[nagdu] Matching

Fri Apr 23 19:37:17 UTC 2010

I think in this instance the partnering between dog and handler is more
about emotional connection rather then just a physical match per say. Since
these companion dogs are meant to mitigate issues other then mobility
primarily, the science of matching dog to handler is not as intricate as say
what is necessary for a guide handler partnership. Not to play down the
importance of what these canine companions  do for the intended individuals
looking for support, but in most instances, dogs who become companion
animals are career changers who were transitioned out of guide work and into
other areas where their ability and connection with humans would still prove
to be beneficial.

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
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doing it."

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-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Jewel S.
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 3:04 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Matching

I don't like the idea of the people and dogs picking each other. If I
wanted to do that, couldn't I self-train? It reminds me of a spoof
article I read (I don't rememeber where I read it, but if anyone
recognizes it, could you remind me where it comes from?) The article
was a spoof about a pocket-guide dog. It said a school was training
pocket chihuahua and pocket poodles to be guide dogs. When you needed
the pup, you took him/her out of your pocket, and held him/her in your
palm. The dog would wiggle one way to show left and wiggle the other
to go right...it was quite silly. Why this reminds me of that spoof is
because in that article, the pups were let loose in a room with the
trainees and whomever the pup went to first would be that person's
pup.

I know that I would not be able to select the right dog for me. I need
a dog with enough strength to help me with balance and go to school
with me, but who is willing to spend a few days downtime with only
short walks or a visit to the dog park when I have an episode of being
unable to walk much. I also require a dog who would be able to
sometimes work with a wheelchair user, for the times when I use a
wheelchair. This combination isn't the easiest to find...one with
strength, but who can deal with downtime for a day or two at a time
(or even a week in the winter). As well, the dog would have to really
like cats (I have a cat, and sometimes volunteer at a cat shelter and
work with feral cats and special need cats). Further, the dog would
have to be okay with many types of transportation, such as subways,
taxis, trains, escalators and elevators, and of course the good-old
feet. Not all dogs can do trains and subways, for instance, and some
dogs get spooked by wheelchairs, manual or electric. A friendliness
with other dogs would of course be important, too, as I have several
friends with dogs and my boyfriend is one of them, and on the bad
days, the only exercise the dog might get is walks to have park time,
and a trip to the dog park.

This combination will take time to find, and I have been told it will
take longer than most matches. I know that if I were stuck in a room
with a bunch of dogs, it could be a possibility that none of them are
a match for me, and it could be possible that a bad match is made.

But for companion dogs (dogs for children with special needs that are
there for company and support), bonding and love is more important, so
I could see it working for that. I still wouldn't put all the dogs and
all the poeple in a room together...what if two people want the same
dog, for example?

Two cents for you all,
Jewel

On 4/23/10, Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net> wrote:
> The program about service animals did seem like they just put all the dogs
> and people together and let them pick each other out.  They said all their
> dogs did the same things, so what the hey, essentially.  That seems odd to
> me.  Surely a dog that will need to pull a wheelchair is different than a
> seizure dog, because the pulling dog has to be of a sufficient size and
> weight for the job.
> But anyway, it made me think about guide dog matching.  There seems to be
> a bit of a mystique about it, which sometimes I buy, and sometimes I
> don't.  My friends and I have running jokes about it--they pick by what
> names go cutest together, or they pull the names out of a hat.
>
> It would be interesting, and fun, to meet all the dogs the trainers have
> in mind for me, and pick out the one I like the best.  But I'm not sure
> that would really be the best method.  I might like my dog better right
> away, but only a little, probably.  I like dogs; I've never been matched
> with one I didn't like.  And I'm not sure my pick would actually be better
> than the trainers', who know their dogs pretty well.
> Take Ben for an example.  Before I came, I told TSE that I work in the Big
> City 2 or 3 days a week, and the rest of the time from home.  I told them
> I needed a dog who could walk 3 miles some days, and 5 or 6 blocks other
> days.  And they gave me Ben.  Ben is a fairly low-energy dog.  He likes to
> work, but if he's asked to make his best efforts for more than 2 or 3 days
> in a row, he starts getting tired.  He wouldn't work out for a busy
> college student, say.  He wouldn't have worked out for me, in the bad old
> days when I had an hour-and-a-half commute each way, every day.  But Ben
> wouldn't really work out for someone in the Land of the Car either,
> because he's real smart, and he needs regular challenges or he gets bored
> and starts looking for his own entertainment.  So my life suits him very
> well, with the challenge of Manhattan for a couple days, followed by
> walking around suburbia.
> But I didn't know any of these things when I met him.  I'm not sure how
> much his trainer knew; she didn't tell me much about him.  I'm not sure I
> would have picked Ben out of a crowd.  It took us a while to click.  It
> took me more than a week to even start to understand his nature, and it
> took more than a year for us to start working well as a team.  Probably
> there are people out there who Ben would like better.  Probably there are
> dogs out there I would like better.  But we like each other well enough
> (really, I adore him, despite his bad self), and he is a great match for
> what I need him to do.
> Kind of like an arranged marriage, I suppose.  You get presented with each
> other, and try to make the best of it.
> And really, I'm astonished at how well TSE did, picking out my Benny boy
> for me.  His doggy lifestyle suits my needs amazingly well. I'll request
> some different characteristics next time around, but there are definitely
> some I want to keep, too.
>
> The topic of matching interests me, so I've gone on a bit.
> Tracy
>
>
>
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