[NAGDU] Fidelco, was, Criminal background check

Chantel Cuddemi jawsgirl87 at gmail.com
Wed Jun 21 18:56:53 UTC 2017


 Hi there,
Pilot dogs also trains GSD's. When I was in brush up training with my
poodle, another student came in with her shepherd for brush up! So they do
train Shepherd's. There was also a shepherd in my class when I first got
Motley.

HTH,
Chantel.
On Wed, Jun 21, 2017 at 2:44 PM Buddy Brannan via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> One small correction:
>
> Fidelco is one of *two*, perhaps three, programs that train exclusively
> GSD's. The other two are a tiny program in Washington State whose name I've
> forgotten...something like Independence Guide Dogs or some such...and the
> newly rstructured and growing Eye Dog Foundation in Arizona.
>
> One interesting thing of note on the Eye Dog Foundation: I had a nice chat
> with the person in charge of the puppy kennels, who invited me to go and
> see their facility the next time I go to Arizona, which is possible since
> Ih have family there. Anyway, they are a program that seems open to blind
> trainers. They're not hiring new apprentices now, but they stated very
> publicly, on their Facebook page, that the perspectives of owner trainers
> are important and valuable and that they're willing to listen to our input
> along with others in the field. It's a pretty refreshing change.
>
> Sorry, I don't know what their ownership policy is.
>
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: 814-860-3194
> Mobile: 814-431-0962
> Email: buddy at brannan.name
>
>
>
>
> > On Jun 21, 2017, at 2:29 PM, Heather Bird via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hello, list. As a graduate of Fidelco, I feel compelled to chime in here
> > with my thoughts on the organization. I should say that for background, I
> > had dogs from Fidelco from 2006 to 2010, which was around the time that
> Mrs.
> > Caman died and things started to go to hell in a hand basket. I believe
> that
> > John Bifield had already departed at that time as well. First the
> positives.
> >
> > A. They are the only school training exclusively German Shepherd Dogs,
> which
> > is very important as almost all of the other schools in the country have
> > discontinued or seriously down-sized their breeding programs for GSDs.
> The
> > Seeing Eye and Fidelco are responsible for keeping GSDs alive as a
> guiding
> > breed in the United States. Yes, some other schools still produce GSDs,
> but
> > not in large numbers. Some schools have re-instituted their GSD breeding
> or
> > tried to re-invigorate and build up their GSD programs in the past few
> > years, which is great, but the numbers just aren't up yet. So, if you
> want
> > to be guaranteed a GSD, Fidelco is the place to go. Now, Eye Dog
> Foundation
> > sort of collapsed but I've heard from a few people that they are back.
> How
> > strong they are, how the quality of the dogs is at present, whether their
> > past problems have been overcome, I have no idea. Time will tell, but
> they
> > are a very small program, so can only help the GSD numbers just so much.
> > Also, given past miss-steps it will take time to see if they are a viable
> > option for people at this time. I do wish them success as we need more
> > quality producers of GSD guide dogs. But, case rests, for guaranteed GSDs
> > you've got Fidelco and maybe, maybe Eye Dog Foundation. Yes, The Seeing
> Eye
> > does produce a large number of quality GSDs, I believe they produce the
> most
> > in our country for a school that produces a variety of breeds, but I'd
> have
> > to look at stats to be entirely accurate.
> > B. They provide home training. Most on-campus training programs provide
> home
> > training, at some times for some students, but there are two problems. A.
> > They often have pretty restrictive criteria for doing so. For instance at
> > TSE you must be a former graduate of theirs to get home training, not
> just
> > be a repeat guide dog handler, but you must be one of their graduates,
> even
> > if you have successfully had home training from Fidelco or Freedom Guide
> > Dogs before, and you wait a very long time, about as long as you would
> for
> > Freedom or Fidelco. B. Home training is great, on-campus training is
> great,
> > but when a school specializes in one or the other, they are experts at
> > providing that kind and their ability to provide quality placements in
> the
> > other type which is not their mainstay may not match up. It certainly
> could
> > be as good or better, but there's no telling since that is not their
> area of
> > expertise. I believe that the only two purely home training schools in
> the
> > US at this time are Fidelco and Freedom Guide Dogs.
