[nagdu] Quite a Predicament

Sat Nov 2 02:18:03 UTC 2013

Tai is not going to a new place. She's been in law school for a while and knows her campus well, so this won't be an issue. Sorry, Tai, if I've spoken out of turn.

CL

On Nov 1, 2013, at 8:48 PM, "Nicole Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:

> Tai,
> 
> 	I see two different issues here.
> 
> 	First, as far as getting a dog from another school at this point, I
> am sorry to say that it probably is not going to happen, and, if it does,
> because it is such a short time period, there is more chance of you getting
> matched with the wrong dog. Sometimes, the evaluation period takes a long
> time because they want to make sure that you get the right dog.
> 
> 	Second, JMHO, for everyone, I don't necessarily  think that it is a
> good idea to get a guide dog and then almost immediately go somewhere new
> that you do not know. Even if you are not a first time user, it takes a
> while for you and your dog to trust and understand, and this process is best
> done in an area with which at least one of you is somewhat if not quite
> familiar.
> 
> 	These are just my opinions, so go ahead and throw them to the dogs
> if you want (joke).
> 
> Nicole and Lexia
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of minh ha
> Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 10:39 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Quite a Predicament
> 
> Hi Tai,
> I can't answer your questions about Seeing Eye, but you should definitely
> get in touch with the school to see what they have to say.
> However, I do know that Guide Dogs for the Blind does in-home training for
> those that cannot make it to campus. When I was going through the process of
> applying for a guide from GDB, it took a while for them to send a
> representative out to the east coast to evaluate me. I think it took about
> three to four months before they could send someone out.
> However, after the home visit, the process went much more quickly as I was
> working on a tight schedule of when I could go for training. GDB was great
> on working with me throughout this entire process. What I'm saying is even
> though there's not that much time for GDB to work with, it wouldn't hurt for
> you to call them and explain your situation. I hope this works out for you;
> I understand the difficulties of scheduling when you are a student with
> other commitments.
> 
> Minh
> 
> 
> On 11/1/13, Tai Blas <taiablas at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello all. I have quite a predicament and am looking for input from 
>> the list. I had trained with my first Seeing Eye dog Chica in 1998. I 
>> retired her in 2002 for various reasons related to her work and 
>> propensity to relieve indoors despite extensive work with Seeing Eye 
>> instructors on these issues. I am now looking to train with a new 
>> guide. I was scheduled to train in Seeing Eye's December class. 
>> However, I recently received news that they do not have a good match 
>> for me. I mistakenly relied on being in that class, and I know that is 
>> my fault, not Seeing Eye's fault.
>> 
>> I need to train with a guide prior to January 6 when I start law 
>> school again. Due to law school commitments, I will be unable to train 
>> for a guide within the next fourteen months after December. This 
>> creates quite a scheduling problem. My understanding is that Seeing 
>> Eye matches students with only the strings of dogs that the trainers 
>> assigned to that class have trained. Is there any possibility that 
>> other trainers at Seeing Eye could have a dog that is a match for me, 
>> or are matching decisions based on the entire pool of dogs?
>> 
>> In the event that Seeing Eye cannot locate a dog for me, might they 
>> have reciprocity with another school that might have an appropriate 
>> match for me?
>> If Seeing Eye cannot accommodate my schedule, might there be any way 
>> at this late date of getting into another school? If so, how should I 
>> go about this?
>> My predicament will not permit me to follow the standard application 
>> processes which take several months. Might schools deviate from their 
>> protocols/policies to accommodate me, or is this a long shot? Earlier 
>> in the year, I had initiated an application with Guide Dogs for the 
>> Blind which is still active. However, GDB would need to complete a 
>> home visit and that process can take up to eight weeks, meaning that I 
>> could not train in December.  Late in 2012, I had initiated an 
>> application with Guiding Eyes, but I am fairly certain that 
>> application has lapsed and that applying for a new guide with them 
>> would not be feasible prior to December. I would prefer to train at 
>> schools in New Jersey, New York, or California. I am not partial to 
>> any breed, but obviously am looking for the best possible match. Any 
>> input on or off the list would be greatly appreciated.
>> 
>> Thanks.
>> 
>> Tai
>> 
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> 
> 
> --
> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their
> dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
> 
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