The New Dog Quandary

It was December of 2011. I’d just left California after a successful performance at Carnegie Hall in NYC. My employer did not wish for me to participate in that concert, despite many discussions    about the project and assurances that  participation would not be an issue.  I auditioned for this concert  in March, so clearly I’d given plenty of notice. 
Aside from the above problem, I physically could not work 24-hour shifts all the time, and I finally realized the positions  created for blind people  within the training department no longer had any support from administration and were, in fact, designed to fail from the outset. So for those reasons, among others, it was time  for a change.
I sought happiness by immersing myself in academia for a while, but I still needed to decide where and how I wanted to acquire my successor dog. I should say that I didn’t want another guide, but Nestle was showing signs that she didn’t really like the work anymore. She did her best because she loved me, but not because she wanted to work. I tend to let the dogs tell me when they’re done, and respect that since they  give so much of themselves that allowing  them a happy retirement is the least I can do for them.
All I really knew was that I wanted a German Shepherd.  I applied to the few guide dog schools that still had a lot of decent Shepherds, but  one school wouldn’t let me apply until I’d already retired Nestle, and they had a six-month waiting list. The other school I considered had some very nice GSDS, and others with major temperamental or health problems. After ruling out the programs I was interested in, I decided that training my own dog would keep me in practice and basically allow me to hand-pick my dog. Plus, I felt like the odds of getting a GSD with the drives and  nerve I wanted. I needed a dog who could handle urban areas, walk several miles a day, and who liked children and would be OK with other dogs, crowds, and had a natural retrieve.  Oh, and I was insistent on a female.  Not picky at all, right?
Well, it took some searhing, but I figured if I was going to spend money on a young dog, then I should be able to get what I wanted. 
I first did research to decide on which type of Shepherd would be ideal for me.  I knew right away that I wanted dogs from European lines. I was also pretty sure on West German lines, but couldn’t decide between working or show lines. I picked a breeder to work with that happens to breed both types, and she recommended the show lines to me because they are typically less difficult to handle and are not as intense as the working line dogs.
Those of you who know Diamond well may now proceed to laugh.  A lot.  Diamond is kind of the exception to the norm in terms of drive and temperament. So basically, she is a show line dog that behaves more like a a working line dog. 
I had Diamond evaluated by a 3rd party to be sure her temperament would be suitable for service work, and I had preliminary x-rays done on her hips and elbows to rule out any obvious joint problems. She passed all the screening, and then I had 30 days of obedience and public access so I could fly her home with me on an airplane without my puppy would not feel as stressed on the way home and to prevent any embarrassing or disruptive behavior on the flight.
We made it home with no problems. The next post will go into more depth about meeting Diamond and some people who have been true blessings for us both as a team.