[nagdu] guide dog schools

Wed Oct 19 20:47:21 UTC 2011

Also gary, I think sometimes schools change with new administrations and of 
course with time.  For example, a school may start out small and have no 
reputation and 20 years from now be on the cutting edge of dog handling.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "GARY STEEVES" <rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 3:41 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools


> Hello:
>
> My one comment on this school  topic is choose  who you listen to 
> carefully. For example, living in Vancouver as I do, the CNIB (Canadian 
> National Institue of the Blind) is the folks who would do the rehab 
> assessment. I chose to by pass them and just convince the schools on my 
> own that I have the mobility skills they are looking for. Here the CNIB 
> pushes GDB. When I told them I was going to my school I felt a real 
> negative attitude from them. Unfortunately, the conference we were at 
> wrapped up and I couldn't follow up on why they felt the way the did. I 
> would have listened to their concerns but would have only added that to 
> all the information I had already gathered to hlep me make an informed 
> decision. For example I was totally comfortable going to GDD which is a 
> small school because I had learned good things about their head trainer. 
> Even the school I went to in Canada that has had a mixed rep in the past 
> had recently hired a new head trainer who was well respected which gave me 
> more confidence about their program.
>
> Do your research, ask your questions, find people who have gone to 
> different programs and find out what they liked and didn't like about 
> their experiences and pull it all together. In the end you have to make up 
> your mind on what is important to you since it is you who will be working 
> with the dog and the program.
>
> Gary
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Hannah Chadwick <sparklylicious at suddenlink.net>
> Date: Saturday, October 15, 2011 4:58 pm
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>
>> I completely agree with all you've said Lea especially about the
>> ownershippart. :)
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf
>> Of Lea williams
>> Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2011 4:48 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] guide dog schools
>>
>> 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
>> Facebook
>> http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001775297080
>>
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