> > C. Their dogs are wonderful. They are very intelligent, loyal, beautiful
> > examples of their breed. Both of my girls from Fidelco were absolutely
> > brilliant, gorgeous, outstanding dogs. Some people will mention health or
> > behavioral problems in Fidelco GSDs, but similar problems do crop up in
> TSE
> > shepherds as well, and even more so in the breeding programs at other
> > schools where they are just now beginning to re-instate or to revitalize
> > their flagging GSD breeding. So, personally, I think that TSE has the
> best
> > shepherd lines Fidelco has a close second, Eye Dog Foundation is as of
> yet
> > unknown and relatively untested after their recent return to the scene,
> and
> > the other school's lines are hit or miss but are on their way to
> improving.
> > For which  I am very grateful, BTW, because more quality GSDs available
> in
> > our country is a wonderful thing.
> > D. Their trainers are absolutely amazing. I have had unfortunate
> experiences
> > with some of the Fidelco staff but never with a trainer. Every Fidelco
> > trainer I have ever met or worked with was comparable in respectfulness,
> > competence and knowledge to my favorite Seeing Eye trainers. The great
> thing
> > about home training is lots of one-on-one time with your trainer and the
> > terrible thing is also lots of that one-on-one time. If you like your
> > trainer and work well with them, then it is heaven, if you do not get
> along
> > well, then it is hell. I was lucky to have great working relationships
> with
> > all of my Fidelco trainers. Now, I counsel caution regarding their
> policies,
> > and what you say and how you say it to various staff members such as
> office
> > staff, board members, etc., but the trainers themselves are absolutely
> > great. I have met and or worked with 6 of their trainers, so that's a
> > good-sized sampling for a relatively small school. However there was a
> lot
> > of staff turn-over, which brings me to the list of cons.
> >
> > A. The trainer who placed me with Drew retired, was fired, laid off, I'm
> not
> > sure, in September after placing a dog with me in July or August, and
> they
> > did not re-assign her cell or change the greeting on the voice mail so I
> > left her messages requesting assistance not knowing that she was no
> longer
> > there. That January another trainer came to do a placement with a dog
> that
> > she and I mutually decided was not a good match, and by the time I was
> > placed with Paisley in summer of 2007, that trainer was gone, again, for
> > what reason I do not know. I do know two of the trainers that I met are
> > still there today and the other two I am unsure of as to whether they are
> > still there. The head of graduate services also sort of disappeared from
> the
> > scene around the time I was retiring Paisley and I think that his
> departure
> > had something to do with my unsuccessful reapplication to Fidelco for a
> > successor. So yeah, high staff turnover, can be especially is rough, when
> > the trainers are one of the best things about the school.
> > B. Lack of transparency. They never had as good transparency as TSE, but
> it
> > used to be much better. Example, their model of puppy raiser contact
> used to
> > be great, I think preferable to TSE's current, no contact policy or other
> > school's full and encouraged contact policy. They would ask the raiser
> and
> > the grad if they wanted contact, and if both did, then they exchanged
> > information and the grad and raiser could take it from there, if either
> > party did not wish it, then there was not an exchange. However, this
> policy
> > has now been changed to mirror TSE's policy of no raiser contact at all.
> > Other examples, great and small abound of how the transparency of the
> > organization has decreased over the past two decades, especially after
> Mrs.
> > Caman's passing.
> > C. Problems with placements. It is going to sound contradictory no matter
> > how I try to explain it. After all, Fidelco is the reason I am now so
> > devoted to GSDs. People have asked me "Heather, if you had problems with
> > your GSDs, then why the heck are you so dedicated to the breed?" I guess
> > what I can say is heartfelt but a bit circular or incomprehensible, and
> it
> > is this "Look if I could have so many problems with my Fidelco GSDs and
> > still be absolutely in love with the breed, then there must just be
> > something very special about the breed and or, among the things Fidelco
> is
> > doing wrong, they must also be doing many things right." Beyond that I
> > cannot explain it. The first dog they gave me had an over-active
> > prey/herding drive and she started nipping at people in a herding, not an
> > attacking fashion and had to be retired. They took her to the school,
> worked
> > with her, then returned her to me and she nipped someone the next day
> and I
> > called the trainer who had left only hours before and said "Look, you
> need
> > to come and get her right now, because University Police is at my door
> and
> > I'm not turning her over to them or animal control, but you need to come
> and
> > take possession of her right now for her sake." It was a minor nip that
> left
> > a red mark, but did not break the skin. It was very traumatic as there
> was
> > not much time to say goodbye, and due to being away at college, retiring
> her
> > to my mom's house was not a viable option either. The school kept saying
> > "It's not your fault. You are doing everything right." Which is not a
> > comfort, let me tell you. I kept saying "Please find something I am doing
> > wrong, because if I am, then that also means that I can fix, change or
> > improve it and solve the problem." They brought a dog in the winter but
> she
> > was overwhelmed by large groups of children and I was in the music
> education
> > program to teach elementary school aged children, so the trainer and I
> > agreed that she was not a good fit for my life, but that she could
> certainly
> > serve someone who did not have to deal with such large numbers of kids
> on a
> > daily basis. In the summer, one year after I got Drew, I was given
> Paisley.
