[nagdu] Not all equal

[Larry D. Keeler]

I think the schools that have been around the longest have built there 
reputations.  The schools have slightly different gimmicks and ways of 
opporating that appeal to some and not necessarily others.  For example, I 
went to Pilot for 2 major reasons.  1. Because they breed poodles and 2. 
Because I felt there application process was less invassive than other 
schools.  I felt for instance, I didn't really feel it was there buisness to 
inspect my home.  Obviously these are my own quirks but they are what they 
are!  Folks got mad at me because my decission was to go to Pilot but I 
found it mostly a good school.  If we choose to get picky, we can pick any 
school apart and some, who have major issues maybe we should!  But, good and 
bad dogs, administrators, and students all exist.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 1:12 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Not all equal


> 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
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/lkeeler%40comcast.net