[nagdu] new guide dog.

Sun Feb 6 23:51:05 UTC 2011

Brenda,

That's the really great thing about improved access to computers and the
internet, even since I first started looking early this century, along with
the growth of resources like this list and others and web sites and
everything.

I'm always thrilled to see people like yourself who are just starting the
decision making process come to ask and learn and stick around through all
the discussion and even arguments and downright silliness about guide dogs
and guide dog handling.  You can get a really good idea of what you're
letting yourself in for -- Oh!  I mean what you have to look forward to.

And remembering my confusion and frustration with trying to find out real
information with the detail I wanted, I'm glad there are now so many
resources for others to use to find out some of those little details that
could be very, very useful for them.

Have you been to Leader's O&M program yet?  Would love detail, off list if
you like.  Tamara.8024 at comcast.net.  I'd bet a lot of listers would like to
know more, too, and it is pretty close to topic.  /smile/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Brenda
Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 12:47 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] new guide dog.

Hi Ann
Thank  you for taking the time to share your experience.  Your 
explanation made sense.  It gave me questions to ask the school when I 
am ready for a guidedog.
Brenda
On 2/6/2011 3:54 PM, Ann Edie wrote:
> Hi, Alex,
>
> Let me say first that I'm not trying to change your mind about getting 
> your guide dog from Fidelco.  I just have a few comments to make about 
> the Fidelco contract based on my experience with Fidelco from 2001 and 
> 2002.
>
> The Fidelco contract which I received at the time I trained with my 2 
> Fidelco dogs gave the graduate the option of gaining ownership of the 
> dog after 6 month of successful partnership or leaving the dog in the 
> ownership of Fidelco.  This choice seemed pretty clear.  However, the 
> thing that always confused me was that, except for the checkmark in 
> the box indicating which ownership option the graduate chose, there 
> didn't seem to be any difference between the terms of the contract for 
> those who owned the dog versus those who left the dog in Fidelco's 
> ownership.  For example, the graduate still had to agree to follow 
> Fidelco's suggestions/recommendations/dictates regarding the brand of 
> food that the dog would be fed and other ways in which the dog would 
> be managed/treated. Fidelco still reserved the right to remove the dog 
> if the organization felt that the dog was not being maintained 
> according to the advice of the program, without having to prove 
> neglect or abuse to any legal authority. This seemed contradictory to 
> me, and it seemed as if the choice of ownership options was there 
> purely for cosmetic/public relations value, rather than as a true 
> legal distinction.
>
> As it turned out, I had to return my first Fidelco dog after just 3 
> months of partnership, and I had to return my second Fidelco dog after 
> just about a year of partnership, well beyond the point where my 
> choice of ownership had supposedly gone into effect.  Both times I 
> returned the dogs voluntarily, but in both cases I expressed my 
> expectation that Fidelco would include me in planning and discussing 
> the dogs' future placements, as I had, of course, become very attached 
> to each of them.  In both cases, however, once the dogs were back in 
> Fidelco's custody, I was not consulted nor even kept informed as to 
> the disposition of the dogs, and I had to go to considerable lengths 
> just to find out in a general way where my dogs had been placed.
>
> I would be interested to know whether this situation with respect to 
> the ownership issue and its consequences has changed in the 
> intervening years or whether it remains essentially unchanged.  I 
> would also like to know if Fidelco's policies in real life have been 
> brought more into alignment with the ownership clause of the contract.
>
> I just thought you might want to look at these matters before you 
> enter the emotionally-charged relationship with a guide dog training 
> program and with a living canine personality and partner.  And yes, 
> the people at Fidelco are nice, and perhaps you think such a situation 
> where you would have to send back a beloved guide could never happen 
> to you, and if it did, of course the Fidelco people would want to keep 
> you in the loop as to what would happen to your own dog.  But just 
> remember, forewarned is forearmed, or an ounce of prevention is worth 
> a pound of cure, or look before you leap--or whatever proverb you 
> like--is still the best advice I can give you.
>
> Best,
> Ann
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "alex" <aaatlantic at aol.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 11:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] new guide dog.
>
>
>> thanks bryan,
>> I am very happy to say that some of the staff are very good people 
>> and Jason he is very good man.  he is going to be my traner
>> thanksOn 2011-02-05, at 10:00 PM, Bryan Brown wrote:
>>
>>> Alex,
>>>
>>>   Hi, welcome to the list. I'm a graduate of FIDELCO and I am 
>>> thrilled with my boy Tarik, my first and only other dog was a little 
>>> female black lab, she was excellent, trained by the seeing eye. I'm 
>>> self employed so going out of town for a month wasn't an option for 
>>> me when it was time to get a new guide. I researched programs and 
>>> found FIDELCO, and it was a perfect fit for me. I've been really 
>>> happy with the support that I get from FIDELCO. I opted to own and 
>>> it's been a good five years. He hasn't slowed down much but I like 
>>> to get where I'm going, and I haven't slowed down much myself, so it 
>>> works out good.
>>>
>>> I truly enjoy German Shepherds as a breed and I don't see myself 
>>> using any other program than FIDELCO. There training philosophy and 
>>> the fact that I can call out there and say "Hi, it's Bryan from 
>>> Wisconsin" and they know who I am makes me feel at home with the staff.
>>>
>>> I think you will be happy, the training is one on one and very 
>>> personalized. You are in your home town and the trainer is exposed 
>>> to your real life. I believe that makes a huge difference. I 
>>> personally see in community training as the future of guide dog 
>>> training.
>>>
>>> I think there are at least 3  or maybe more FIDELCO grads on the 
>>> list, so we're a rare breed, but we're around. Again welcome and 
>>> good luck in training!
>>>
>>>   Bryan and FIDELCO dog Tarik
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dixie" <blueherons at sbcglobal.net>
>>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
>>> Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 8:03 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] new guide dog.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Fidelco only trains German Shepherds.  And, we are allowed to 
>>>> choose if we
>>>> would like to own or for Fidelco to maintain ownership of our dogs.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> If we choose to own our dogs, as I have done, after 6 months as a 
>>>> working
>>>> team the ownership of the dog reverts to the handler.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Dixie and Fidelco's Cobalt
>>>>
>>>> ~  @-> ~ <-@  ~
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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biz 
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>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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