[nagdu] Not all equal

[Tracy Carcione]

Hannah said the other day that she was starting to wonder if all the
schools were equal, or something to that effect.
I don't think they are all equal.  One can get a great dog from all of
them, and one can get a rotten dog from all of them, but I am convinced
that one has a better probability of getting a great dog at some more than
others.  We can disagree on which are best, of course.  Me, I feel
confident that I have a high probability of success with GDB or TSE. Steve
would say Leader, and Jeanine would say GDF.  Everyone has an opinion.
Further, different schools offer different things.  I want a dog who does
excellent traffic work.  I wouldn't accept a dog if we hadn't had at least
2 or 3 traffic checks in class.  My dogs have saved my butt too many times
from cars I didn't hear until the dog had already done his or her stuff.
And some schools have a more robust follow-up.  Some of the small ones can
only do phone follow-up for people outside their area.  Some people are
fine with that, and some want the option of having a trainer come in
person to help with serious problems.  I'm in the latter category.  I
remember a time when it was hard to get GDB out to New York to help me,
and I've always wondered if it might have made a difference with the dog I
had to retire early.  Probably not, but I was glad when something changed
and they were able to send someone out more quickly.
I just wanted to say this, for the benefit of people considering getting a
dog, and for first-timers having a hard time.  We have to be inclusive and
accepting of everyone.  An arrogant, "my school is the only good one"
attitude is extremely annoying.  I know that firsthand--quite a few TSE
graduates have that attitude, and it annoys the heck out of me.
But I'm still convinced that some schools are better than others.  I don't
know how to measure it, and I may even be wrong, since others' opinions as
to which is best differ from mine, and that's fine.  Maybe the only way to
choose is to ask a lot of questions, and talk to people, and read the
list. But choosing a school by whichever one accepts the application
first, or by which one has the rare breed one fancies, or by which one is
located in an area one would like to visit, might not always be the best
method, though of course dumb chance sometimes works out fine. I chose GDB
my first time because a friend and I visited it, and I liked the vibe.  I
liked the campus, and the people we talked to.  Not much to go on, but it
worked out. But we didn't have the internet then, for better or worse.
Tracy