[nagdu] Matching - Gary's question

[Tracy Carcione]

Ben is my sixth dog, and each Dog Day has been really exciting, full of
anticipation of meeting my new partner. It never gets old, never "been
there, done that."  I don't worry so much about the name as I used to, I
think, but otherwise it's the same.
Even when I knew what I was getting beforehand, I was excited, wondering
what she would be like.
Tracy

> No, it goes even slower when your roommate gets his/her dog before you.
> For
> those of you who are on your second+ dog, is the anticipation any less
> when
> it is not the first time?
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wayne Merritt" <wcmerritt at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 12:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Matching - Gary's question
>
>
>> And the time you spend waiting before lunch until you get the dog is
>> perhaps the slowest of all the time during that whole dog day. Mainly
>> because you know that the instructurs and head trainers are discussing
>> your fate with which dogs somewhere else, and you can't help but
>> wonder who or what you will end up with.
>>
>> Wayne
>>
>> On 4/27/10, Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net> wrote:
>>> Hi Gary.
>>> You asked how matching happens at guide dog school.  I've been to GDB
>>> and
>>> TSE, and they both did it pretty much the same.
>>> Like Nicole said, it starts with the home interview.  The person who
>>> comes
>>> observes your pace and orientation, and your home environment.  Do you
>>> live in the country or the city?  Do you walk fast or slow?
>>>
>>> I have found it very helpful to write a letter for the trainers and
>>> send
>>> it in with my application, or at least before I show up. I try to write
>>> down everything I think is pertinent about my lifestyle, like how long
>>> my
>>> commute is, how I usually travel (by bus and taxi, for example), how
>>> much
>>> I get out, and what characteristics I would like my dog to have, and
>>> what
>>> not.  For example, I always that I strongly prefer a smaller-sized dog,
>>> and that I prefer mellow to high-energy.
>>>
>>> When the person shows up at the school, the trainer does Juno, with the
>>> trainer holding the harness.  The trainer tries to show you the pace
>>> and
>>> pull of dogs they have in mind for you.  They see how hard you correct.
>>> I
>>> suspect they pay attention to things like how loud you talk, and how
>>> forcefully you express yourself.  They might watch you interact with
>>> "practice dogs".  They talk to you again about what you want and need.
>>> Then, on Dog Day morning, all the trainers for your class get together,
>>> slap each other around, put all the names into a hat, say stuff like
>>> "No
>>> one wants Fluffy, so we'll give him to that troublemaker Tracy", or
>>> possibly just discuss the dogs and students and decide which will go
>>> best
>>> with which.
>>> It's kind of a traditional game to keep the dog name secret until
>>> sometime
>>> after lunch.  Sometimes they haven't decided until around lunchtime,
>>> but,
>>> when I got Echo, I had discussed possibilities with my instructor
>>> before
>>> I
>>> even came out, so I knew I was getting a small black lab, but I didn't
>>> know her name until after lunch on Dog Day.
>>>
>>> And that's how it's done, as I understand it.
>>> Tracy
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
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>> http://wayneism.blogspot.com
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>> www.wayneism.com
>> www.whitecaneday.org
>>
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