[nagdu] GDF Ownership and Custody policies

[Jenine Stanley]

HI All, 

Sorry I’ve taken so long on answering this question. I just had surgery to remove my left eye, finally. that went well so now I can give you the info on this question. 

GDF offers a choice for most people entering our program of full ownership upon graduation or custody for the first 24 months of your partnership with the dog. 

For some people, with whom we discuss the facts ahead of time, only custody is offered with an end date for that custody. If all conditions are met, then the person will be granted full ownership. 

Why do we do this? First of all, it’s extremely rare to only offer custody. We do it to give people who have had bad experiences or who have not been in a good place to work with a dog before, a chance to regain their reputation and abilities as it were. Maybe they’ve matured or their living situation or adjustment to blindness has changed and they are able to work with an care for a dog again. We just want to assure that and I’m happy to say that 99.999% of people who are given only custody upon leaving training do achieve the goal of full ownership after the agreed upon period. 

If we see something during class and want to give someone a chance with the dog but want to be sure that if things do not go well, we can do the best thing for the dog and person after everything else has been tried, we will discuss custody and its granting upon graduation. If the person does not wish this option then we discuss whether or not now is a good time to train with a dog. 

Those who choose custody do so for a number of reasons. Some want to be sure that the dog, if anything happens to them, will come directly back to us and not go to their family. This happens with people of all ages but primarily with students in the senior age groups. 

Regardless of which ownership option you choose, services you receive from us are all the same. In fact, my office has to really dig into your file to find out who has which option and only does so if it is requested. 

So, if you are considering GDF, please know that custody is discussed with you prior to it being your only choice and most people will be eligible for full ownership upon graduation. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me off list at jenine at guidedog.org. 

Take care everyone and let’s start enjoying Spring!Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com

http://www.twitter.com/jeninems