[nfb-talk] Speed of walking, dog vs cane

[David Andrews]

John:

How fast a person walks has many variables.  Whether you are a dog 
user, or a cane user, each of us falls somewhere on a continuum from 
slow to fast.

My observations, while anecdotal, say that in general, most dog users 
walk faster than most cane users, but there are many exceptions both 
ways.  My observations also tell me, having traveled with a number of 
dog users, that part of it is that the dogs themselves tend to be 
fast walkers and urge their handlers to walk somewhat faster then 
they might otherwise do.

I am a good cane user, and walk fast.  I have kept up with most, if 
not all dog users I have walked with, although some of them do walk 
at a good clip.

Personally I do not consider overhanging branches and the like to be 
that great a hazard.  It isn't to say they aren't, but for most 
travelers, in most areas, they aren't that common.

No mode of transportation, walking, riding, swimming, flying, is risk free.

Dave

At 02:39 PM 4/22/2008, you wrote:
>Some questions occured to me when my guide dog let me run into something
>while we were passing a construction site last week. It occured to me that
>he hadn't let me run into anything for years and it got me thinking.
>
>Am I mistaken in thinking that I can walk faster with a guide dog than I can
>with a cane? The reason I think I can walk faster with a dog is that the dog
>keeps me from running into things. He's not perfect but as a rule, he keeps
>me from hitting things at sholder level or above which you cannot do with a
>cane. If you're walking along at 3 miles per hour with a cane, aren't you
>taking a unacceptable risk? If you hit a low hanging tree branch or a piece
>of lumber sticking out of a pickup truck parked in a driveway, you could
>seriously hurt yourself.  Also, my reaction time doesn't seem to allow me to
>respond quicly enough to walk as fast with a cane as I do with my dog. If I
>know the sidewalk ahead of me is clear, I can walk as fast with a cane as I
>do with a dog. But if there is an obstacle, I'd hit it because I just
>couldn't stop fast enough.
>
>
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