[nagdu] Service dog scams putting people 'at risk'

[Star Gazer]

I suspect if certification ever happens, the schools will get an umbrella
liscense (like what many schools do for Microsoft) or that schools will
somehow be excempt from meeting these standards. 


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tami Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 3:18 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Service dog scams putting people 'at risk'

Rebecca,

I agree! For years, my first question regarding the ID/certification issue
is, "who pays?" It's going to cost money, and someone is going to have to
pay it. Then I started catching the calls for the programs -- especially one
or two -- to be the ones to graciously step in and create the standards and
the program. Ah... The other side of the question of who will pay for it is
who will get paid.

So here is how it has started to stack up for me:

1. Currently, the training programs provide their own certification, since
there are no standards and requirements. The certification they give
themselves is no more or less than a fundraising tool.

2. A standardized certification requirement would affect these
organizations, as well as owner-trainers. Moreso, in fact. I only have one
dog to take to be tested, only one fee to pay, and so on. Having to have all
of their dogs tested before issuing them to work would get expensive fast
for any of the training programs. It's possible -- perhaps even likely --
that this would put some of the smaller programs out of business.

3. If one of these fundraising organizations was given the contract to
administer the testing and certification, that would be great for the
company balance sheet! They wouldn't be able to put out more dogs and would
probably end up still producing fewer working dogs as a result of the
certification requirement. But the company would look great on paper!

4. Looking great on paper and having the cachet of being in charge of
certification of all service dogs nationwide would come in real handy as
part of the fundraising spiel. It seems to me it would give some advantage
in the competition for new donors in a difficult economic climate.

5. It has also occurred to me that the organization that can claim the
highest percentage of dogs passing with the highest marks would also have a
fundraising advantage. What are the odds that by happy coincidence this will
turn out to be the same organization in charge of standards and testing?
Depends on the integrity of the organization and individual testers, I
think. Given the amounts of money that will inevitably be involved, however,
I also think that that likelihood is something to consider.

So, yes, I think now that the most important question is not who pays but
who will benefit. Service dog users? The "service dog industry" as a whole?
Or the yet-to-be-created industry of testing service dogs?

I do understand why the idea of standards and testing and
certification/identification are attractive to so many, especially those who
are accustomed to having an ID from a training program saying their dog is
certified. It's considering the implementation of any system to put that
idea into practice that makes me almost certain it would cause far more
problems than it would solve.

Of course, others will disagree with good reasons, too. /smile/

Tami



On 11/19/2013 08:46 AM, Star Gazer wrote:
> Help who? Serious question and an important one.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of William 
> Vandervest
> Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 11:36 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Service dog scams putting people 'at risk'
>
> maybe cci has a good idea, while id's won't solve all the problems 
> they would certainly help
>
>
> There are none so blind as those who will not see
>
> William and LD Lynard
>
>
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