[NAGDU] Experiences with Guide dog foundation

Wed Mar 13 18:02:08 UTC 2024

I went to seeing eye theee times.  I have experienced the snobbery among
grads and trainers. The methods can be harsh indeed.

On Wed, Mar 13, 2024 at 7:16 AM Jessica Sears via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:

> Hi, Julie,
>
> I was so scared to go to TSE also. Before I met my coworker with a TSE dog,
> I just saw a lot of handlers who I thought were kind of super strict to
> almost being mean to the dogs. Also, lets not even talk about the blind
> rumor mill saying they are snobby because of being the oldest one. Lol, I
> hope you love your time there. It was everything I wanted and more though I
> missed meeting my raisers. Both sets of raisers from GDB and GEB were just
> such sweet people and my GDB raisers in UT and I still talk regularly. Hope
> to see posts about your time there. Have a good day.
> Jess
>
> On Tue, Mar 12, 2024 at 2:12 PM Julie A. Orozco via NAGDU <
> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
> > I love this discussion of schools.
> >
> > I am actually switching schools this time around from Guiding Eyes to
> > Seeing Eye. It's scary, this school switching thing. I'm actually
> > pretty terrified. But I, likewise, did not feel heard by one of the
> > Guiding Eyes trainers, though my experience with GEB was extremely
> > positive, and I got two great matches out of them. I wanted to switch
> > to a school where I could own my dog upon graduation. Although I
> > looked into GDF, when I was actively applying to schools, they were
> > doing classes only every month, and it seemed like their class wait
> > time was pretty long.
> >
> > I am going to class at TSE next month and cannot be more excited and
> > freaked out all at the same time. All that to say, switching schools
> > is understandable. Lots of handlers have done it for one reason or
> > another. GDF is a great school, and I've heard about lots of positive
> > experiences there. I do believe they require a video for admission, so
> > if that's not something you can do, I would consider bringing that up
> > to the school.
> >
> > I hope this helps,
> >
> > Julie
> >
> >
> > On 3/12/24, Jessica Sears via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > So, I am going to second this story with my own. I got my first amazing
> > dog
> > > from GDB. We worked for a solid 8 years and even both moved from a
> small
> > > town to a major city and still made it somehow ha. He sniffed
> everything
> > > but I could work with it. For my second I actually went to GEB and it
> > > really was just not great at all. I never will school bash but I will
> > never
> > > returned because I just felt not listened too. I told them the dog
> would
> > > not be a good fit, I explained he had to much energy for me, and when
> he
> > > basically destroyed my room in about 5 mins while I went to get a snack
> > and
> > > did not zip the cage, they said I wasn't giving him enough time. I said
> > ok
> > > the school knew better right? Well I had him for 9 months of hell and
> he
> > > chewed through everything from ethernet cables to a bunch of bananas
> in a
> > > bag. Now I am not messy ok but my home was lived in and the bananas
> were
> > on
> > > the top of the microwave that sat on a counter That dog had a stomach
> of
> > > rock and how he never got sick I will never know. The deal breaker for
> me
> > > was that I straight up felt the school lied to me because when I spent
> > > thanksgiving with his raiser who was such a sweet woman, her and her
> > whole
> > > fam said they were stunned he made it through his IFT test. I guess the
> > > first time he failed and they let him come back after they worked with
> > him
> > > some. They said his house manners were horrible and they did report it
> to
> > > the school multiple times. That just got under my skin. I think these
> > > schools do us such a amazing service but I do think they owe us
> > > transparency also. As a side note, when I almost got hit by a car and
> > told
> > > the school to please come and get this terror, they called me the next
> > day
> > > and said that he was career changed immediately. He now lives in up
> state
> > > NY with an amazing family on 5 acres of land and runs free. I love that
> > > because he was a really good dog just not trainable. I guess I will say
> > GEB
> > > did go out and work with him there also a few times over the years for
> > > chewing through fencing ha which was nice of them but he has finally
> > > showing ideas of becoming a bit better of a boy. Got my current in 2019
> > > from TSE and will after she retired be done because all of these ride
> > share
> > > denial issues and just being at a different life place working from
> > home. I
> > > do second that all schools can let us down and so can we as handlers. I
> > so
> > > hope you find your fit. GDB did food reward which I don't like and TSE
> > had
> > > hands down the best traffic training I've ever had. Every place can
> give
> > > you a great experience. Good luck.
