[nagdu] should guides be given a second owner if it doesn't work out with the first owner?

[Margo and Arrow]

Hi.  My fourth dog is a reissued dog.  I prefer now to have reissued dogs 
unlss Seein geye does not have one at the time that is suitable for me.  It 
is now in my record that I want Seeing eye to take a look at its re-issued 
dogs first for me to see if anyone matches me.

It was wonderful going through class with Arrow because he'd been to class 
before and knew the drill.

arrow was three when he came into my life and oh, my, what a wonderful time 
we are having.

yes, getting a re-issued dog is somehwat different, but, we're having a 
great, wonderful, fabulous time.

I have a great, fabulous time with my previous three dogs certainly, but, I 
like getting the somewhat older dog and one who's been through some of these 
stages before.

so, yes, I do definitely think a dog who's been with another handler can be 
reissued if the school thinks it's a wise thing to do.

Margo and Arrow
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 7:48 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] should guides be given a second owner if it doesn't 
work out with the first owner?


Hi,

Yep, I'd say you're overreacting. In the 18 monthsto two years before you 
get your dog, s/he can pick up lots of habits. Some are good, others not so 
much. Bear in mind that your dog has been through a lot of transitions 
before you get him, regardless of whether there was another handler or not. 
Your dog may pick up behaviors in the kennel that its raisers never saw. He 
may pick up habits that were cute in puppyhood but not cute now. He may just 
start doing things that he didn't do anywhere else. And, if the dog is still 
deemed sound enough to do the work, why shouldn't it be given that 
opportunity? Dogs need jobs. It makes them happy. Pleasing us is what makes 
them go, and if a dog feels it has a purpose, it feels that its life is 
fulfilled. Not to mention that it ain't cheap to raise, train, and place 
these dogs, so if a dog can be reissued, why not?

I've seen many teams work out wonderfully where a dog has been a reissue. 
Dogs aren't robots, and they'll all have their things that they do that 
range from the mildly annoying to the drive you up a tree kind of things. 
These are, after all, living beings. You want perfection and predictable 
behavior? You probably want a cane. Dogs are thinking, feeling critters, 
and, while they do great things in their work, even surprising things, they 
will also sometimes do things that we don't like. It's all part of the 
package.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Apr 13, 2011, at 6:19 PM, Brittney N. Mejico wrote:

> Hello all,
> My dog had another handler before me.  I don’t think that guides should be 
> given another handlerbecause the dog picksup a lot of bad habits and they 
> are  really hard to get rid of.  I love my  dog very muchand harvard has 
> changed my life, but it took me a year to stop a lot of her bad habbits, 
> and we still have some work to do.  What do you guys think? am I over 
> reacting? <Owner.vcf>_______________________________________________
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