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Campbell's Rambles: How a Seeing Eye Dog Retrieved My Life Kindle Edition

by Patty L. Fletcher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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This is the story of how the author obtained her first guide dog, Campbell, from The Seeing Eye™ in Morristown, New Jersey: what motivated her, the extensive training she had, the special relationship she developed with her trainer, and the good friends she made.

Once she returned home to Tennessee, there were many new challenges to be met and overcome, including domestic abuse. All that was in addition to her chronic conditions of bipolar disorder and fibromyalgia.

With honesty, courage, and humor, Patty Fletcher tells a remarkable story of personal development that is sure to inform, entertain, and inspire others, both blind and sighted.
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  1. Print length
    232 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    July 31, 2014
  5. File size
    523 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patty Lyne Fletcher was born in 1967 in Kingsport, Tennessee, where she still lives and works as a writer. She was partially sighted until 1991 and is a mother and grandmother. Website: www.dvorkin.com/pattyfletcher/

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00MAVYBHK
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 31, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 523 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

About the author

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Patty L. Fletcher

Patty L. Fletcher

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

ABOUT PATTY L. FLETCHER…

Patty Fletcher is a single mother with a beautiful daughter, of whom she is enormously proud. She has a great son-in-law and six beautiful grandchildren. From April 2011 through September 2020, she owned and handled a black Labrador from The Seeing Eye® named King Campbell Lee Fletcher A.K.A. Bubba. Sadly, after a long battle with illness on September 24, 2020, King Campbell went to the Rainbow Bridge where all is peace and love. In July 2021, she returned to The Seeing Eye® and was paired with a Black Labrador Golden Retriever cross named Blue.

PATTY’S BLINDNESS…

Patty was born one and a half months premature. Her blindness was caused by her being given too much oxygen in the incubator. She was partially sighted until 1991, at which time she lost her sight due to an infection after cataract surgery and high eye pressure. She used a cane for 31 years before making the change to a guide dog.

WHERE SHE LIVES AND WORKS…

Currently, Patty lives and works in Kingsport, Tenn.

Patty is quite involved with The American Council of the Blind – ACB and its community.

She’s a member of Guide Dog Users Incorporated where she serves on the GDUI Election Candidacy Task Force, and the membership Committee.

She works with the Audio Description Project by serving on the ADP Performing Arts Committee.

She has also recently joined Blind Information Technology Specialists (BITS). Another special affiliate of ACB.

Though she’s not yet found her place there, she is learning things from their informational content.

She’s the creator and owner of Tell-It-To-The-World Marketing (Author, Blogger, Business Assist), The Writer’s Grapevine Online Magazine and the creator and host of the Talk to Tell-It-To-The-World Marketing Podcast, which have recently been reconstructed and can all be found in Patty’s Worlds.

WRITING GOAL…

Patty writes with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disabled from the non-disabled.

Patty is also a published author.

