[nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation

Tue Feb 18 14:26:15 UTC 2014

John,
I think most, if not all, guide dog schools here look for the same
criteria. They all want a referral completed by an O&M specialist to
vouch for your mobility skills. If a person can't use a cane well, or
doesn't have good O&M skills, the schools will not want to give them a
dog because while the dog guides you, it is not a GPS. The dog relies
on you to teach it the route to places.
If you think your O&M skills are shot, you can attend Leader Dogs
Accelerated Mobility Program. It's 7-days long at the Leader Dog guide
dog school in Southeast Michigan. They will cover your transportation
to and from the school. They will help improve your mobility skills,
and give you the opportunity to work with a dog for a bit to get the
experience. After that, you can decide whether or not you still want a
guide dog, and which school might be best for you. I am not sure if
the O&M instructors there will complete a guide dog school referral
form or not. I don't see why they wouldn't.
Here's a link about the accelerated mobility program.
http://www.leaderdog.org/programs/amp/index.php
Good luck.
--
Raven


On 2/18/14, Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net> wrote:
> Hi John.
> Guide Dogs of America is near L.A., and Guide Dogs for the Blind is near San
>
> Francisco.  Both could be excellent choices.
> I think most schools require some references.  So far as I know, it doesn't
>
> have to be from a mobility specialist.
> I think they mainly want to know that you're not a psychopath, or a sleaze
> that would sell the dog, or a guy who really never goes out--that kind of
> thing.
> Tracy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <starmy22 at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 6:06 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation
>
>
>> Hi,
>> Oh ok.
>> I have a question: I'm going to be moving out to california.
>> Are the guide dog training schools out there more spacific as to what
>> criteria they are looking for?
>> I  understand one of them says that you have to have a mobility instructer
>>
>> or some one send in a referral.
>> Are there any guide dog training schools out in that particular area that
>>
>> don't have requirement?
>> I hope to hear fromyou soon.
>> Sincerely,
>> John Sanders
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Raven Tolliver
>> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2014 1:28 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation
>>
>> Hi John,
>> Every school is perfect for someone. You will get any number of loyals
>> or graduates recommending the school where they got all, most of, or
>> their most recent dog. People will recommend the Seeing Eye, Guiding
>> Eyes, GDB, Pilot, Leader, GDF, GDA, and so on. While all of those
>> schools have their advantages and upsides, I can think of pitfalls for
>> all of those programs.
>> The bottom line: you need to decide on the school that sounds or seems
>> perfect to you. How do you do that? Consider what factors are
>> important to you. But wait, this is your first guide dog, so maybe you
>> don't know what those factors are yet. That's fine. Here are some
>> factors for you to consider and research.
>> location of program, ownership policy, dog training methods used,
>> length of formal guide training, average age of dogs issued, dog
>> breeds offered, length of student training, in-home training offered,
>> special needs training program offered, graduation ceremony,
>> puppy-raiser contact, veterinary assistance fund offered
>> That is not an exhaustive list by any means. I'm certain others will
>> contribute. But those are some of the more important factors when
>> considering a guide dog school.
>> I personally chose Guiding Eyes because I needed the financial
>> assistance with veterinary costs at the time, and I felt it important
>> to receive a dog that was trained in New York. Also, I wanted an adult
>> dog, specifically a golden retriever. GEB was perfectly able to
>> satisfy my requirements.
>> The same things might not matter to you. You might not care which
>> breed you get, or how young your first guide dog is. You might want
>> ownership upon graduation. Or, you might need in-home training for
>> your circumstance. It's up to you to research what each school offers,
>> and as you find things you like, write them down and try to find a
>> school that has those things. That's how I went about it.
>> Visit school's websites and click around. Call admissions and ask
>> questions. Put emails out on this list about specific schools once you
>> become interested in a few. It's far easier to answer questions about
>> specific schools than it is to make a suggestion to a person we know
>> absolutely nothing about.
>> I hope this helps. Good luck on your search.
>> --
>> Raven
>>
>> On 2/17/14, starmy22 at gmail.com <starmy22 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> My name is John.
>>> I'm 28 years of age.
>>> I'm considering getting a guide dog.
>>> I have a quesiton: what are some  good guide dog schools that you could
>>> recommend for some one who is getting there first guide dog?
>>> I hope to hear from you.
>>> Sincerely,
>>> John Sanders
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Raven
>>
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>
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-- 
Raven