[Blind-rollers] dogs and power chairs

[Becky Frankeberger]

Ug, don't the schools know we want to live a full life.  You can't do that if you are restricted.  The only schools I am aware of that do the dogs that guide wheelchairs is: Guide dogs for the Blind, Kansus school (which name escapes me) Southeastern. Seems to me the other schools you have to be a grad of their school.

Does anyone have a better more up to date list?

In 2004, I think it was, I had a long conversation with the director of Paws with a Cause.  He had just hired two guide dog instructors to teach dogs how to guide wheelchairs, manual in this case.  I was jumping up and down as transportation is more limited if you are in a power chair.  Whatever happened to the program, I don't know.   

Becky and the dog with the power paws, Jake 
-----Original Message-----
From: Blind-rollers [mailto:blind-rollers-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Maureen Pranghofer
Sent: Monday, November 11, 2013 5:38 PM
To: Blind wheelchair users list
Subject: [Blind-rollers] dogs and power chairs

Hi
When I had Ally she was a great mobility assistant, not a guide but she picked up hundreds of things for me mostly my dropped white cane.  In fact she loved retrieving canes so much when blind friends came over and set down their canes she’d proudly retrieve them and bring them to me.  
Using a power chair with a guide takes significant time and expense and the guidedog schools which provide that service have waiting lists of at least 3 years.  You are restricted to a specific route, can’t just go where you please, most places I have found in using the guide with the walker are too narrow and the places you can go totally independently are somewhat limited.  Just my experiences.
Maureen
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