> > > Jess
> > >
> > > On Mon, Mar 11, 2024 at 10:51 PM Sherry Gomes via NAGDU <
> > nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > >> Normally, I'd agree with everyone who says that sometimes matches
> don't
> > >> work out and it's nobody's fault, not dog, handler or school. But my
> > last
> > >> dog from GDB well, I've always wondered. I signed petitions and wrote
> > >> letters the year their CEO fired over half the admissions and graduate
> > >> services staff. I definitely wasn't quiet about it. So, I was accepted
> > for
> > >> retraining. I have other disabilities, so I have to have an easy to
> > >> manage,
> > >> slow pace, not easily distracted dog. Because I was working from
> home, I
> > >> was concerned they might not accept me, so I wrote a long letter to
> > their
> > >> team that reviews applications, discussing it and routes I had. I also
> > >> wrote a strong list of things that I did or did not want in a dog.
> > Number
> > >> one thing I did not want was a dog with strong dog distraction issues.
> > >> Hard
> > >> pulling, lunging, things like that could cause me to fall, maybe even
> > >> break
> > >> or damage one of my artificial joints, and if I fell, I could not get
> up
> > >> without help. Those at the school knew all about me. I got my first
> dog
> > >> there in 1975 and this was 2014. So, they gave me a golden retriever,
> > and
> > >> she had the worst dog distraction issues I'd ever seen. She was not
> safe
> > >> for me. She was young, and I hoped she'd grow out of it. two weeks in
> > >> class
> > >> isn't much time for dealing with issues like that after all. But for
> the
> > >> next five years, this dog was not safe for someone like me. She
> lunged,
> > >> she
> > >> even got away from me a few times. I got to the point where I never
> > wanted
> > >> to go out with her alone, and my best friend would come and walk with
> > me,
> > >> to help keep me safe and to get the dog if she got away. After five
> > years,
> > >> I'd had enough. I didn't get a guide dog to become even less
> > independent!
> > >> I
> > >> applied for retraining and was denied, basically because they said I
> > >> didn't
> > >> try hard enough. Lol. I had multiple visits from field staff during
> > those
> > >> five years. After GDB denied me, which felt like being thrown out of a
> > >> family for me after all those years, I applied to guiding eyes and
> GDF.
> > >> Field managers from the area I lived at the time did home interviews
> and
> > >> of
> > >> course walks with the dog and Juno walks. And both, without my
> > prompting,
> > >> immediately said, that dog isn't safe; that dog is dangerous for you.
> > Both
> > >> those schools accepted me and I went on both their waiting lists. I
> gave
> > >> the golden back to her raisers who lived near me and whom I knew well.
> > >> This
> > >> was in 2019, and then the pandemic hit. Guiding eyes was the first
> > school
> > >> that came through with a dog for me in 2021, so I went with them. and
> I
> > >> have a wonderful guide dog. She reminds me every day that this is
> what a
> > >> guide dog should be like, good calm worker, sweet loving well behaved
> > >> companion at home. Starting with around 2000, it seemed any dogs I had
> > >> were
> > >> either great workers and bad at home or good at home and not great
> > >> workers.
> > >> I forgot they could be both. But, I'll never ever be bonded to any
> > school
> > >> like I was GDB. My dog will be 9 in august, and at the advice of my
> > field
> > >> person, I put in the retrain app last year. However, when Shani, my
> > guide
> > >> dog, needs to retire, if guiding eyes doesn't come through, I'll apply
> > to
> > >> GDF happily. I did not write all this to bash GDB. My best friend has
> > had
> > >> three wonderful dogs from them, and I had a number of great dogs from
> > them
> > >> before the last one. Just saying, that I often wonder, now I can think
> > >> about it all without feeling sick to my stomach or wanting to cry, if
> I
> > >> was
> > >> set up with that last dog, because I had been so vocal about my
> > >> displeasure
> > >> about what they did to their staff. But realistically, mismatches
> happen
> > >> now and then. Everything might seem fine in training and then things
> go
> > >> sour at home. You just never know. Dogs and humans, living breathing
> > >> beings
> > >> with their own strengths, flaws, fears and challenges. I wish you luck
> > if
> > >> you apply to GDF. I've heard a lot of good things about them and try
> to
> > >> keep my ears open in regard to that school.
