[nagdu] Considering A Dog

[Marsha Drenth]

Hi cody, 

I'm Marsha, 3 days away from getting my new pup. I recently retired a GSD from TSE due to health and stress issues. I am completely devasted about this, but that is for another time and place. I am a full time student at Temple University in Philadelphia. I live in the burb of Philly with my hubby. I am also hearing impaired and blind. Oh and my first pup was from GDB. 

I'm the moderator around here, so if you need anything please let me know. 

Until next time,

Marsha drenth  
Sent with my IPhone 
http://adventureswith2feet4paws.blogspot.com 

On Sep 20, 2012, at 1:00 AM, Kody Keplinger <kodytheduff at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
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