[nagdu] Getting a dog guide

Steven Johnson blinddog3 at charter.net
Thu Sep 26 23:10:57 UTC 2013 

As of last year when I was at the school, the thought was that they were
most likely going to discontinue the device, but continue to work with the
company to create a better product.  I am not sure what the new more
expensive device is that you might be referring to, but will check around.
However, LD's intention is to provide some type of user-friendly GPS device
to it's students.


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Buddy Brannan
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 6:04 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Getting a dog guide

Are you sure about this? Kapten has ceased manufacture of the Kapten Plus
last year, replacing it with a a more expensive model that Leader doesn't
seem to supply. Are they then going through their existing stock until it's
gone? Concerning, since it also appears Kapsys isn't updating maps for the
Plus anymore either.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Sep 26, 2013, at 6:57 PM, Steven Johnson <blinddog3 at charter.net> wrote:

> The current device that LD uses is the Kapten Plus which is a talking 
> device and about the size of a credit card.  They are working with the 
> company to develop another user-friendly device that will enhance the 
> existing features even more.
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sheila 
> Leigland
> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 9:35 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Getting a dog guide
> 
> the captain is a gps unit. I don't know much about it though.
> On 9/25/2013 6:48 PM, Shelby Young wrote:
>> I like to go for walks each day for about twenty minutes or more, so 
>> I
> know the dog will get exercise each day.  I have a pet dog, a small one.
>> I'm looking at GDB's site now, and still considering the other 
>> schools I
> listed.  Leader dogs gives out something called a captin, does anyone 
> know what this or anything?
>> Shelby
>> On Sep 25, 2013, at 7:36 PM, "Nicole Torcolini" 
>> <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
> wrote:
>> 
>>> Another consideration is time. Having a guide dog will add at least 
>>> another hour of time to your day. Your dog should probably get out 
>>> to work at least every few days. Regardless of if the dog works 
>>> during a day, the dog usually needs some other way to use its 
>>> energy, especially when it is young , although some dogs have less 
>>> energy than
> others.
>>> 
>>> I got my guide dog from GDB. I like that school for several reasons. 
>>> I am happy with the breeds that they have, and I feel that they make 
>>> good decisions with their breeding program. They have a good number 
>>> of grad services, including field representatives and vet assistance.
>>> I have not heard as many bad stories about GDB as I have heard about 
>>> other schools. I also like the way that they treat the guide dog 
>>> recipients for the most part. That is, there are no rules about not 
>>> using your cane when you are not using your dog during training. 
>>> This may not be a factor for some people, but I like the fact that 
>>> the puppy raiser comes to the graduation if possible, and then you 
>>> have the choice of staying in contact with the puppy raiser if you 
>>> want; the school leaves it up to the puppy raiser and new handler. I 
>>> also feel that GDB continues to try to improve their training for 
>>> both the dogs and the handlers. For example, they switched from 
>>> using choke chain
> collars to using martingale collars whenever possible.
>>> Also, just to clarify, although GDB does provide vet assistance, it 
>>> is usually something that you have to get approved.
>>> 
>>> Nicole
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Shelby 
>>> Young
>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 5:14 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Cc: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Getting a dog guide
>>> 
>>> Mark,
>>> How long did it take them to match you with a dog?
>>> The other day I called guide dogs for the blind, and the lady told 
>>> me they do not do in-home training because you need to focus all 
>>> your attention on the dog for that two weeks. I just called a little 
>>> bit ago and spoke with a guy, he says under special circumstances, 
>>> like a single mom who has no one to leave her children with. That's 
>>> my situation. He said that things may have changed and that they may 
>>> not come out anymore, but to call back tomorrow and find out for 
>>> sure. I will
> be doing that.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Sep 25, 2013, at 7:04 PM, "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Shelby,
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I am a college student, so my training experience may be different 
>>>> than
>>> yours. The Instructor works with you for 15 days. Yes, you do get 
>>> your dog on the first day, however, it is just spent doing 
>>> paperwork, teaching you how to care for the dog, and bonding with 
>>> the dog. No, there are no lectures as such that they give you before 
>>> hand, however, on the first day they give you a packet of 
>>> information to go over. This may have changed in the past two years 
>>> since I received my dog, however, all the information was in print, 
>>> not terribly accessible, so, you will either have to ask the 
>>> instructor, or someone
> else, to read it to you, or scan it like I did.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Each day, the instructor will work with you at minimum for 5 or so 
>>>> hours,
>>> however, I don't know if there is some sort of set formula to 
>>> determent how long the two of you work together on any given day.  
>>> On the first day the instructor brings you the essentials for caring 
>>> for your dog, from memory they were 2 dog boles, 30lbs of dog food, 
