[nagdu] Guide Dog School

Wed Mar 11 23:54:01 UTC 2015

Dan, I was stating the schools' point of view.  I didn't say that I
agreed with them so don't worry that I would think you are trying to
argue.  Unfortunately, many people get a guide dog so they have a well
trained pet and let it get too heavy. That causes problems for all of
us.  I think schools should do a better job educating students on
proper nutrition for our dog guides.

On 3/11/15, Dan Weiner <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net> wrote:
> I think the problem I have with guide dog schools saying that they are
> concerned about the health and wellbeing of their dogs is the assumption
> that we blind consumers are not concerned about the same thing.
> If we are so untrustworthy than maybe they schools should screen more
> carefully--sarcastic smile. Not debating with you, Marianne, but I'm
> debating with the schools in absentia.
>
>
> I had Leader Dogs for two of my dogs, for example. When I first got my
> super
> dog, Evan, they gave ownership or rather transfer of title upon graduation
> making them at that time one of the more progressive schools, since 2007,
> however, that policy has changed and I did let them know  in  several
> conversations my disagreement with that
>  change.
>
> Leader and other schools have an obsession with dog weight, now before you
> lambaste me, I'm not saying we should have overweight dogs--smile.
> But I do know of several cases with schools that retain ownership where the
> local vet for the dog thought that the dog was within reasonable weight
> limit and the schools did not and some of the schools made threatening
> noises sometimes being quite rude to grads I know from one or the other
> school.
> Anyway, JMO.
>
> I hope all dogs and people out there are doing great today.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marianne Denning
> via nagdu
> Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2015 9:29 AM
> To: Debby Phillips; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide
> Dog
> Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Guide Dog School
>
> Most schools who maintain ownership of the dog do not pay vet bills.
> They maintain ownership of the dog so they can take the dog if they believe
> the dog is too overweight or is being abused.  I don't think they want to
> take the dogs away from us because that can reflect badly on them, but they
> use this as there way to do it. After I had my current dog for a year
> Leader
> Dogs asked for health records from my vet.  I didn't provide them so they
> sent out a field rep to check out my dog.  They thought I was hiding her
> weight problem from them but I wasn't.  If this were my first dog I would
> have provided the information but since I have been getting dogs from
> Leader
> for over 25 years I did not think I should have to do that.
>
> NAGDU and guide dog schools have a very different view of things, as I see
> it.  NAGDU supports and promotes the rights of dog guide teams and guide
> dog
> schools want to provide a highly trained dog for a blind person.  The
> schools also want to assure that the health and well-being of the dog is
> maintained.  I think this means there are areas where NAGDU and guide dog
> schools will agree and areas where they disagree.
>
> As long as people continue to go to schools that maintain ownership there
> is
> no reason for the schools to change their policies.  If NAGDU is really
> serious about this issue then we should become more activist.  Otherwise,
> each of us will make our own decision about the best school for us.
>
> On 3/11/15, Debby Phillips via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Helga, well, as with everything there are advantages and
>> disadvantages, I suppose.  For me, ownership was important, so I chose
>> Seeing Eye rather than Guide Dogs for the Blind, which was definitely
>> closer to me when I applied for my first dog.  For me, ownership meant
>> being more independent.  There were some other reasons I didn't choose
>> GDB, but they are not important to this current discussion.
>>
>> Since I have never been in a position where the school owned the dog,
>> there are some things I don't know.  But one advantage ow could see to
>> the school owning the dog, especially in the case of Guide Dogs for
>> the Blind, is that they do pay vet costs.  Those can be very
>> expensive.  Yesterday is a good example.  My retired dog had to have
>> surgery to clean and sew up a huge cut that he got.  That plus his and
>> Neena's kennel cough shots was over $500.
>> It was a pretty expensive do at our house.  (Smile).  Worth it, of
>> course, because we all love Lamar.  But if Lamar was still a working
>> dog, and the school owned him, they would probably help with those
>> costs.  Certainly grads from GDB have a lot of support from the
>> school, but they also have a lot more supervision.  So you will have
>> to decide whether you need more support, knowing that you will have
>> more requirements from the school to fill out papers, etc.  That's a
>> decision only you can make.  There's nothing wrong with either choice,
>> if that is what you want.
>> Anyway, good luck!    Blessings,    Debby with Neena
>>
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>
>
> --
> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
> Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
> (513) 607-6053
>
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-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053