[nagdu] Cost of a service dog

[Jenine Stanley]

Tracy, 


It all has to do with economies of scale. 

Yes, the guide dog schools are fairly well established organizations, even
the newer ones, and have an established organizational model that says you
don't charge for services, or you do the minimal charge of asking a student
to pay for travel, or, as is the case with TSE, a nominal charge for other
reasons. 

Many service dog programs are very small and simply have no other way of
garnering the funds to do what they do. 

I have and will always defend TSE's policy of the nominal fee as I truly
believe in its purpose. 

Guide Dog Foundation's service dog arm, America's VetDogs, is, I believe,
the only program that does not charge a fee to obtain a service dog and
attend training class. That said, what prompts a lot of owner-training in
the service dog world is the waiting list at schools. It takes us a long
time to find the right dog to match someone's needs. Many people find it
easier to owner-train. Many also try it and come back for the wait when they
find it's not as easy as it seems. 

Hope that helps.


Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com
http://www.twitter.com/jeninems


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 10:49 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Cost of a service dog

Marion's recent question about the cost of a service dog got me thinking. 
It's my impression that many non-guide service dog training centers charge a
lot to their clients, like thousands of dollars.  When TSE started out, they
charged a fee that was substantial at the time, but now is less than I've
spent taking guests out to a nice dinner.  The norm among guide dog schools
is to charge nothing, or a nominal fee, so much so that I hear people
complain about TSE's fee.
I wonder why other service dog training centers charge so much, while those
for guide dogs charge so little?  My first guess Is it's because the guide
dog schools are well-established charities, with sufficient donations.  Or
is it possible that blind people expect to get things free, and other
disabled people don't?
The cost certainly explains the relative numbers of owner-trainers.  If I
had to raise thousands every time I needed a new dog, it would make
owner-training a very attractive alternative.
Anyway, just wondering, and not complaining.
Tracy



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