[nagdu] Guide Dog Schools

Fri Nov 1 11:40:33 UTC 2013

Mike,
	I am happy to hear that you have had nothing but good experiences
with Fidelco; however, the fact is that Fidelco employs policies and
practices that are extremely paternalistic for the 21st century. Two
specific issues with Fidelco are their practice of making surprise visits to
consumers and, when consumers object, reminding them of their contractual
ability to remove the dog. Here is that clause directly from Fidelco's
agreement, the text of which is attached to this message in its entirety.

     (d)  I agree that Fidelco may repossess the dog in the event I do not
comply with this agreement, in the event I do not provide proper and humane
care
for the dog as determined by Fidelco in its sole judgment, or for any other
reason as determined by Fidelco in its sole and absolute discretion.  In
such
event, title to the dog will revert to Fidelco automatically at Fidelco's
option.

There are a number of other issues with the agreement, however, this is the
most troubling of them!

Fraternally yours,

Marion Gwizdala, President
National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc.
National Federation of the Blind
(813) 626-2789 (Office)
888-NAGDU411 (Hotline
President at nagdu.org
www.nagdu.org

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mike
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 1:58 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Dog Schools

As a Fidelco client I completely disagree with the statement that Fidelco
has contract issues. The issues are definitely personal and not Fidelco's
fault. 
I have had nothing but good experiences with Fidelco over the last three
years and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. There are a certain
handful of folks on this list who have personal issues with Fidelco and tend
to be much louder than the people who have good experiences.
You should definitely read the contract to make sure you are aware of the
rules. That is the case with any guy dog school. Just keep an open mind.
Every school has good and bad things. Every school has someone who loves
them and hates them. I'd recommend that you decide what breed you want, see
what school meets your needs the best, and go forward from there. 

Mike

> On Oct 31, 2013, at 12:18 PM, "Larry D. Keeler" <lkeeler at comcast.net>
wrote:
> 
> First, watch out for Fidelco! They have contract issues. Before you
decide, make sure you read and understand the contract. The other thing,
schools when possible do give you a choice. Now always can they accomidate
but usually they can. I went to Pilot because I wanted a poodle. They breed
them down there. However, I ended up qith a labradoodle wich is almost as
good! As for training at school or at home, I think it would be more useful
to train at hom. But, if you know your neighborhood, it doesn't matter as
much.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shickeytha Chandler" 
> <shickeytha at gmail.com>
> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 11:44 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] Guide Dog Schools
> 
> 
>> 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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> 
> 
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