> > She was a great dog and worked for two years. She began to bond with my
> > husband, despite the fact that he never fed or watered or relieved or
> > groomed her. He did not walk her or play with her. He had very limited
> > contact with her, just saying hi to her and sometimes scratching her
> behind
> > the ears if she was on the couch with the two of us. However, Paisley was
> > very observant, empathic and sweet. She picked up on his PTSD and decided
> > that he needed her help more than I did. If we worked with him around at
> > all, she would go crazy to try and stay near him, would get distracted
> from
> > her guiding and follow him, refuse to turn and go a different way from
> him,
> > look at traffic reacting to mini vans like the one that Jim drove. If we
> > were out without him she was fine, accept that in our neighborhood she
> would
> > keep trying to take me home. The trainer who came told me that I had let
> Jim
> > pay too much attention to her, even though this was absolutely not the
> case.
> > I do get that this must happen sometimes with some negligent handlers who
> > flout the rules, but I had not done that at all. In hind sight, what I
> > should have done was retire her, retrain her as Jim's Psychiatric service
> > dog then apply to another school for a successor for myself. At that time
> > the ownership policy would have allowed this, but obviously now, it does
> > not. But I didn't know about psych dogs for PTSD and so I returned her to
> > the school. I think that had Jim had his own psych dog when I got
> Paisley,
> > she would not have felt the need to take care of him. I think it started
> one
> > time when Jim hit the deck and took cover under a bench when fireworks
> went
> > off. My mom and I and baby Jeremy were in the van on the side of the road
> > when Jim went to retrieve a cooler from the place we had accidentally
> left
> > it. He was out of the van a ways away, near the beach when the fireworks
> > started going off. We could not just stay on the road like that and I was
> > worried about Jim. So, I had Paisley go and find Jim. She lead me to him,
> > where he was unresponsive under a bench. I think that flipped a switch
> for
> > her that he needed help and she was going to help him. Every time I asked
> > her to ignore him, or to work for me and not for him, when he was around
> > just caused her anxiety and frustration. There was nothing I could have
> done
> > to make her a viable guide for me, and nothing I did to cause this
> problem,
> > but the first two trainers who had worked with me were not there to
> advocate
> > for me. The graduate rep. was also gone or on his way out so he couldn't
> > help either. I went through an appellate process when denied a successor
> and
> > had to write explanatory letters when they would not even clarify what
> their
> > reasons were fore denying my application. Had I or Fidelco known more
> about
> > PTSD or psychiatric service dogs in 2010 this situation would not have
> > turned out the way it did. Neither of my dogs from TSE ever had this
> > problem, partly because Jim already had his own psych dog at that point,
> > partly because I made TSE aware of Jim's PTSD, and partly because I was
> even
> > more paranoid about keeping the dogs at a distance from Jim. When I first
> > brought each home I told Jim not to make eye contact, or to pet them on
> any
> > occasion for several months and to minimize even saying their names. I do
> > think it will feel very good to see Fidelco reps at convention and have
> them
> > see how I am successfully working GSDs from the Seeing Eye, who trusts
> and
> > believes in and communicates with me in a way that Fidelco could not or
> > would not.
> >
> > Bottom line? I would recommend Fidelco to some people in some situations,
> > but overall I have strong reservations. I love Fidelco in many ways and I
> > really hope that they can change some of their policies and rebound to
> where
> > they used to be in terms of quality when the Camans were still alive. I
> > harbor no ill will and very much want to see them continue as a school,
> to
> > thrive and flourish and improve, because I believe in their mission,
> their
> > dogs and their trainers, and I don't want to see them disappear or to
> > continue as they are.
