Christina: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Taking the Lead podcast where we empower people to be unstoppable. I'm Christina Hoeppner with my co-host Leslie Hoskins and Timothy Kuo. And today we have a shorter episode because we're gonna talk about Thanksgiving and the giving season. But first I wanted to tell you guys, I, um, I hope by the time this airs that she has a home, but I'm Rehoming one of our leader dog.
And she has been a joy to have. The one I have right now will only have two litters. Typically they have four, but she's already had two litters and, um, so she's looking for a forever home. And we have other leader dog moms too. Um, but the great thing about hosting Leader dog mom, uh, is that they become your forever pet after they're retired.
So it's great. But I have to tell you, having two dogs, I, I never thought, like, I thought it would be so hard to have two dogs.
Leslie: I. Oh my gosh. Christina's getting another dog. Everyone. Isn't that what she Yeah, she'll get a dog.
Timothy: Yeah, she's [00:01:00] getting another
Leslie: dog. Well, I'm
Christina: in an apartment right now, like I'm doing that house searching thing, you know?
Mm-hmm. , that adulting thing. Um, and yeah, it's just, it would be too hard to have full time, but right now Rehoming is fine for me, so it's great to give these dogs a home before they actually give a, get a home. It is hard though, I would say. To give 'em back, but I know that they're gonna go on to do great things by having litters of
Leslie: future leader dogs.
Yeah, that is a job perk. I will say at Leader Dog as a team member, um, you can be on a list to Rehome dogs and there's lots of different dogs that you might rehome, and Rehome basically means that. You're just providing them a place to stay before they find their forever home. Um, so that they're not spending all that time in the Canine Development Center, mostly because these dogs, you know, have just been in homes, whether that be with, um, the puppy razors or whoever it is.
And so to come back into the Canine Development Center, um, and not be in that formal [00:02:00] training where they're getting out quite regularly, they just have a little bit more downtime. Yeah. It's still a lovely place to be. They have. Plenty of visitors and they're well cared for, but just to keep 'em a little bit more comfortable, um, it's nice to be able to offer this little rehome and then they get to spend some time with somebody new.
Yeah. And she got
Christina: to come with me this morning to record
Leslie: this episode. Yes. And Christina's been doing a nice job of kind of putting it on Instagram too. So if you're not on our Instagram, make sure you check out, uh, the Leader Dog Instagram page cuz Christine puts kind of like some behind the scenes stuff.
I know. I enjoyed it this weekend. Looking.
Timothy: Seems had a blast with her this weekend. I could tell that
Christina: on the Instagram I did. It was a lot of fun. And, um, my dog, duke loved her. Like it was funny, like I, cuz we had a different dog a couple days ago and so I was like, how is this new meet and greet gonna go?
Cuz he got used to her for a couple days, but, My dog is so chill with that stuff. So thankfully, I mean, they literally said hi, and [00:03:00] then every day now they lay next to each other. Like it's just great having two dogs and trying to get pictures of them both though is like, I'm like, okay, one dog moves the other.
Like it's, I just feel like this dog mom. And then I'm just gonna bring all these dogs into my home. Don't quote me on that because I won't do it. ,
Leslie: I feel like it's like kids, right? They say one to two is an easy switch, but two to three is a big leap, but then three to four is easy. Okay. That's what I hear.
I mean, I don't plan to explore that out. Christina.
Timothy: Christina needs to get four dogs.
Christina: Yes. Okay. There you go.
Leslie: That would, that would be convenient on my end. Anyway, so Thanksgiving is happening. Uh, what is going on for Thanksgiving? Anybody got any big plans? What are we doing? Oh,
Timothy: for me, I'm gonna my son's house and, uh, my, uh, daughter's gonna be there with all my grandkids and so it's gonna be a good one.
And, uh, eat. Probably take a nap. Hopefully the kids are quiet so I can, [00:04:00] grandpa can take a nap. That's
Christina: my plan. ,
Leslie: do you watch football on Thanksgiving?
Timothy: Yes. The Dallas Cowboys. I'll have my jersey on and they lost yesterday. But anyway, um, yeah, I'll have a jersey on. And watching the Cowboys, uh, That's tradition.
Okay.
Leslie: That sounds nice. I know the Lions here have had two wins. Yes, they have. Are you proud of me for knowing that because I am very proud. Thank you. Do you like their costumes? Their costumes look super cute this weekend. Hey, they beat
Timothy: Green Bay. That's a good
Christina: thing. Let's see. Who made you
Leslie: watch this? I didn't watch it.
