[nagdu] Guide Dog School

Wed Mar 11 01:03:09 UTC 2015

Helga, you have to decide if it is critical that the school sign the
dog over to you when you complete the training. If they don't they
will require annual health reports until you take ownership of the
dog.  That is usually 1 to 2 years.  As far as retiring the dog when
it is 11, they might take the harness away from you at that point.
Leader Dogs requires that I return the harness when I retire any of my
dogs.  You should ask Southeastern these questions.  Also, who knows
what the rules will be when your dog turns 11.  That would probably be
about 9 to 9.5 years so I wouldn't be too concerned about that right
now.  If Southeastern is where you want to go then do it. Most of us
will tell you our school is the best and that is where you should go.

On 3/10/15, Helga Schreiber via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi all! This is Helga. How are you all? remember I told you that I was going
> to apply in order to get a guide dog  perhaps this month? I haven't really
> have the chance to do that yet since I have been very busy with school.
> However, I just wanted to ask you many concerns that I have about guide dog
> schools since we are in the topic. I just wanted to ask you all, is it
> better to have the ownership of your dog, or the school to have the
> ownership? I'm just wondeirng. I know that some of you might already have
> answer these questions, but i'm just concern because this is actually the
> first guide dog that i willl be getting, and I want to make the right
> decision. I actually heard, as Marion, said, that Southeast ern Guide Dog
> school has a policy that you need to retired your dog at 11 years old, but
> what would happen if I want my guide dog to work more than 11 years old
> guys, would i be violating their policies? Just wondeirng since I was
> actually thinking in applying to over  there guys for my first guide dog.
> And actually the reason I'm applying is because one of my friends got her
> guide dog there guys! and also because I live in Florida. If you prefer to
> talk to me in private, you can give  me a call  ok? My contact information
> is located below. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks so much and God bless!
>
>
>
>
> P.S. Did nay of you went to Southeastern Guide dog school to get your first
> guide dog? Just curious. Thanks again!
>
> Helga Schreiber
>
> Fundraiser Coordinator for Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Delta Iota chapter.
> Member of National Federation of the Blind and Florida Association of Blind
> Students.
> Member of the International Networkers Team (INT).
> Independent Entrepreneur of the Company 4Life Research.
> Phone:  (561) 706-5950
> Email: helga.schreiber26 at gmail.com
> Skype: helga.schreiber26
> 4Life Website: http://helgaschreiber.my4life.com/1/default.aspx
> INT Website: http://int4life.com/
>
> "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
> believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 10, 2015, at 6:06 PM, Aleeha Dudley via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> I don't understand how a dog can be reliable if it is trained, six weeks
>> or six months, but very young age as many dogs seem to be. My friend just
>> returned with a 15-month-old dog, who, quite honestly, could have
>> definitely used some more training time.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Mar 10, 2015, at 5:37 PM, Passle Helminski via nagdu
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Thank you Sandra for a very well worded post.  I want to add that I am
>>> in contact with the Pilot with our yearly alumni convections over the
>>> recent months.  They do not train dogs in 6 weeks.  The fact is 6
>>> months.
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>> Passle
>>>
>>>> On Mar 10, 2015, at 4:59 PM, S L Johnson via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hello:
>>>>
>>>> I prefer ownership too.  However, I can understand why some schools are
>>>> concerned about the dog's health and weight.  I've seen some extremely
>>>> overweight guide dogs, some as much as ten to twenty pounds too heavy.
>>>> This
>>>> can cause all kinds of health problems.  It also looks horrible to the
>>>> public.
>>>>
>>>> I have to object to your statement about Pilot Dogs.  You said you
>>>> don't
>>>> like where they get their dogs.  They have their own breeding program
>>>> for
>>>> most of the breeds they use, otherwise they obtain dogs from breeders.
>>>> For
>>>> example, they do not breed their golden retrievers but get them from
>>>> reliable breeders.  My dog is a perfect temperament and very
>>>> intelligent.
>>>> She is very well behaved and very   well trained.
>>>>
>>>> Oh, by the way, be careful with Guide Dog Foundation.  They put my last
>>>> dog
>>>> Tara out even though they knew she had hip dysplasia.  Tara also
>>>> developed
>>>> cataracts, that resulted from hereditary cysts in her eyes.   She was
>>>> only
>>>> six years old.  So, if you want to question the quality of dogs, think
>>>> of
>>>> getting a dog with health issues.
>>>>
>>>> I think the important thing we can learn from this discussion is that
>>>> we
>>>> have a lot of work to do in order to get the guide dog schools to do a
>>>> better job of breeding, raising and  training.  They should be willing
>>>> to
>>>> respect us and to welcome our input as to what we want from the school
>>>> and
>>>> the dogs we receive.  Even those schools that have graduate councils
>>>> only
>>>> select grads for the council who will agree with everything the director
>>>> and
>>>> board wants.  We need grad councils who will speak up and disagree when
>>>> they
>>>> don't like what is happening.
>>>>
>>>> One final point.  Whether you are getting your first dog or a successor
>>>> dog,
>>>> it is important to be a good consumer.  Fortunately with the internet,
>>>> it is
>>>> very easy to check out the web sites for all the schools.  Discussion
>>>> lists
>>>> like this one are also an excellent source of information.  I know many
>>>> people are loyal to their schools but, times change so, that school
>>>> might
>>>> not be your best choice.  Last year when I knew it was time for Tara to
>>>> retire, I applied to several schools.
>>>>
>>>> Sandra and Eva
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nimer Jaber
>>>> via
>>>> nagdu
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 2:04 PM
>>>> To: milissa61; 'Debby Phillips'; 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National
>>>> Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Dog School
>>>>
>>>> Hi all,
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for your responses about the various guide schools.  I am in
>>>> agreement with Marion on his points...I don't like a school that will
>>>> retain
>>>> ownership for any amount of time.  I don't like a school that mandates
>>>> weight requirements, and I certainly don't like a school that attempts
>>>> to
>>>> force grads to send medical info.  This is just like going out and
>>>> buying a
>>>> car and having the dealership tell you that they wish to see a log of
>>>> all
>>>> the places you go with that car.  This isn't something I'm willing to
>>>> accept.  As it stands, it seems that most schools retain ownership.
>>>> There
>>>> seems to be only a couple of schools that purport to hand over ownership
>>>> to
>>>> their grads.  It's a shame that things are going down the way they are
>>>> with
>>>> TSE as I support their model the most and would love to pay for my dog.
>>>> Looks like I'll be checking out GDF and GDA as they seem to be the ones
>>>> that
>>>> hand ownership.  I have heard and seen too many cases of pretty bad
>>>> training
>>>> with Pilot...and I don't like where they get their dogs from, either.
>>>> Southeastern seems to have a forced retirement age that is in-congruent
>>>> with
>>>> providing ownership.  If anyone has anything additional to add about
>>>> this,
>>>> please let me know.  I wish that more schools would provide ownership
>>>> and
>>>> would stop treating blind people with such disrespect, but I suppose I
>>>> can
>>>> continue dreaming...
>>>>
>>>> Thanks all for all of your advice on this topic.
>>>>
>>>>> On 09-Mar-15 10:29, milissa61 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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>>>>> om
>>>>
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-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053