[nagdu] guide dog schools

Sat Oct 15 23:48:00 UTC 2011

Hey everyone. I am new on this list andhave been reading the messages
and messaging a few off list. I am looking in to a guide dog too, but
this thred is Hannah's and not mine but for the partual ownership
thing my thoughts on it are these.

I understand that a guide dog user would wantfull ownership of their
dog as soon as they graduate, but it is not always about the owner
having ownership, but also about the safey of the dog. If someone
seems to be a good person to have a dog, and the school give them
fullownership and they go home and start to abuse the dog, over feed
it, or whatever the case might be, the school would have a much harder
time to take back the dog for it's own safey. If you believe that you
can be responciple enough to take care of the dog the correct way and
maintain its health and training, then you have nothing to worry
about.

Hannah, you have described guiding eyes for the blind, try to look in to them.
They pay up to $200 anual for vet care, and maybe more if their are
some very bad health issues.
They keep ownership for the first two years to insure the safey of the
dog and to make sure that both the owner and the dog works out well.
They have tuns of reps all up and down the east coast, not sure of
anyplace else.
They do come out and check on you and your dog for the first few years
to insure your doing fine and the dog is not getting fat or losing
it's training.
They really seem to care about both the dog and the people getting the
dogs. Now if you are one of those people who insist on complete
privacy, control and want to be the one to go to the school for help,
then I do not think you would like this school.
I know i am responcible enough to do these things myself but, i have
heard a lot of good things threw other friends about this school and
would like to look in to them more myself.
All to their own.
If your a bit nervous and would feel more at ease with having someone
checking up on you every now and then to make sure your doing ok,then
hey you might like them after all. It is not as if they are going to
be spying on you every day or something, they just want to know that
you and your dog are getting along well and nothing wrong is going on.

Now i have seen some peopel who has gotten a dog and abused it but
they have full ownership of their dog and their is not much the school
can do about it now. Is it fare to those dogs to get misstreated and
noone come rescue them like that? At least if a dog from guiding eyes
is being misstreated they have a chance of being rescued,

These are my thoughts and
my understanding that not all think like me.

Lea williams

On 10/15/11, Hannah Chadwick <sparklylicious at suddenlink.net> wrote:
> I know I can pay for food and toys and such but sometimes vet bills can be
> pretty costly. Also it seems like some guide dog schools work with petco to
> offer discounts.
> I think sharing ownership for the first year or so would reassure me in case
> something goes wrong with the dog.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Steven Johnson
> Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2011 4:08 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools
>
> Hi Hannah,
> One of the things you might want to consider as many of have been there or
> are in a very similar situation as yours, is to check with your vet to see
> if you can make monthly payments on your bill.  My guide's vet costs
> annually for her major spring work up are usually pushing $400+.  The other
> thing is to see if they offer a reduced rate or discount to service dog
> users...many do.
> Now on the first part of your post, you might want to really look at the
> idea of ownership closely.  I do know that Leader Dogs for theBlind has a
> 2-year wait until one can apply for ownership which I personally find
> unacceptable.  Ownership to many of us on this list is a big part of our
> independence, and the NAGDU continues to advocate hard to get all schools to
> grant ownership upon graduation.  Let me ask, that is if you feel
> comfortable in answering to the group, but why do you think you need to have
> a time period before ownership is granted?  Curious minds want to know.
>
> BTW, my name is Steve and I am working my 3rd black lab from Leader Dogs.  I
> have had my guides since 1992, and I am the current President of the
> Wisconsin Association of Guide Dog Users.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Hannah Chadwick
> Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2011 5:55 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: [nagdu] guide dog schools
>
> Hi all,
> I think working with a school with many representatives in a lot of the
> States would be a plus for me in case something goes wrong. Also I'd want to
> attend a school where I don't have complete ownership of the dog, at least
> for now since I'm a college student. Being a college student, I will also
> need financial help from the guide dog school for vets. I'm not sure if this
> is asking for a lot or if there are any schools that offer these things.
> Please let me know if you have suggestions or ideas.
> Thanks in advance, Hannah
>
>
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-- 
Lea Williams

Phone;
704-732-4470
Skipe;
Lea.williams738
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