[Ag-eq] guide dogs

[Jewel]

There are, at least, 2 owner-trainers on the ag-eq list:  myself and Jody Ianuzzi.
There is a yahoogroups list dedicated to those who have trained their own guide dog, or who are 
interested in doing so.
It is a restricted list that requires that a new applicant for admission is nominated by an existing 
member, and then the final yea or nay comes from the general membership.
I think that I still have * Barb
's?  original letter which I can submit to the list owner, but before that, either Jody or myself 
need some more information, such as what experience do you have of training dogs:  not guide dogs 
for I know that you have none in that field, but just simple training?  what sort of property do you 
have etc.
Owner-training is not for everyone, but for those who take it on and can live with the hard work 
and, possibly, the unpalitable fact that after all that hard work, the dog may not work out, it is, 
immensely, satisfying!
The drawbacks are that, if you wish to travel abroad, some countries, Hawaii being one, will only 
permit guide dogs that have been trained at a licensed school, and if you do strike a training 
problem with which you might need help, you cannot expect to get such from a school;  however, that 
is where IOTA [International Owner Trainers Association] comes in.
We are very willing to help any aspiring owner trainer and amongst our, admittedly, small 
membership: 20/25 perhaps:  there is bound to be someone who can help.
The list owner, Wayne Scace, has trained one dog for himself and has started 2 others for the owner 
to finish.  Most of our members live in the United States, but we do have 1 in Canada, 2, possibly 3 
in the United Kingdom, 1 in Australia who does not have a guide dog, but has a very strong and 
abiding interest in training a dog for herself, and then there is me in New Zealand.

         Jewel
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From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2013 1:23 AM
To: "Agricultural and Equestrean Division List" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] guide dogs

Hi Nella.
The NAGDU list, also on nfbnet, has a few owner-trainers on it.  There's
also a list for owner-trainers, I think, but I don't know where it is.  One
of the owner-trainers lives in Tucson.  She uses a wheelchair, and had
trouble finding a school that would train a dog for her, back when she
started.
Besides training her own guide dogs,  she has been working with another
blind person to train her dog. Sadly, that dog was just seriously injured by
a loose dog.
Also, Guide Dog Foundation in New York is making a bit of a specialty
training dogs for both guide and balance work.  A few of the NAGDU list
members have recently gotten dual-purpose dogs, and they seem happy.

My black lab Ben is from The Seeing Eye.  He's a city boy, excellent with
crowds and traffic. I thought a guide dog in a rural setting might not have
much to do, but Fred's post makes me re-think that.  I see that I and my dog
are the ones leading the lazy life!
Tracy