[NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

[Paul Ferrara]

The survey link opened fine for me and points to word docs of questions answered by each school.



Paul Ferrara, CPACC and 

Communications Accessibility Editor, Dot6
American Printing House
1839 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206
Main 502 895 2396
pferrara at aph.org

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of d m gina via NAGDU
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2020 11:08 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: d m gina <dmgina at mysero.net>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

Original I am not able to open the site, says it can cause problems.
Don't remember the wording, but that is ok.
Hope the rest of you can enjoy what is out there.
I was just interested.
Dar message:
> Here is a link to a guide dog school survey provided by GDUI. The 
> survey covers many areas from training, types of breeds, home or 
> training at school, meals and more!

> https://guidedogusersinc.org/resources/gdui-school-survey/

> Best,
> Sarah

> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Charlene Ota via 
> NAGDU
> Sent: Monday, October 26, 2020 2:21 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Charlene Ota <caota4 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

> Hi, one thing to always keep in mind is that one person's experience 
> isn't always a good way to evaluate the schools by. Over the years, 
> I've heard criticism of one school or another based on rumors and one 
> dog or one person's experience. Once the handlers leave the school, 
> sometimes they don't follow through with things like they should, so 
> just be careful in basing decisions on what you see from a graduate. 
> Mike had good advice about asking all your questions when you go 
> through your interview. I had a shepherd as one of my guide dogs and 
> I'd make a couple of comments. He was an excellent guide, but being as 
> smart and as he was and with his strong personality, I'm glad I had 
> him when I was young and had the energy. I needed to find alternative 
> routes to go places so he wouldn't get bored and I really had to 
> commit to keep up his training. He liked to challenge me once in a 
> while! If you're looking for a shepherd, I'd consider whether you are 
> wanting to be pretty active all the time. I always said that boy 
> needed a job, he wouldn't have been a good pet in somebody's backyard, 
> there probably wouldn't have been much left of it if he'd been left 
> alone every day. But, don't get me wrong, again, he was a wonderful 
> guide. When you're looking at getting a guide dog, you might consider 
> your lifestyle, how active you normally are, what kinds of 
> circumstances you'll be in most of the time. In the end, I think we 
> all appreciate dogs that are focused, compliant, well-behaved, don't require a lot of constant attention. I wish you all the best getting your first dog!

> Charlene

> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Megan Borella via 
> NAGDU
> Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2020 3:19 PM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Megan Borella <meganborella at gmail.com>
> Subject: [NAGDU] Question Regarding Guide Dog Schools

> Hello,

> I am in the process of choosing a guide dog school to apply to in 
> order to obtain my first guide, and was hoping to receive input from 
> recent graduates regarding the programs I am considering. I would very 
> much like to work with a German Shepherd, but have found that options 
> for this breed are more limited than I had expected. I live in 
> California, and no schools in my vicinity breed German Shepherds, 
> which is why Fidelco's program caught my eye. Their in-home training 
> was also of interest to me, as I would prefer to not have to go to a 
> program in a different state for an extended period of time.

> However, as I have conducted more thorough research, stories I have 
> heard about Fidelco, its policies, and the quality of the guides it 
> has produced in the past decade have raised some serious concerns. 
> Does anyone know if Fidelco has undergone any improvements? Is their program worth applying to?
> I also know that the Seeing Eye is another school that specializes in 
> German Shepherds, although I do not know if they would be willing to 
> conduct in-home training. Has anyone graduated from their program 
> recently who might be able to provide feedback?

> Finally, I live very near Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., which I have 
> heard nothing but wonderful things about. I have visited their campus 
> and adopted one of their dogs through their career change program, and 
> she could not have been any better. My only hesitation about applying 
> to their program is that they do not breed German shepherds. Either 
> way, the quality of the dog matters to me more than the breed. Does 
> anyone have any thoughts on whether the quality of the schools that do 
> specialize in German shepherds is high enough to warrant submitting an application?
> Thank you so much,
> Megan
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