Find Patty on Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
14 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Wanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story!
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book! Patty Fletcher is a great writer. She shares in a vulnerable and authentic voice about not only getting her seeing eye dog, Campbell, but about her life. I really love her dog, Campbell. He is so smart and protective. You can feel his love for Patty in the story. I'm sorry for all she has gone through but she shows in her story that she is strong and is an over-comer. Her story will surely inspire others in similar situations. I highly recommend this book!
One person found this helpful
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Leonore H. Dvorkin
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
A wonderful book, very informative and moving. Those who know little or nothing about the life of the blind and how a guide dog team (the handler and the dog) is trained and then works will learn a lot. The author's personal story, about how many difficulties in addition to her blindness she has had to overcome, is quite inspiring. Well worth the money!
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Patty does an excellent job of getting her experiences across to everyone
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
Book was very interesting and informative regarding the problems of mental disabilities and the impact that abuse has on people. Patty does an excellent job of getting her experiences across to everyone. Campbell definitely has made a great improvement in Patty's life. .. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the book and look forward to her next one.
5 people found this helpful
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GARY H. HENSLEY
4.0 out of 5 stars A HEART WARMING GUIE DOG STORY
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
Ms. Fletcher paints a vivid picture of her experience in training for a guide dog under difficult personal circumstances.
A must read for those contemplating the move from a cane to a guide dog, as well as those interested in the physical and mental obstacles faced by the blind.
2 people found this helpful
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Betsy Ann geiger
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
An easy read and informative
4 people found this helpful
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Meredith L. Burton
5.0 out of 5 stars A Poignant True Story of Finding the Courage to Step Forward in Faith and Trust
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2019
Certain books come to you at just the right time. I have been meaning to read Patty Fletcher’s memoir entitled Campbell’s Rambles for quite some time, but life events have prevented me from doing so. I regret not reading the book sooner. This book is one of my favorite reads this year. Campbell’s Rambles is a story of the beautiful love that exists between a dog handler and her first guide dog. But, more than that, the book reaffirms that life is a gift, that though many hardships exist, love always manages to find a way into your heart. I was so touched by Patty’s gradual realization that the relationship between a handler and their dog is based upon mutual love and trust. Her first meeting with Campbell made me both laugh and cry. I love sloppy dog kisses, too, and could totally relate to the moment she realized that she and Campbell belonged together. A particularly favorite scene for me occurs at a time when Patty is threatened and Campbell illustrates his unfailing loyalty to her. Campbell’s Rambles affirms something I have known for some time: that animals love those who show them love in return and will defend those for whom they care with every fiber of their being.
Perhaps the best aspect of Patty’s book is the growth she experiences through the gentle caring and steadfast support of Mr. Drew Gibbon, her instructor at The Seeing Eye. I loved certain scenes where Patty learns to accept the kind offers of assistance from others. One of my favorite scenes occurs in a creamery. I will not provide spoilers. I will just say that a simple act of kindness means so very much. I related most to her feelings of self-doubt as it is a problem that has always plagued me as well. Campbell’s Rambles is a candid and fast-paced memoir that I simply could not put down. Acquiring a seeing eye dog is a momentous decision, and I enjoyed learning about Patty’s experiences and the enriching rewards Campbell has brought into her life. I also loved learning of the independence Patty has found through her time with Campbell. The book has given me a desire to consider the possibility of training to acquire a guide dog more seriously. At the very least, it has given me insight into the joys (and challenges) that await when life-changing decisions are made. As my favorite person in the book says, “Take a chance. You have a 50 percent chance of being right”.
Campbell’s Rambles is thoroughly recommended. I urge anyone who is considering acquiring a guide dog or who would like to learn more about the process and the experiences of one particular handler to give the book a chance. A prospective sequel entitled The Raw Truth was mentioned in the Afterword of Campbell’s Rambles. I hope that one day it will be written. I will definitely read it. Happy reading to you all.
One person found this helpful
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magdalena nork
5.0 out of 5 stars breakthroughs
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2015
Write your review here
five stars *****
This is a captivating, often funny and funny sad book about a woman finding an ally
in the form of a loving labrador to transform her life. Mobility without seeing is
a huge issue for the blind, but for anyone, getting places means getting there physically.
Only a fraction of the blind have guide dogs, but they can offer greater freedom
and independence. Patty has a flair for befriending the reader, and clearly imparting
her experiences. The universal here is that we all have obstacles, and Patty's determinationand
honesty are very good examples. of how to break through to having a better quality
of life Reading about campbell, patty's new guide dog, is quite appealing to animal
lovers as well.
Star Rating required.
One person found this helpful
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Deborah Armstrong
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful memoir that will make you think differently about multiple disabilities and fear.
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2018
Though many memoirs of blindness exist, not all people can climb mount Everest or excel at Olympic skiing. Not all blind people are Stevie Wonder and many people, both those with or without visual impairment have multiple disabilities . This is a moving story not only about overcoming the fears of blindness but working with the sometimes more disabling condition of bipolar disorder. It is so pleasing to read about someone with extraordinary fears accomplishing extraordinary feats. Patty is honest too about both the pleasure and pain the many people in her life brought her after the dog completely changed her life. Her increased independence wasn't always a triumph, and that honesty is missing in many memoirs of so-called courage.

The only thing I would have liked to see was more details about the mechanics of Patty's training and specifics about the mistakes she made and how she learned to not make them again. Too often she results to generalities when describing her work with her dog, whereas she's quite specific describing her feelings and reactions. I think I have a much better understanding of what anxiety and living with bipolar is like now, but I think people reading the book might like to learn more about what learning to use a guide dog is like as well. I do hope more people with multiple disabilities will write more memoirs, because our society needs to understand the difficulties that creates above and beyond the single disability one might have.
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