[nagdu] Newbie!

Tue Feb 18 17:51:57 UTC 2014

Welcome to the list. Glad to see some other canadians. :) I'm matt from windsor On Canada.
I'm looking at getting a guide dog, just doing my research right now. Really having great vybes about GDB in California.

Matthew Dierckens
Macintosh Trainer
Blind Access Training
www.blindaccesstraining.com
1-877-774-7670 ext. 4

On Feb 18, 2014, at 8:22 AM, Daryl Marie <crazymusician at shaw.ca> wrote:

> 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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>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
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