[nagdu] Re my final school selection

[dmgina]

You know, when we get a dog from a school and all work out, we are happy with everyone involved. 
The same goes when the school administrator will not give you the time of day, because a roomer got started, 
This is as hurtful and you do not get over it either. 
When you believed in the school. 
I am pleased folks share. 
Then you can decide for yourself what is best for you. 
I truly hope you never get treated badly from a school. 
Dar 

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 9, 2011, at 2:25 PM, "Matt Weihmuller" <saxmatt7 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>    I am Matt Weihmuller and am a new dog guide user.  I am a recent
> graduate of Florida State University, where I received my Masters in Music
> Performance.  I don't usually like to  comment on subjects unless I have
> something very useful to say.  First of all, good luck to you, Chantel, in
> your future training and hopeful  receiving of a guide dog.  It is an
> experience that  will most certainly change your life.  Now, on to the
> matter at  hand.  I am  greatly troubled and somewhat offended by some of
> the comments that have been made on this list regarding the experiences of
> some graduates of Leader Dogs.  I have been gblind all my life and used a
> cane until February of this year, when I received my Leader Dog, Daisy.  I
> have excellent mobility skills and I can tell you that Leader Dogs is one of
> the top schools in the nation in my opinion.  Throughout my accademic
> career, I was informed by several different individuals that I would be an
> excellent candidate for a guidedog, and I did not pursue the matter
> seriously until a few years ago.  The reason being that I am a person who
> does not make life altering decisions until I have done a great deal of
> research and have what I consider to be all the facts from as many different
> sources as possible. I am sure we can all agree that receiving a guide dog
> is a life altering experience and one should have as much information as
> possible before  making the decision of getting one and from where to
> receive such a  valuable mobility companion.  During my research, I
> contacted every school, and spoke to as many people as I could regarding my
> individual concerns about the benefits and drawbacks of getting a guidedog .
> After much consideration, I made the decision to attend Leader Dogs because
> they were the school that at the time, best fit my individual needs. Now, I
> would say   that they were not the  complete "perfect" school, but no
> training program can be.  The trainers try to make the best decision about
> what dog best matches the candidates' needs and personality.  I am sure they
> don't always get it right, but in my case, I can say with most certainty
> that I received the best dog for me!  I have traveled all over the state
> with Daisy, and she always does a good job to date.  She always stops at
> every obstacle, and obeys all commands I give her.  If anyone would  like to
> state to the contrary, they are welcome to accompany us on our many long
> travels throughout the day.  My point in  saying all of this is that, in my
> opinion, there is no "one size fits all" guidedog school.  While, there are
> other schools that I am sure are just as qualified, and might be possibly
> better than Leader Dog in  one's opinion, doesn't mean that others who
> decide to choose Leader Dogs as there school of choice are wrong, and
> therefore, shouldn't be discouraged from doing so. I don't really understand
> why certain individuals felt the need to severely criticize a certain
> school.  Every client is different, and therefore, there will always be
> those who have extremely good experiences and those who have extremely bad
> ones.  These schools graduate hundreds of teams every year, so just by the
> numbers, there are bound to be a few misplaced teams.  Just because an
> individual may have been the unfortunate victim of such a bad experience
> does not give that individual the right to tell others that it is the
> "wrong"  school for them. When you make such comments, you may give new
> up-and-coming dog guide users the wrong idea about things.  Furthermore, you
> discourage Leader Dog graduates from joining and participating in NAGDU, the
> NFB and other such organizations who I believe the soul purpose is to
> advocate for the blind.  I am sure many of you may disagree and may even be
> offended by what I have had to say today.  I appolygize for my long winded
> post, however, I feel very strongly about this matter, and would  please
> urge anyone who posts to this list to please think about the message they
> are trying to send.  Afterall, at the end of the day, does that message
> really help or hender the progress of the matter at hand.  Thank you all
> very much for your time.  Take care all.  Warm wishes.
>    Matt Weihmuller
>    MMP 2010
>    Phone: 813-541-4012
>    Email: saxmatt7 at gmail.com
>    Twitter/Skype/Aim: saxmatt7
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