Category: Animal House
Hey Zoners, the old Fidelco topic is locked, so sorry for creating a new post. I'm hoping somebody will be able to tell me the good, the bad, the ugly, and the useful on the Fidelco guide dog school. I read the old thread, and I read the Braille Monitor article. I have to take the article with a few grains of salt, but I do appreciate the input.
Here's the situation. I know someone who is looking for a GSD. They currently have a Lab from Seeing Eye with major ground scavenging problems to the point that the dog will be cruising along, suddenly stop, and dive to the ground for a gum wrapper. Corrections don't phase the dog, and the prong collar nearly made him have to retire out of harness fear. The gentle leader seems to work, but it's an ongoing, ever present problem. Seeing Eye's grad support has been... less than stellar in this part of the country. The person is specifically looking for a shep, and would only reconsider Seeing Eye as a last resort.
Is Fidelco nation wide now? What is grad support like? What is ownership like? What equipment do you get along with the dog? This person called Fidelco, and it took them 10 days to respond, and that was after a second call and an e-mail in which they said, "We were planning to call tomorrow." (tomorrow is tomorrow from the night of this post).
Is their office nuts or something? Do you get good instruction? I appreciate any personal experiences with this school, but as we know, schools can change rapidly over just a few years, so I'd like recent experiences if I can get them.
Thanks!