[nagdu] Guide Dog Schools

[Shannon Dyer]

Hi, and welcome to the list.

I'm Shannon, and I'm currently working my third guide dog. He's a black lab named Ace, and I got him from The Guide Dog Foundation in New York. I've gotten all three of my dogs from GDF, and have had wonderful experiences each time. It's a smaller school, so the financial support isn't as good as what GDB offers. Still, they will work with graduates on a case-by-case basis.

I've worked two labs, and one lab/golden cross. Each of my dogs had good and bad qualities. In many ways, I think the dog's personality is more important than the breed.

Good luck with whichever school you choose.

Shannon and the Acelet
On Oct 31, 2013, at 11:44 AM, Shickeytha Chandler <shickeytha at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> I am new to the list. I currently travel with a cane, but am very
> seriously considering getting a guide dog in the near future. I am
> doing research on guide dog schools to see which might be best for me.
> I am considering Fidelco, Guiding Eyes and the Seeing Eye. Does anyone
> on this list have either particularly positive or especially negative
> experiences with any of these schools? If so, I would be interested to
> hear your feedback. Also, I noticed that Fidelco does training at your
> residence, whereas the other schools bring you to their campuses for
> training. I would like to hear perspectives about the disadvantages
> and advantages of each of these methods of training.
> 
> Finally, I know that various types of dogs are trained as guides,
> ranging from labs to German Shepherds. I would like to know if schools
> give you a choice as to what type of dog you are paired with. Also, I
> would be interested to hear from anyone who has worked with dogs of
> various kinds; I'd like to know your thoughts as to whether there are
> distinct qualities that one breed possesses that another breed does
> not generally possess. Of course, I am sure all dogs are unique, even
> within a breed type.
> 
> I know that is a lot of questions for one email. Thanks in advance for
> any insight that you can provide.
> 
> Shickeytha
> 
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