[nagdu] Guide Dog School

Mon Mar 9 21:52:07 UTC 2015

I am a graduate of the Guide Dog Foundation. The training program was
12 days long with two students per instructor. I received full
ownership of my dog upon graduation. The breeds most commonly used
seem to be labs. goldens, and crosses with maybe a few other breeds in
the minority. Optional follow up services are offered, but I am not
sure of the specifics.

Danielle and Thai
On 3/9/15, Passle Helminski via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am a Pilot graduate several times.  They give you ownership upon
> graduating not in 2 years after you graduate "before handing the dog over to
> you".  There dogs are in formal guide dog training 6 months not 6 weeks.
>
> Best,
>
> Passle
>
> On Mar 9, 2015, at 12:38 PM, John Sanders via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>> I'm a graduate of Pilot dogs.
>> Pilot dogs takes ownership of there dogs for two years before handing it
>> over to you.
>> The guide dogs are in formal guide dog training for 6 weeks.
>> Pilot dogs doesn't have a ceremony.
>> Pilot dogs will reimburse you for vet bills.
>> The only thing you have to do is send them a copy of  the receipt showing
>> that you paid for the service that the vet worked on the dog.
>> Pilot dogs is located in Ohio.
>> I just thought that I would  chime in.
>> I hope to hear from you soon.
>> Sincerely,
>> John an the always beautiful, always gorgeous  Mollie!
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message----- From: Raven Tolliver via nagdu
>> Sent: Monday, March 09, 2015 12:05 PM
>> To: milissa61 ; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>> Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Dog School
>>
>> Since ownership is prime for you, some alternative programs are Pilot
>> Dogs in Ohio, Guide Dog Foundation in New York, and Guide Dogs of
>> America in California. They all grant ownership upon completion of
>> your training, and none of them charge you for the dog.
>> I attended Guiding Eyes, so I cannot testify on behalf of the above
>> programs. Hopefully, grads from those schools will chime in.
>> I suggest clicking around those programs' websites and finding out
>> what they offer to their students and grads. Consider what else is
>> important to you in a guide dog school. Below is the checklist I
>> provide to anyone looking for their ideal guide dog school. The
>> answers to most of these questions can be found on a school's website,
>> or you can call the schools and speak with their admissions staff.
>> Figure out what is important to you,.
>> What is the wait time between acceptance of an application and
>> provision of a class date?
>> How long do students spend training at the school?
>> What is the student to instructor ratio?
>> Where is the school located?
>> Are there follow-up services to your home area?
>> Is in-home training offered?
>> What is the school's ownership policy?
>> How long do the dogs spend in formal guide training?
>> What training methods are used on the dogs?
>> How old are the dogs when they are given to students?
>> What breeds are offered?
>> Is assistance with veterinary costs offered?
>> Can you return to the school for brush-up training if necessary?
>> Do you have a choice in contact with your dog's puppy-raisers?
>> Is there a graduation ceremony?
>>
>> Here are the websites to the aforementioned schools.
>> pilotdogs.org
>> guidedogsofamerica.com
>> guidedog.org
>>
>> Good luck with your search for your ideal program.
>> --
>> Raven
>> You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
>> have or what you do.
>>
>> Naturally-reared guide dogs
>> https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs
>>
>> On 3/9/15, milissa61 via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> All my dogs have been from Guiding Eyes. They are a great school and the
>>> director of training is phenomenal. When you get a dog from Guiding
>>> Eyes,
>>> GEB owns the dog for the first two years. After that, you are able to
>>> apply
>>> for ownership provided your dog is in good health. GEB is very strict
>>> about
>>> making sure their dogs are not over weight. I like GEB's ownership
>>> policy
>>> because if anything goes wrong, (like the dog is being abused) GEB can
>>> step
>>> in and take the dog. They are not in the practice of taking people's
>>> dogs
>>> away. If something is wrong, they really go out of their way to help you
>>> straighten things out. But, I am glad it's an option. I've seen way to
>>> many
>>> dogs from schools that give ownership right away not be able to do
>>> anything
>>> if a dog is not being treated well or if the dog is overweight. Let me
>>> know
>>> if you have any other questions about GEB.
>>>
>>> Just my two cents.
>>>
>>> Milissa
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Debby
>>> Phillips
>>> via nagdu
>>> Sent: Monday, March 9, 2015 11:27 AM
>>> To: nimerjaber1 at gmail.com; semisweetdebby at gmail.com; nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Dog School
>>>
>>> You might want to look at Guiding EYES.  They produce some great dogs,
>>> the
>>> training is very good, I'm told, (the Director of training was my first
>>> instructor at Seeing Eye).  I'm not sure what their ownership policy is.
>>> I
>>> almost applied there before I got Neena, but at the last moment, I just
>>> couldn't make the change.  I've been getting dogs from TSE since 1981.
>>> I
>>> have concerns too about some of the direction then are going, and
>>> concerns
>>> about their ability to do good follow up.  But for me, I just couldn't
>>> make
>>> the change.  Neena is a great dog, and I love how she works.  We will
>>> see,
>>> in the future, if I need follow-up
>>> if it will happen or not.  Good luck with your search.    Peace,
>>> Debby with Neena
>>>
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>>
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