[nagdu] Newbie!

Daryl Marie crazymusician at shaw.ca
Tue Feb 18 13:22:26 UTC 2014


hi, Tracy,

Thanks for the well-thought-out post re switching schools!

Jenny is doing great guide work in the ice and snow... and now that winter is mostly over, she has FINALLY decided that wearing the sock-like boots MIGHT be a good idea.  Hahahaha!  She has a pretty serious scrounging problem, but I spoke with our trainer yesterday and she gave me some good ideas...

BC/AB guide dogs is a fairly new school, but they do solely residential training.   Scratch that, I think they might occasionally do class training, but most of the training is done in the home environment of the handler.  I prefer this, personally... and knowing my dog and how much she LOVES routine, I think it was a better decision for Jenny as well.  The trainers don't come out as often as I wish they would for follow-up, but the lady that trained me and Jenny is always available by phone.  She knows all of the things that I personally struggled with while training, and she trained my dog, so she asks questions like "Are you doing XYZ?", or "How is Jenny doing with...?"
I'm sure you will get this with any other school, but it's nice to know someone who has a history personally with both you and the dog.

Daryl

----- Original Message -----
From: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 05:56:24 -0700 (MST)
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Newbie!

Hi Daryl.
Sure, I've been to Edmonton!
Yep, dogs are not perfect all the time.  They never read the "Seeing Eye 
dog" books!
Just now, my Ben is doing great work in the snow and ice, and sniffing a 
lot, possibly because he's bored from not getting out as much as usual.

I switched from GDB to TSE for all kinds of reasons, though I still have 
great affection for GDB.  The main reason is that I live about 45 minutes 
from Morristown.  I thought it would be better to train with my dog in the 
actual areas where I live and work, instead of running around San Francisco, 
trying to find some place that is like Manhattan.  Also, Jersey has a lot of 
strange intersections where the streets don't line up, and I wanted to train 
with that kind of thing.  It worked out well.  I even worked with my trainer 
in some of the places where I go every work day.  Most of my GDB dogs 
handled The City just fine, but it was nice to get the practice in class 
instead of being on my own.
It's also nice to get follow-up very quickly, if I need it.  I like to say 
I'm so close they could come over on their lunch break, if they wanted to.
I also really like TSE's ownership policy, and their attitude of treating 
blind people with respect.
I always felt respected by GDB instructors, but some of the admin not so 
much.
Anyway, it was an amicable parting, and, if something goes wildly wrong at 
TSE, I'd go back to GDB.

I never heard of BC/AB guide dogs.  Could you say more about them?
Tracy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daryl Marie" <crazymusician at shaw.ca>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Newbie!


> Hi, Tracy!
> I live in Edmonton, Alberta... take the Montana border, drive straight 
> north for 5hrs, and you're here! LOL
>
> May I ask what prompted the change in schools?  I am not meaning to start 
> a flame war, but am very curiou.
>
> Jenny is a sensitive, strong, stubborn dog, which makes for some 
> interesting dynamics.  We have days where she astounds me with her 
> intelligence, obedience, and wonderful guide work... and other days like 
> yesterday where we hit the skids!  Right now she is curled up, snoring by 
> my feet.
>
> Daryl
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 07:48:44 -0700 (MST)
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Newbie!
>
> Hi Daryl.
> I'm Tracy.  I live in northern New Jersey, and work in New York City.  I 
> am
> working my 6th dog, a handsome black lab named Ben.  Ben is my first dog
> from The Seeing Eye.  The others were from Guide Dogs in San Rafael.
> I grew up in Great Falls, Montana, and we'd occasionally wander up to
> Alberta.  It's a fine place.  Where do you live?
> Tracy
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Daryl Marie" <crazymusician at shaw.ca>
> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 12:11 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] Newbie!
>
>
>> Hi!
>> I just joined this list not long ago, been lurking, and thought would 
>> jump
>> right in and say hi!
>>
>> My name is Daryl.  I am 20-something, female, living in Alberta, Canada.
>> I have had my first guide dog for the past five months and am 
>> experiencing
>> probably most if not all of the growing pains, frustrations, joys, and
>> mistakes  of first-time guide dog handlers.
>>
>> Hope to learn a lot and eventually contribute!
>>
>> Toodles,
>>
>> Daryl
>>
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