> > >>
> > >> Sherry
> > >> Sherry.gomes at outlook.com
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Leslie Hamric via
> > >> NAGDU
> > >> Sent: Monday, March 11, 2024 9:05 PM
> > >> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <
> > >> nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > >> Cc: Leslie Hamric <lhamric930 at comcast.net>
> > >> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Experiences with Guide dog foundation
> > >>
> > >> Hi Margo and all. When I went to get omega, I never had a dog switch
> > until
> > >> I got her. I started out with a male black lab named Luke. He was
> pretty
> > >> stressed out from the first morning onwards. He would just not settle
> > and
> > >> he was constantly licking his paws. This led to his pace being on
> > >> predictable and then on the last day I had him he would just spin
> around
> > >> and harnessed and didn't want to work. So looking back, I probably
> > >> would've
> > >> had to send him back even if I did graduate with him. So  I was glad
> > when
> > >> I
> > >> got omega and she's just the perfect match for me at this time in my
> > life.
> > >> Like others have said, mismatches can happen at a bigger school or
> > smaller
> > >> school. Th The instructors do their best to mash us up with the dogs
> > they
> > >> think will work for us, but no one knows what that's going to be like
> > >> until
> > >> person and dog start working together. I'd like to think of the
> matches
> > an
> > >> educated guess.
> > >> Leslie Hamric
> > >> Cello and Braille Music Teacher
> > >>
> > >> > On Mar 11, 2024, at 10:46 PM, Margo Downey via NAGDU <
> > nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> > >> wrote:
> > >> >
> > >> > Well, I don't have experience with GDF. I am wondering why you
> > believe
> > >> a smaller school would be better.
> > >> >
> > >> > About matches not working out. I had to switch dogs after two weeks
> in
> > >> class. Those things just happen. It's unfortunate and no one is to
> > blame.
> > >> The dog I received during the dog switch was just who I needed and I
> > think
> > >> she felt I was who she needed.
> > >> >
> > >> > The best to you in your research.
> > >> >
> > >> > Margo and Tami
> > >> >
> > >> > -----Original Message-----
> > >> > From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cindy
> Ray
> > >> > via NAGDU
> > >> > Sent: Monday, March 11, 2024 7:48 PM
> > >> > To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > >> > Cc: Cindy Ray
> > >> > Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Experiences with Guide dog foundation
> > >> >
> > >> > I haven’t had experience with that school, but I wonder what makes
> you
> > >> think a smaller school would be better. None of them is really large.
> I
> > >> also agree with what Joy says here. Things happen; matches don’t work
> > out.
> > >> I had three not work out. It isn’t an exact science at all.
> > >> > Cindyray at gmail.com
> > >> >
> > >> > Cindy Lou
> > >> > Sent from my iPad
> > >> >
> > >> >> On Mar 11, 2024, at 6:15 PM, Joy via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Sorry, I don't have any experience with that school. As you are
> > >> >> researching, I admonish you to remember that there is normally no
> > >> >> blame when a match doesn't work. It isn't you, the dog or the
> school.
> > >> >> It's unfortunate and it hurts but it isn't generally anyone's
> > >> >> failure. I've been there once and I feel badly that Major didn't
> work
> > >> >> out but he is back with his puppy raisers and I believe doing
> well. I
> > >> >> will encourage you to look at all aspects of your experience and
> > learn
> > >> from it.
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Best of luck and a hand extended in support and friendship.
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Joy
> > >> >>
> > >> >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> >> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sam Doman via
> > >> >> NAGDU
> > >> >> Sent: Monday, March 11, 2024 3:33 PM
> > >> >> To: NAGDU at nfbnet.org
> > >> >> Cc: Sam Doman <skdoman2001 at gmail.com>
> > >> >> Subject: [NAGDU] Experiences with Guide dog foundation
> > >> >>
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Hi all,
> > >> >> I recently had to return my first guide back to leader after 6
> months
> > >> >> of the match not working. I have been looking into some smaller
> > >> >> schools as a possibility and I wondered what kind of experiences
> > >> >> people have had with GOODF in NewYork. I obviously understand that
> > >> >> the school is not the only factor to consider, I just want to
> > research
> > >> all my options.
> > >> >> Thanks for any help that you can provide.
> > >> >> _______________________________________________
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> > >> >>
> > >> >>
> > >> >> _______________________________________________
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> > >> >
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> > >>
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> >
> > --
> > Julie A. Orozco
> > MM Vocal Performance, 2015; American University Washington College of
> > Law, JD Candidate 2023
> >
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