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

[Jenine Stanley]

Marion, 

Just a question, not a challenge. Do you consider being asked, not required
but asked, to submit health reports periodically a custodial or
paternalistic policy?  Would it be considered  such if the submission was
accompanied by an incentive such as discounts on flea and tick prevention
products, heartworm pills, etc.? 

Currently, this is GDF's policy, to request yearly health records. We give
each graduate a booklet to take to their vet. Each vet visit can be logged
and a copy sent to us. This, as Laurie noted, helps us track trends after
the dog has gone into the field. 

We are considering how we might collect this data more efficiently for 2
reasons. 

1. People forget to send in their health records. It's just a fact, not a
judgment or condemnation. We would like to have those records in order to
improve our breeding program. 

2. We would like to find a way that people can more easily submit the info,
i.e., electronically directly through your vet, etc. Right now you must
remember to take out one of the copies of the report, put it into an envelop
or fax it to us. Some people simply don't have access to sighted help for
such things if needed. Like it or not, it's a fact of life for folks. 

So, whether a school chooses to track dog health isn't anything more than a
measure of what it does overall to serve not only its grads but itself. 

Just my thoughts of course as part of the team working on how to improve our
system at GDF.