I just honestly, Caught the tail end . I'm like,
Christina: did someone
Leslie: make you sit and actually watch a game? No. Me and the, the children, uh, made some pumpkin cookies this weekend and it was on, my husband was watching it in the living room. He got a little break there. Uh, so he was enjoying the game and it happened to hear that they won.
That's literally the extent of my knowledge,
Um, but we for Thanksgiving, go to my [00:05:00] in-laws. So, um, that's always fun. And so we get to see the, the nieces and nephews and I believe then this year we're gonna go stay at, uh, my husband's brother's house. So we'll spend the day kind of with his parents and then we'll go spend the evening with his brother and their whole family.
So I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, that's really nice.
Christina: Uh, every year we usually just like stay in the area. Um, but this year for the first time, uh, we're actually going to, my aunt's in, she lives near Chicago, so, um, she's in the suburb of Chicago. So we're gonna go there for Thanksgiving. So I just hope the weather stays and you know what, it's gonna be hard.
My dad and brother because they are big Lions fans and I betcha the Bears game is gonna be on. So we will have to see what happens there. I mean, but they're all in those fantasy leagues, so I'm sure they have players from the Bears on their team. You know, I don't, I don't really know, but is Johnny going with you?
He is not. He actually [00:06:00] is watching my dog Duke for me, so I am very thankful for that. Very nice that I don't have to, um, drive. My dog, but now he's staying here and spending it with his family.
Leslie: That's very nice. Yeah. My parents actually go to the Lions game on Thanksgiving. Oh my gosh. That is commitment.
Yeah, it's kinda it. Honestly, it makes my life a little easier. We don't have to split the day between two families. Um, but my parents own a small business and so they go to the game with a bunch of friends on a bus and then they come back and then they host kind of a Thanksgiving dinner at their small business, which is really great cause they invite kind of a lot of the community, you know, members who don't have family or.
Anybody like that is welcome to join and it's kind of like potluck style and it's very cool. So they have a, a great day as well. I love that. Yeah. That is so great. Yeah, they're um, they're pretty cool people. They also do like big fundraisers and stuff and raise money and then they adopt a lot of local families in their community.[00:07:00]
And so my mom will go shopping, get all the stuff, and then usually like the Thanksgiving after everybody eats, then everybody wraps the gifts together. So it's, it's very nice. It's very, Leslie,
Christina: we can see where you got your kind heart from. No,
Leslie: very true. Yes. My parents are very loving and giving folks so very.
I have already started thinking about my holiday shopping, and one thing on my list is getting gifts from Leader Dogs for the blind
Christina: gift shop. That's great, and guess what, you're in luck because for the month of November and December, if you use code taking the lead, you'll get free shipping. But remember, you can only use one code per
Leslie: order.
This is amazing news. I am heading to leader dog.org and clicking shop right now.
Christina: Timothy, like how would you navigate, I guess, Thanksgiving, you know, having Glacier, going to a different home, having you know all the people around. Do you have any like tips for other people on how to navigate like holidays like this? [00:08:00] Especially if they're around a lot of people that they're usually maybe not around?
Timothy: Oh, the first thing we do is we tell everybody meet when we get there. Please don't. That's the first thing. And please don't give her any food. I mean, it's a temptation everywhere we go, I wanna give that dog something. I mean, I had somebody that a year ago offer her some steak. I mean, I mean, cause it was, it was glacier's birthday and we went out to eat.
So first thing need to say is no food, no touching. Please don't, you know, they pretty much understand it, but you gotta be preemptive about it, you know? Let everybody know ahead of time. And then when you get there and that there's kids, that's a little more difficult. But kids usually, they do pretty well with the, with the rules.
So, uh, it, it, it can get a little stressful.
Leslie: Absolutely. What about if there's other pets in the home? Is that challenging?
Timothy: Um, that's a challenge because you don't wanna really intrude on their dog or whatever they have. I've had [00:09:00] people, like my niece, when we go over there with Glacier, she puts her dog up and uh, sometimes I feel bad about that, but then she wants Glacier to be there, so I.
It's a touchy situation when there's another dog involved. Usually they, they get along, but if you don't know your dog's reaction to another dog, uh, it's sometimes safer if somebody else puts their dog up. So it just depends on the situation. I mean, I have left Glacier at home and, uh, I want my dog to be safe and, and, uh, she just sleeps all day.
So it, it's, it is just a touchy situation. You just have to figure things out.
Leslie: Yeah. So a lot of kind of pre-conversations too, going into it so everybody knows expectations and what to expect. You just don't show up.
