[NAGDU] guide dog matching process

Sat Feb 15 17:36:03 UTC 2020

Hi Charlene,
Actually my experience was the same as yours. My first dog-- from GDB-- was a lab and was insane. She broke away from me and treed a squirrel-- across a busy road-- our first week home together. It took so much work to get her to a point where she was trustworthy, then she died of cancer when she was 3.

Rox'E and the Kitchen Bitches
Soleil, Rowan, Phoenix
pawpower4me at gmail.com

> On Feb 15, 2020, at 11:26 AM, Charlene Ota via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Come to think of it, my experience I guess you could say was the opposite.
> My very first dog was as crazy as they get, my fellow experienced dog users
> in the class even asked the trainer why that dog was given out and still I
> took her home because I didn't know any better. I gave it my best, and
> returned her by my own choice after a few months.  She would sometimes growl
> at me and I finally got to the point that I was worried she was going to
> bite me and I had never been bitten by a dog in my life. Turns out, a friend
> found out that after she returned to school and a trainer spent some time
> working with her that indeed she did bite him. So I guess in my case they
> figured they could send a crazy dog home with a newbee who wouldn't know any
> better! (grins!!) Being a black lab, her nickname became the black devil!
> Terrible, I know, but she really was something else! Knowing what I know
> now, one thing I think I can pretty confidently say about her is that I'm
> fairly sure she really didn't like guide work, it was boring to her and she
> didn't have the patience for it. I could just feel her frustration when we'd
> be waiting at a traffic light and when the light would turn green I didn't
> tell her forward fast enough, for example. She probably was way too smart
> for her own good. She probably really needed to go do some other job that
> was much more challenging.
> 
> Charlene
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
> Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2020 9:31 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] guide dog matching process
> 
> I'm not sure if, in method 3, they look for the most experience, or the most
> pig-headedness (me).  "This chick is so obstinate, she'll keep trying long
> after more sensible people have thrown in the towel."
> Tracy
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sherrill O'Brien
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Friday, February 14, 2020 3:09 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: Sherrill O'Brien; 'Tracy Carcione'
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] guide dog matching process
> 
> Right on, Tracy!
> Many years ago, a gal in my class received a dog named Lily. Fine name, but
> the owner's name was...Lily of course! You chuckle at the moment, but then
> you think about it and it's really not a good idea at all IMHO!
> 
> I adore my current wonderful Fallon, who is now twelve. But I'd say there
> was a bit of your method three at work in our match!
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day to all you people and pooches out there!
> 
> Sherrill
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Friday, February 14, 2020 1:45 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: Tracy Carcione
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] guide dog matching process
> 
> My guess is yes.
> 
> Though often I think they really use 1 of the following 3 methods:
> They look at the students, pick out some characteristic, and pick the dog
> name they think would be cutest to go with that.  "She works in a delli, so
> she should get Pickles!"
> Or
> Each instructor picks out the dog they think would be best for a student in
> their class section.  In cases where someone else has chosen the same dog,
> they have a wrestling match, and the winner gets the dog.
> Or
> They look at which students have the most experience, and give them the dogs
> that need the most work to bring them up to snuff.
> <Mischievous grin>
> Tracy
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Madison Martin
> via NAGDU
> Sent: Friday, February 14, 2020 1:35 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Cc: Madison Martin
> Subject: [NAGDU] guide dog matching process
> 
> Hi all,
> On another list someone was asking about the matching process at a specific
> school, and I was wondering, is the matching process pretty much the same or
> at least fairly similar at all of the schools? Just curious that's all.
> Thanks
> Madison
> 
> 
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