>>> a chew toy, pick up bags, a brush, the leash and harness, and, a mat 
>>> for
> the dog to lie on.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Feel free to email me with any further questions,
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Mark
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shelby Young"
>>>> <blindatbirth at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Cc: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 5:38 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Getting a dog guide
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> Hi Mark,
>>>>> How long did they come train you for? How many hours a day was it? 
>>>>> Did
>>> they have class lectures or materials they wanted you to read over? 
>>> When the trainer got there, did you get your dog on the first day?
>>>>> Thanks for answering my questions.
>>>>> Shelby
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Sep 25, 2013, at 4:23 PM, "Mark J. Cadigan" 
>>>>>> <kramc11 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>> Hi Shelby,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I have a Fidelco guide dog. Others will bad mouth the school due 
>>>>>> to a
>>> poorly worded ownership policy, and an incident of them reclaiming a 
>>> dog under circumstances that have never been fully explained to 
>>> anyone. That being said, I have never had a problem with them, nor 
>>> have several people I know who are also Fidelco clients.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Like all living things, my dog is not perfect, and has good days 
>>>>>> and
>>> bad. Sometimes he does things that are not ideal, however, 95% of 
>>> the time, his work is spot on, and I have never had a significant 
>>> issue with
> his work.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> The schools give you all the essentials, thus making the startup 
>>>>>> cost
>>> essentially zero. However, you may choose to get some things such as 
>>> an air tight dog food storage container, a tray to go under the dog 
>>> boles, or a dog bed. All of these things are useful, but not essential.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Something to think about when considering a guide dog is cost. 
>>>>>> Some of
>>> the recurring costs to consider are:
>>>>>> Food (monthly approximately $80)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Vet (yearly approximately $150)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Grooming (monthly approximately 25)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Supplements, flee and tick preventative, ETC (annually $250 EST.)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> These recurring cost will vary depending on several external 
>>>>>> factors and
>>> will be different for each dog guide handler.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shelby Young"
>>>>>> <blindatbirth at gmail.com>
>>>>>> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 4:48 PM
>>>>>> Subject: [nagdu] Getting a dog guide
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>>>> I do not have a guide dog yet, but in considering getting one. I 
>>>>>>> have
>>> posted on the blind parents list and blind parents group on 
>>> Facebook, so if this is a repeat I apologize.
>>>>>>> Where did you get your dog from? Where would you consider 
>>>>>>> getting your
>>> dog from? What breed of dog do you like the best, why and why not? 
>>> Do you have children while using your dog? What things what I need 
>>> to purchase for my dog before hand, and what things do the schools 
>>> usually
> give?
>>>>>>> I am looking into Fidelco guide dogs foundation or leader dogs 
>>>>>>> for the
>>> blind. I talk to Fidelco and like that they do and community 
>>> placement. I have a son, almost 14 months old and don't have the 
>>> option to leave him for at least two weeks. I spoke with leader dogs 
>>> and they said they could come to my home as well. They only do that 
>>> on
> special circumstances though.
>>> Leader dogs will send me the class lectures before hand so I can 
>>> master them. Does anyone have any thoughts on either of these 
>>> schools? Please let me know the good, the bad and the ugly.
>>>>>>> I am not completely set on getting a guy, it's just something I 
>>>>>>> am
>>> looking into and would like as much information as possible.
>>>>>>> I apologize for any typing mistakes, I'm using dictation on my 
>>>>>>> phone
>>> and don't have the time to go fix everything.
>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>> Shelby
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account 
>>>>>>> info for
>>> nagdu:
>>>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/kramc11%40gmail.
>>>>>>> com
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>>>>> for
>>> nagdu:
>>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blindatbirth%4
>>>>>> 0
>>>>>> gm
>>>>>> ail.com
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>>>> for
>>> nagdu:
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/kramc11%40gmail.
>>>>> co
>>>>> m
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>>> for
>>> nagdu:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blindatbirth%40g
>>>> m
>>>> ai
>>>> l.com
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>> for
> nagdu:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/ntorcolini%40wave
>>> c
>>> able.co
>>> m
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>> for
> nagdu:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blindatbirth%40gm
>>> a
>>> il.com
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/sleigland%40bresna
>> n
>> .net
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blinddog3%40charter
> .net
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/buddy%40brannan.nam
> e


_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blinddog3%40charter.net

More information about the NAGDU mailing list