[nagdu] What one wants

[Raven Tolliver]

Ah yes, Sherry, agreed.
Puppy-raiser contact was something I looked for as well, and I don't
regret that at all.
My puppy-raisers, not the school, were always the first people I went
to for help when I first got the golden guy. That was because I needed
help with doggie things outside of guide work. But they were there for
me during nights and weekends, and always a call, tweet, or email
away. My puppy-raisers have supported me emotionally and helped
financially, and I couldn't imagine not having contact with them.
Not to say all puppy-raisers are like this, or even want contact, but
I think it's important to keep in touch with the people who have a
year and a half head start on dealing with and caring for my dog.


On 1/23/14, Sherry Gomes <sherriola at gmail.com> wrote:
> Well said. I agree with that so much. One thing that is mandatory to me is
> puppy raiser contact, or at least the option to have it, freely at my
> choice
> and the choice of the raisers. I wouldn't attend a school that didn't give
> me that. I want other thing, I just mention that one as something that is
> more than just a good guide dog.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
> Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2014 1:39 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] What one wants
>
> Tracy,
> It's okay not to have big wants concerning a guide dog program, but I
> think that it's best to have them.
> It's not as simple as wanting a guide dog that guides well, doesn't
> hurt you, and enhances your mobility. Especially since most schools
> don't grant ownership upon graduation, you still have a school to deal
> with after you graduate. This is not to say ties can't be cut, but
> personally, I want to be comfortable calling my school for follow up
> support. And some clients want to be able to consult with their
> school's veterinarians. Some people choose schools that help pay vet
> bills. If people want to continue communicating with school staff,
> then they need to pick a school that meets their wants and needs.
> For instance, in the case of training methods. If I had a dog who was
> a scavenger, I would not want to seek advice from my trainer, only to
> have that person advise me to start executing practice sessions where
> I used positive punishment or negative reinforcement to solve the
> problem. I would want a school that advocated, advised, and suggested
> the use of techniques that are as positive as possible. To me, a good
> guide dog is an optimistic one, and harsh training techniques make
> pessimistic dogs in my opinion.
> Also, people should always talk to their school and grads about the
> ownership policy. Some schools have reputations for abusing there
> discretion when it comes to ownership policies. No one goes to a
> school to get a guide dog expecting or believing that their school
> might unfairly remove their dog from their care.
> I say if you have big wants and expectations, look for a school that
> meets your criteria. If you can't find that in a program, and don't
> have what it takes to train your own or have it privately trained,
> then start scaling back. There's nothing wrong with being picky. If I
> said the opposite, I'd be a hypocrite.
>
>
> On 1/23/14, Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net> wrote:
>> I think it's fine to not have any big wants.  Basically, I want a guide
> dog
>>
>> who actually guides me, one who helps me instead of hurts me, one who
>> enhances my mobility.  Without that, anything else is irrelevant.  One
> would
>>
>> think that one could always count on that basic, but clearly it ain't
>> necessarily so.
>> So I try to pick the program that I think has the very best chance of
> giving
>>
>> me that essential, and then, if I think there's more than one that fits
> the
>>
>> bill, look at the would-be-nice list. But figuring out which program
>> gives
>> me the best chance of a good dog is not as easy as one would think it
> should
>>
>> be.
>> To follow Rebecca's analogy, my house has to keep me warm and dry, and
>> not
>> fall down around me.  Then we can talk about bathrooms, location, etc.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> Raven
>
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-- 
Raven