Timothy: Hey, I got a guide dog, ,
Leslie: you
Timothy: can't do that. So yeah, you gotta do, you gotta be preemptive about it and let everybody know, and usually it.
Leslie: What are some of the things you take with you? So when you're going to somebody else's home, you've got your guide dog and or your cane, what are some things that you're thinking about before going into [00:10:00] that situation? Well,
Timothy: of course we got the diaper bag. Of course
Christina: it's gotta be there. The diaper bag. I love that.
The
Timothy: diaper bag's gotta be there and sometimes we take the worm, but we take whatever keeps glacier happy, a bone or something. Cause she's just sitting there. She needs something to, you know, keep her activity. So usually we take her bone with her and she chews on her bone. and uh, that's about it. And if you're gonna be gone, why time is feeding her?
Of course you gotta take your bowl of food cuz you don't want your dog to be two hours late on her meal. Mm-hmm. . So, uh, just, uh, just ordinary stuff like you're traveling cuz it is a travel day.
Leslie: Absolutely.
Timothy: You can take a blanket. That helps with dog hair in somebody's home, and glacial will lay on that blanket all day.
So, uh, take a blanket with you that, that helps with the, the cleaning of
Christina: hair. Yeah. Timothy, I'm curious, um, have you ever thought about like, not taking your guide dog and just using your cane in certain situations like that?
Timothy: Well, I've done it. Uh, last weekend we went, I went to my nieces and [00:11:00] I did not take Glacier because like I said, they got a new German Shepherd dog that they didn't know how the dog would react.
So I left Glacier at home for about eight hours that day. Cause we went and had the lunch and then we went back and watched the Georgia Bulldog game. And so Glacier stayed home and yes, I had to use my cane to get, you know, in and outta the restaurant, stuff like that. So, I mean, you gotta keep your cane skills up.
We all know that. So, There's just sometimes, uh, it's not appropriate to take a dog. You just gotta, you know, plan ahead.
Christina: That's good to know. Like, just having to assess what situation you're going into, into the holidays. Um, cuz you know, mostly people aren't on their normal, you know, everyday routine that they have.
So, kind of thinking about the stress of the dog, the stress that you're, Entail. If you know the dog stress, you're gonna feel stressed maybe. But yeah, those are great things to think about. Well,
Timothy: we, I knew I was gonna leave Glacier at home because we were, like I said, gonna watch a Bulldog game, , and it was a big game and there was [00:12:00] gonna be a lot of screaming and hollering, and you don't want your dog around all that because they, they are sensitive to that.
And it was best for just to leave Glacier at home. And, uh, just gotta, like I
Leslie: said, Absolutely. Those are all really good tips and things to think about, especially now that we're going into these holidays. You know, there's so many festivities and outings and so what are some of the things that you really think about before deciding whether or not you're gonna take your guide dog?
Environment.
Timothy: That's the huge thing. That's the biggest thing. The environment and what the activity's going to be. And it will glacier, be able to get through it or not. And that's the number one thing. And if there's gonna be a lot of people there, a lot of people can distract her because they'll be asking me, can I touch blah, blah, blah.
And it's always a no. But, uh, the kids, it's just, it's, it's just the environment's the biggest.
Christina: Yeah, that is so good to think about. Um, cuz you know, sometimes people don't think about that. They're like, oh, I have a guide dog. I can take my dog anywhere. But it's good to also think about those [00:13:00] different situations.
And I know Leslie always loves when you say,
Leslie: keep up those cane skills, . I know I have people emailing me about that. Like, I promise I do use my cane. Or when I see clients they're like, I know, I know I still will get my cane out . They're like, it's ok. You don. To get defensive about it, but good to hear.
Yeah.
Christina: Love it. Leslie, you now have a reputation. I know. I think people are worried. People are like, Leslie's in the room. I need to tell her. I need to let her know.
Leslie: No, I think that's so good. It's just so important because in the past, this is not, it wasn't our philosophy. Like I haven't heard from numerous people at Leader Dog who have worked there for many years.
Clients used to walk in the door and we used to take their canes away from 'em. Like as soon as they got in the door, we took their canes away, we put 'em in the closet and we were like, you don't need it anymore. You've got a dog. Everything's better. Um, and so that philosophy has really changed within these last few years.
And so if we're just trying to encourage that, of course. But yeah, some of the older clients, can you imagine? I mean, I just cannot imagine a day where somebody would walk in and we would take their [00:14:00] cane. That is crazy to me to even think about. Right. I think Leslie would start crying. I probably would . I probably would.
I do. I feel very strongly and support the cane. Of course. I love the guide dogs too. They're wonderful, but there's a time and a place for everything and just independence is the key. And so having multiple options for that. You know the best, obviously.
