um, busy problems. I couldn't go anywhere without her messing." I paused for a moment to listen for any of the trainers or someone from the house, before continuing. "Zahara gave me problems from day one. I told Guide Dogs on my very first day with her that there was something wrong. I wanted to try out my backup dog, but they told me to give Zahara a chance, that I could be feeling this way because she was my first guide dog."
Unsure who else could hear me, I started feeling uneasy. Lis seemed to sense this because, before I could continue, she said: "It's okay, you don't have to say any more. You must have had a very difficult time with her. Let's hope things will go much better with Hula." I looked down at my lap and thought: "If Hula's worse than Zahara was I will never get another guide dog ever again. It's been bad enough letting one go, and it'll be even worse to let another go."
By now I was feeling a little guilty about what I had said. We were told not to say anything that could put the puppy walkers off raising puppies, but I had been asked a question I couldn't lie about. I looked straight at Lis. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset you, but once I start talking about something that's bothering me, I can't stop."
I heard the coffee and cake being put down on the table. Megan was back. Lis must have smiled because I could hear it in her voice. "Don't worry, I'm not upset at all. I asked an awkward question and you answered honestly. I really appreciate that. We know that some puppies don't make the grade as guide dogs, or have difficulties when they go to a new owner.
My cup suddenly jerked, spilling coffee onto the table. Hula had jumped up because the house father had come up to chat. My heart thumped. Hell, if he overheard what we'd just been talking about, I'm busted, I thought. I heard Lis say: "We're having a great time together." Maybe he hadn't heard anything. Looking at the house father, I apologised: "Yeah, and I've just lost half of my coffee to the table, as you can see." Megan laughed: "Not John's fault, Hula's alive down here." The house father moved off with a "See you at dinner, tonight, John." I wondered if that was a promise or a threat.
Everyone was starting to get up and saying goodbye to each other. Finishing my coffee and cake I invited Lis and Megan to my room. I wanted to show them Hula's bed and to give them some time to play with their pup one last time. Hula started to pull as soon as we started to walk; she knew where I was heading. We had been told not to correct our dogs in front of our puppy walkers but I had to do something to slow Hula down before I fell flat on my face. Hoping that the trainers wouldn't notice, I gave Hula a few small corrections. Thankfully those helped somewhat and we made it to my room. Once inside Hula jumped up against Lis and then Megan. She knew they were about to say goodbye to her. I pointed to the foot of my bed where Hula's new bed was. Lis and Megan agreed that it was a super bed for their girl, but this didn't ease my guilt at taking their pup away from them. I was delighted when Lis asked for my email address and mobile number. Smiling, I got my own phone out of my pocket and swapped details with them. Two more wonderful friends for me!
"I'm so glad that I got to see you guys today. I can see that you two love Hula so much and that you'll miss her very much too. I promise I'll take good care of her and love her as much as I loved Zahara And thank you for raising Hula-Hoop to be the beautiful dog she is now." Lis gave me a soft hug. "Yes, we'll miss Hula, but we're also so happy to finally meet her new owner. We can see that Hula and you will make a great team together." It was really good to hear that.
Then Megan hugged me and said goodbye. Hula jumped and grabbed at her hands as if to keep her from leaving. As they left my room Hula realized that they weren't coming back again. Hula tried to follow them and gave one frantic bark to get them to turn around. Looking back one last time Lis and Megan waved briefly before disappearing down the hall. Hula turned towards me, jumped up and started to lick at my face as she cried for her puppy walkers. I hugged her close to try and soothe her. I understood why she was upset and felt a bit sad myself to see the puppy walkers leave.
By this time some of the students had already left. It would feel strange being the only ones left in the big house that night. After bidding the last two students farewell, I stopped just inside my room and looked around. In one corner were my bags, along with Hula's bed and a bag of dog food, and on the other side of the room was the table which I had used for my laptop. It was empty now. It felt depressing.
We walked outside to the courtyard and sat down on one of the benches. Soon it was only Hula and me. I couldn't believe this last day was nearly over. I heard the house mother calling me to dinner.
Entering the dining room, I jumped when the house father spoke: "Evening, John. How's your day been?"As I sat down I thought: "Oh, great, now I'm going to get it and get it good." I jumped again when the house father spoke right next to me. "Are you okay?"
Nodding my head I stared in front of me. "I'm just thinking of the three weeks we have been here and about my first guide dog, Zahara. I know that I shouldn't think about her but I can't help it." Putting a plate in front of me the house father replied:. "That's quite understandable. However, you shouldn't beat yourself up over it." He fetched my coffee
and placed it, as usual, in front of the plate. "It's pizza tonight. Enjoy. I'll be with the house mother if you need something."
The next morning I was up at half past four and got myself and Hula ready for the long road ahead of us. One of the trainers from Guide Dogs was going home with me to help me teach Hula the routes I would be using. Once in the car, I closed my eyes. I awoke only when we stopped at a fast food restaurant. Again I dozed off, and the next thing I knew we were almost there. Hula was curiously looking out of the window at all the new places passing by.
When we stopped outside the hotel my family were standing at the door waiting for us. As with Zahara, they kept quiet while Hula and I walked up to them. I let Hula sniff them and lick their hands. The only one missing was Alan, but I knew where he was.
After letting Hula inspect everyone we took her inside. I had to show her each room that she would be using and tell her what it was used for. I felt like a bit of an idiot doing this, especially with my family following me. Gordon was watching us but I knew he wouldn't make fun of me right now as the others would kill him for sure! My trainer then took Hula for a sniff outside. It was time to give each member of the family a big hug. I had missed them so much.
As Hula came bounding back, dragging the trainer after her, my father put his arm around my shoulders. "Welcome back, son." Grandma tookto my hands in hers. "Welcome back, my boy. You have a lovely girl there. We all love her already." I nodded happily: "I know Grandma, I know."
Looking at Scott, Virgil, Gordon, Grandma and my Dad I knew that Hula had already been accepted as part of the family It was time to close the book on my first guide dog, Zahara, and begin a new book with Hula.