[nagdu] vet reports/was/Re: TSE and Guiding Eyes comparison

Sun May 17 01:55:21 UTC 2009

Why should anyone object to sending in periodic reports on your dog's health to the program that you obtained your dog from?  /smile/ 

First of all, filling out a report is no serious hardship, but more importantly, if a program is trying to use some data-gathering to track the health of the various lines it breeds, this is a responsible approach to dog-breeding.  By contributing data on your dog, you are helping your program of choice and you are helping future handlers by contributing to the encouragement of certain breeding-lines while other lines are dropped for their tendancy toward producing dogs with such problems as allergies or spinal cord degeneration.  

If one program chooses not to track health data, it is their choice of approach.  However, it does not make it the only good approach.  In fact, if data is actually tracked, many health issues that only are revealed in older age will be tracked as well.  This helps in the breeding choices that end up being made-- avoiding some of those heartbreaking conditions that can actually be avoided.  

Here's an example:  
My first gsd (from GDB) eventually turned out to have a degenerative spinal condition.  I kept the school informed of her health via routine vet forms and via more detailed info as the problem showed up in my then 9 and a half year old dog.  Other handlers did likewise with their dogs.  The end result was that the program was able to identify a few key points in their gsd lines and then they were able to avoid certain breedings.  Believe me, anyone who has ever had the heartbreak of loving a dog with this degenerative condition will quickly agree that if that condition can be avoided it is only ethical to do so.  No dog should have to suffer that way.  

So, if a program wants to track health data, good for them.  /smile/ 
-Laurie 
--- On Sat, 5/16/09, Margo and Arrow <margo.downey at verizon.net> wrote:

> From: Margo and Arrow <margo.downey at verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] TSE and Guiding Eyes comparison
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009, 8:00 PM
> Well, Seeing eye does not require us
> to turn in vet reports and they do well at developing
> training and breeding.
> 
> Margo and Arrow
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "sblanjones11" <sblanjones11 at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide
> Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 7:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] TSE and Guiding Eyes comparison
> 
> 
> > I can tell you that GEB's training is also
> individualized.  We all get
> > introduced to everything, but those who need more of
> any particular type of
> > training are given that opportunity.
> > White Plains is where most of the training takes
> place.  It is a mid-sized
> > city, with a great variety of urban and suburban
> environments.
> > SE also has excellent urban graining, and lots of
> traffic checks.
> > Both are excellent schools, and I don't believe an
> urban traveler could go
> > wrong at either.
> > 
> > As far as GEB's ownership policy, ownership can be had
> after two years.
> > Work & health reports are requested annually, and
> are very important to the
> > development of breeding & training.  Owners
> as well as non-owners are
> > requested to complete them.
> > 
> > HTH.
> > Susan & Rhoda
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf
> > Of Angie Matney
> > Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 1:34 PM
> > To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of
> Guide Dog Users'
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] TSE and Guiding Eyes comparison
> > 
> > Hi Tami,
> > 
> > The training at TSE is similar. I obviously can't
> compare it to GEB, but I
> > will say that what I liked about TSE was that it was
> very individualized. At
> > my first school, all students went into the city on
> the same day. At TSE, we
> > went in groups. I only went to NYC once, but other
> students went more often,
> > depending on their needs. Maybe Ann or another GEB
> grad could speak to
> > scheduling at GEB.
> > 
> > Angie
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf
> > Of Ann Chiappetta
> > Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 11:33 AM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of
> Guide Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] TSE and Guiding Eyes comparison
> > 
> > Hi Tammy;
> > I'm a recent GEB grad and I believe I've gotten great
> urban training. We
> > were out five days a week for three weeks in downtown
> White Plains, NY, a
> > busy city with plenty of obstacles, like rounded
> sidewalk  ramps
> > buses,,complicated crossings,  scaffolding, and
> people and other dogs.We
> > trained in NYC only one day but it was great as I got
> train/subway training
> > and felt the safest I've felt in the subway since
> losing my sight.
> > 
> > I live in a suburban/urban setting and Verona's city
> skills are spot on. We
> > don't have much need for country walking so I make
> sure I take her on side
> > streets just to keep her skills up. But her
> shorelining skills are good,
> > too.
> > Hope that helps.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Tamara Smith-Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> > To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of
> Guide Dog Users'"
> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 3:26 AM
> > Subject: [nagdu] TSE and Guiding Eyes comparison
> > 
> > 
> >> Hey, all.  A friend was asking me some
> questions about guide dog
> >> schools, and I had no clue to the answers, so I
> thought I would ask.
> >> She wanted to know how Guiding Eyes and TSE
> compare when it comes to
> >> urban training for both dog and handler, since
> both are near NYC.
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Has anyone been to both schools?  How would
> you compare the two?
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Tami Smith-Kinney
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
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> > 
> > 
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