Christina: Yes, it is. Okay. Well, I know we're kind of getting to the end of this shorter episode, so we have to end asking what's everybody's favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving.
I know some people do the traditional Turkey and all of that, but I know there's some different items. So, uh, Timothy go first. . All
Timothy: right. Well, I'm a, I like to have a, a pumpkin pie with my whipped cream. I love a bowl of whipped cream.
Christina: I'm telling
Timothy: you, just get the piece of pumpkin pie, throw it in a big old tub, and I'll eat around.
Leslie: I'm telling pumpkin pie into pumpkin pie. Yeah, just a little,
Timothy: [00:15:00] just a hint. Just a little hint. But yeah, that, and my, my wife makes a good crock pot dress, so that's
Leslie: my my, so do you make your own pumpkin pies, or are they. Star bought . Ok, listen, I tried making a homemade pumpkin pie one time and my father-in-law was like, Uhuh, this is just not nearly as good as the store bought.
I was like, okay, so I get it. Store bought pumpkin pies. Delicious. Yeah. Um, let's see. My favorite food item. I love the stuffing. Like I don't care if it's stovetop or homemade. Stuffing in general is delicious. Of course, the homemade is, I think, always better. Um, but stuffing all the way every day. Yeah.
Christina: So mine's gonna throw everybody off.
You ready? No. So my grandma makes these pickles and they're like, yeah, like they're kind of, I guess bread and butter, but they're way better. They're like sweet. They've got like onion in them. Like, oh,
Leslie: oh, it's so good you guys. I don't like, I don't like pickles. I'm not a good audience. [00:16:00] That is, they're
Christina: gone.
I'm not even joking. You like she needs to. Grandma, if you're listening like five cans for Thanksgiving, she, I have a can though in my fridge right now. She canned something for me like she knows like that is my game. But I also do love like sweet potatoes, so, okay. One or the other. But the pickles by far and you guys are both like, you're disgusting and weird, but it's fine.
my pickle Lovers. I love Pickle, what I mean, and they're home. Homem. The best.
Leslie: I just don't like pickles. I've tried. I just can't get on board. But I mean, good for you. That is a unique one. I don't think I've ever heard pickles as the favorite Thanksgiving item, so give your
Timothy: grandma my address. Give your grandma my
Leslie: address.
Send through some pickles, right. So
Christina: good. All right, so good. Like literally it's like the appetizer, but I eat it like, Okay. Like I could
Leslie: eat pickles whole day. Now do you [00:17:00] guys do fancy Thanksgivings, like with real plates or are you like a plastic paper plate?
Christina: Plastic. Plastic. Yeah. Yeah. If we're at my grandma's, she, my grandma does a beautiful place setting and all of that.
Um, and then usually there's like a kids' table. Mm-hmm. , um, I was at that for years, but for years. Are you still at it? Christ. You know, it depends. Yeah. She might still be there now. I'm seeing Christine at the kids day because there's not, like me and my siblings like are. all adults. I am the middle child though, so I do have a younger brother, so he should technically be at the kids table
But anyways, um, we do have a younger cousin, so he's always at the kids table and sometimes his mom will sit with him, but sometimes that's not the case. But I don't know, like
Leslie: Okay. You know, sometimes the kids stables where you can just like act more fun sometimes, like a kid. We have always done the tradition well, my family, when I was doing Thanksgiving with my family, uh, the first [00:18:00] person to spill was always a big thing.
Like you were supposed to do the dishes. So like nobody ever wanted to spill on grandma's tablecloth because that meant then you had to do the dishes. You know what I
Christina: do is I leave before dishes start. Oh, cheer, cheer. I'm just kidding. I don't always do that, but that's why she's at the kids table. Yeah.
I'm always like, oh, you guys, I gotta. I gotta run out to my car real
Leslie: fast. , now they're gonna know. Yes. Anyway. Well, we are hoping that everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and we appreciate everybody listening and tuning in to this short episode of the Taking the Lead podcast. I'm Leslie Hoskins with host Timothy Kuo and Christina he.
We hope you enjoyed today's short episode, and please join us next time as we continue to dive into the world of blindness. Yes, and if
Christina: you'd like to learn more about applying to our free services at Leader Dog or hosting a leader dog mom, like the one I have with me today, you can head to leader dog.org or call us at (888) [00:19:00] 777-5332.
And don't forget, you can reach us at taking the lead@leaderdog.org with any questions or. If you like today's podcast, make sure to hit subscribe and check us out wherever podcast Dream.