[nagdu] Guide Dog School

S L Johnson sljohnson25 at comcast.net
Tue Mar 10 16:32:05 UTC 2015 

Hello:

John is not correct.  According to the Pilot Dogs Web site and what I was told on class, The dogs are trained for five months.  Some dogs may learn faster so be ready for class sooner.  Some dogs go into training before they are a year old.  It all depends on the maturity of each individual dog.  My golden Eva was 14 months old when I got her and her work is excellent.  She is so calm and well behaved that I thought I'd been given an older dog.  I was shocked when I found out how young she was.  Most of the dogs on my class were closer to two years old.  She is one of the smartest guides I've had.  We need to be careful not to make broad statements.  Some young dogs may not be ready to take on the responsibility but, some are.  I've had dogs from other schools and Eva is better trained than many dogs I've had.  It is not fair to say that Pilot Dogs are not solidly trained and first timers should not go there.  My class had several first timers, including a 85 year old woman and a young lady with learning disabilities.  Everyone did very well with their dogs.      

Sandra and Eva
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Vivianna via nagdu
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2015 10:51 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Dog School

pilot will pay up to $250 a year toward vet bills.
and, yes, john was correct, they train the dogs for 6 weeks.  no way 6 months.  as you recall, folks are receiving dogs that are 13 and 14 months old.  if, they get the dogs at 1 year, now then, how can they train them for 6 months?  they can’t.
that’s why i strongly advise that first time dog users do not go there.  the dogs are not solidly trained.  IMHO.

Vivianna

> On Mar 9, 2015, at 8:15 PM, Marion Gwizdala via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 	I must respectfully disagree with the statement that Pilot will pay 
> veterinarian expenses. I was contacted yesterday by an employee with a 
> state division of blind services who has a consumer with a Pilot dog 
> that requires medication that costs $140/month. It seems Pilot is 
> refusing to help the consumer with the expenses.
> 
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion Gwizdala
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John 
> Sanders via nagdu
> Sent: Monday, March 09, 2015 12:38 PM
> To: Raven Tolliver; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of 
> Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Dog School
> 
> 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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