[nagdu] new guide dog.

Brenda bjnite at windstream.net
Mon Feb 7 00:25:41 UTC 2011 

Hi Tami and list

Thank you for remembering about Leader.  AMP.  will be going the end of 
February so will report back.  I may even ask them about their ownership 
policies etc and other things I have been made aware of on this list.   
It will be a good way to get a feel for where I might like to get a 
guide someday.   I'm so glad I am not in a hurry.
Brenda
I have learned so much from this list.  Lately I remembered the thread 
about where to park your dog.  this weather i

Brenda



On 2/6/2011 6:51 PM, Tamara Smith-Kinney wrote:
> Brenda,
>
> That's the really great thing about improved access to computers and the
> internet, even since I first started looking early this century, along with
> the growth of resources like this list and others and web sites and
> everything.
>
> I'm always thrilled to see people like yourself who are just starting the
> decision making process come to ask and learn and stick around through all
> the discussion and even arguments and downright silliness about guide dogs
> and guide dog handling.  You can get a really good idea of what you're
> letting yourself in for -- Oh!  I mean what you have to look forward to.
>
> And remembering my confusion and frustration with trying to find out real
> information with the detail I wanted, I'm glad there are now so many
> resources for others to use to find out some of those little details that
> could be very, very useful for them.
>
> Have you been to Leader's O&M program yet?  Would love detail, off list if
> you like.  Tamara.8024 at comcast.net.  I'd bet a lot of listers would like to
> know more, too, and it is pretty close to topic.  /smile/
>
> Tami Smith-Kinney
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Brenda
> Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2011 12:47 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] new guide dog.
>
> Hi Ann
> Thank  you for taking the time to share your experience.  Your
> explanation made sense.  It gave me questions to ask the school when I
> am ready for a guidedog.
> Brenda
> On 2/6/2011 3:54 PM, Ann Edie wrote:
>> Hi, Alex,
>>
>> Let me say first that I'm not trying to change your mind about getting
>> your guide dog from Fidelco.  I just have a few comments to make about
>> the Fidelco contract based on my experience with Fidelco from 2001 and
>> 2002.
>>
>> The Fidelco contract which I received at the time I trained with my 2
>> Fidelco dogs gave the graduate the option of gaining ownership of the
>> dog after 6 month of successful partnership or leaving the dog in the
>> ownership of Fidelco.  This choice seemed pretty clear.  However, the
>> thing that always confused me was that, except for the checkmark in
>> the box indicating which ownership option the graduate chose, there
>> didn't seem to be any difference between the terms of the contract for
>> those who owned the dog versus those who left the dog in Fidelco's
>> ownership.  For example, the graduate still had to agree to follow
>> Fidelco's suggestions/recommendations/dictates regarding the brand of
>> food that the dog would be fed and other ways in which the dog would
>> be managed/treated. Fidelco still reserved the right to remove the dog
>> if the organization felt that the dog was not being maintained
>> according to the advice of the program, without having to prove
>> neglect or abuse to any legal authority. This seemed contradictory to
>> me, and it seemed as if the choice of ownership options was there
>> purely for cosmetic/public relations value, rather than as a true
>> legal distinction.
>>
>> As it turned out, I had to return my first Fidelco dog after just 3
>> months of partnership, and I had to return my second Fidelco dog after
>> just about a year of partnership, well beyond the point where my
>> choice of ownership had supposedly gone into effect.  Both times I
>> returned the dogs voluntarily, but in both cases I expressed my
>> expectation that Fidelco would include me in planning and discussing
>> the dogs' future placements, as I had, of course, become very attached
>> to each of them.  In both cases, however, once the dogs were back in
>> Fidelco's custody, I was not consulted nor even kept informed as to
>> the disposition of the dogs, and I had to go to considerable lengths
>> just to find out in a general way where my dogs had been placed.
>>
>> I would be interested to know whether this situation with respect to
>> the ownership issue and its consequences has changed in the
>> intervening years or whether it remains essentially unchanged.  I
>> would also like to know if Fidelco's policies in real life have been
>> brought more into alignment with the ownership clause of the contract.
>>
>> I just thought you might want to look at these matters before you
>> enter the emotionally-charged relationship with a guide dog training
>> program and with a living canine personality and partner.  And yes,
>> the people at Fidelco are nice, and perhaps you think such a situation
>> where you would have to send back a beloved guide could never happen
>> to you, and if it did, of course the Fidelco people would want to keep
>> you in the loop as to what would happen to your own dog.  But just
>> remember, forewarned is forearmed, or an ounce of prevention is worth
>> a pound of cure, or look before you leap--or whatever proverb you
>> like--is still the best advice I can give you.
>>
>> Best,
>> Ann
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "alex"<aaatlantic at aol.com>
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 11:52 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] new guide dog.
>>
>>
>>> thanks bryan,
>>> I am very happy to say that some of the staff are very good people
>>> and Jason he is very good man.  he is going to be my traner
>>> thanksOn 2011-02-05, at 10:00 PM, Bryan Brown wrote:
>>>
>>>> Alex,
>>>>
>>>>    Hi, welcome to the list. I'm a graduate of FIDELCO and I am
>>>> thrilled with my boy Tarik, my first and only other dog was a little
>>>> female black lab, she was excellent, trained by the seeing eye. I'm
>>>> self employed so going out of town for a month wasn't an option for
>>>> me when it was time to get a new guide. I researched programs and
>>>> found FIDELCO, and it was a perfect fit for me. I've been really
>>>> happy with the support that I get from FIDELCO. I opted to own and
>>>> it's been a good five years. He hasn't slowed down much but I like
>>>> to get where I'm going, and I haven't slowed down much myself, so it
>>>> works out good.
>>>>
>>>> I truly enjoy German Shepherds as a breed and I don't see myself
>>>> using any other program than FIDELCO. There training philosophy and
>>>> the fact that I can call out there and say "Hi, it's Bryan from
>>>> Wisconsin" and they know who I am makes me feel at home with the staff.
>>>>
>>>> I think you will be happy, the training is one on one and very
>>>> personalized. You are in your home town and the trainer is exposed
>>>> to your real life. I believe that makes a huge difference. I
>>>> personally see in community training as the future of guide dog
>>>> training.
>>>>
>>>> I think there are at least 3  or maybe more FIDELCO grads on the
>>>> list, so we're a rare breed, but we're around. Again welcome and
>>>> good luck in training!
>>>>
>>>>    Bryan and FIDELCO dog Tarik
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dixie"<blueherons at sbcglobal.net>
>>>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>> Users'"<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 8:03 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] new guide dog.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Fidelco only trains German Shepherds.  And, we are allowed to
>>>>> choose if we
>>>>> would like to own or for Fidelco to maintain ownership of our dogs.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> If we choose to own our dogs, as I have done, after 6 months as a
>>>>> working
>>>>> team the ownership of the dog reverts to the handler.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Dixie and Fidelco's Cobalt
>>>>>
>>>>> ~  @->  ~<-@  ~
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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> biz
>>>>
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