[nagdu] Considering A Dog

[Kody Keplinger]

Hi all!

I found this list yesterday and have been browsing the archives for info.
 After some serious thought, I have decided to look into getting a guide
dog.  I do have some concerns that I know others have brought up in the
past (I do have remaining vision, and I know it may impair my trust of the
dog at first, but I believe I can overcome this, especially since my
retained vision is only useful outdoors during the day.)  After asking
around about different schools and commands, I know I want to apply to
schools that teach "find" commands (ex. "find a chair" or "find the
stairs") as these are very difficult things for me in unfamiliar indoor
settings.  I also want a school that trains dogs for trains/subways since I
live in NYC and that's an important part of my daily life.

I have a pretty strong breed preference to either a German Shepherd or a
Boxer. I LOVE labs, but they've been family pets my whole life, and my gut
is telling me that, for my first guide dog, and one I'll work with as a
partner, I want to step away from labs if at all possible. My first choice
of school was Fidelco, but I read today some of the controversy from last
year. I like their program because a.) they focus on german shepherds and
b.) I like the idea of starting, from day one, in my neighborhood. I know
some programs take you to NYC as sort of a final "challenge" - but as NYC
is my home, I'd rather it not be my big challenge, I'd rather it be my
regular, if that makes sense at all.  Is the controversy over Fidelco and
ownership still brewing? Has anyone worked with them lately?

Looking at other schools, can any of you give me some info on which ones
teach the "find" commands as well as provide german shepherds and/or boxers
(and that allow you to specify a preference)? Also, any info on the wait
times for these programs (from turning in the application, to acceptance,
to attending the school) would be incredibly helpful/appreciated. (I found
the old surveys on GDUI, but they were from 2008 and I wasn't sure how
up-to-date they were.)

Thanks for any info you can give, guys! I'm so glad I found this listserv
already. The archives have already given me so much direction.

Best,
Kody