[nagdu] Not all equal

Fri Apr 20 19:28:28 UTC 2012

So soes Pilot and Leader have a breeding program.  One of the reasons I 
didn't do Guide Dogs of the Desert or the place near L.A. is because they 
didn't have the money to fly me out there.  So, yes, money does make a 
difference!  The more established shools have been around long enough to 
have gotten some recognition.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hannah Chadwick" <sparklylicious at gmail.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 2:55 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Not all equal


> Tracy,
> I would have to agree with you on this. I think that most first-time dog
> users decide on the school often by the way campuses look, the people, the
> breed, etc. I'm beginning to realize that the most important factor is the
> dog and the training he/she receives from the school.
> It seems to me like the larger schools have more resources and therefore 
> may
> do better overall; for example GDB has their own breeding program which I
> think is definitely a plus.
> Anyways, I could go on and on, but people will have to decide in the end
> what they want from a school.
> Hannah
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Tracy Carcione
> Sent: Friday, April 20, 2012 10:12 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> 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
>
>
>
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