[nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation

Tue Feb 18 21:45:07 UTC 2014

Hi John.
I went through that program recently. I learned a lot, and would recommend it for sure. let us know how it goes.

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

On Feb 18, 2014, at 4:41 PM, starmy22 at gmail.com wrote:

> Hi,
> I'm planning on attending leader dogs for there mobility training.
> My mobility skills aren't that good.
> The only issue I have is that: I'm not really active in my community.
> I live in a small community.
> I hope to hear from you soon.
> Sincerely,
> John Sanders
> 
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Raven Tolliver
> Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 9:26 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] introduction and guide doog school recommendation
> 
> 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
> 
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