> >
> > PS, when I got my dogs the ownership contract was not as good as the
> Seeing
> > Eye, but it wasn't as bad as it is now, either. Additionally, I did not
> have
> > to undergo any background check of any kind. I had to submit references
> and
> > such, but that is standard operating procedure at any responsible
> training
> > program.
> >
> > Heather Bird
> > "They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I
> wasn't
> > a Communist.
> > Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a
> Jew.
> > Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I
> > wasn't a trade unionist.
> > Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a
> > Protestant.
> > Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up." -
> > Martin Niemöller
> > In our diverse society we must never fail to speak up in the face of
> Human
> > Rights violations lest we be the next targets of such violations.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of NAGDU
> President
> > via NAGDU
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 9:40 AM
> > To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> > Cc: NAGDU President
> > Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Criminal background check
> >
> > Dan,
> >
> >       I agree with you and have asked Fidelco for more information. I am
> > very doubtful, though, we will get an answer to my inquiry, since Fidelco
> > believes, as stated by their Chief Operating Officer, Julie Unwinn, that
> we
> > do not deserve answers to our inquiries nor input into their policies
> since
> > we do not pay for the services they provide. We are only the
> beneficiaries
> > of such services paid for by their assertions that they help the blind.
> > Their convoluted arguments reflect the arrogance of their CEO, Eliot
> > Russman.
> >
> >       While doing a little more research on this issue, I found a very
> > interesting website with numerous comments from past employees about the
> > corporate culture of Fidelco. You may want to take a look for yourselves!
> >
> >
> https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Fidelco-Guide-Dog-Foundation-Reviews-E6546
> > 08.htm
> >
> > Fraternally yours,
> > Marion
> >
> > Marion Gwizdala, President
> > National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU) National Federation
> of
> > the Blind
> > (813) 626-2789
> > President at NAGDU.ORG
> >
> >
> > The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> > characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
> > expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind
> people
> > and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what
> holds
> > you back.
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dan Weiner
> via
> > NAGDU
> > Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2017 10:29 PM
> > To: Alana Leonhardy via NAGDU
> > Cc: Dan Weiner
> > Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Criminal background check
> >
> > I don't know, guys,is it really necessary, I mean, unless a school can
> tell
> > me or convince me that they've had problem with people with criminal
> records
> > in enough cases that this is warranted, I would be very hesitant to just
> buy
> > in to that type of reasoning.
> >
> > So let's see, all  do you need a criminal background check to receive
> > services for the blind? What about other comparable services, yes I
> know, it
> > all boils down to the argument about what you're allowed to ask if you
> are
> > providing a service and ultimately it comes back to the same type of
> > arguments we hear about ownership, to give ownership or not to give
> > ownership.  If it were up to me, NAGDU and GDUI would be asking Fidelco
> why
> > this is so necessary.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 6/18/2017 10:08 PM, Alana Leonhardy via NAGDU wrote:
> >> Hi, all,
> >> First off, if a school is going to require a background check, they
> > absolutely need to use a fully accessible website.
> >> On the issue itself, I think background checks are fine for a couple
> >> of
> > reasons. I agree with some previous posters that having a criminal record
> > should not automatically disqualify someone from being accepted to
> > training...and if that's how some schools are doing things, then that's a
> > big problem. I think that, with some acceptions for various serious
> crimes,
> > things need to be looked at on a case by case basis.
> >> That being said, the safety of the dog isn't the only thing that needs
> >> to
> > be taken in to account. There are also the other student's to consider.
> For
> > example, a person convicted of rape may be a fine dog handler, but it
> > wouldn't be fair to potentially put the other students in danger
> regardless
> > of how well that person may be able to work a guide dog.
> >> Alana
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >>> On Jun 18, 2017, at 07:03, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
> >>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > wrote:
> >>>
> >>> A friend of mine is applying to Fidelco, and he had to undergo a
> >>> criminal background check as part of the application process.
> >>> Fidelco told him the IGDF is recommending that all schools add the
> >>> check.  He also said the website Fidelco used for his part of the
> >>> check wasn't really accessible, and he had to have a sighted person
> >>> fill
> > out the form for him.
> >>>
> >>> Just thought I'd share.
> >>>
> >>> Tracy
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >>
> >
> >
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