Category: Animal House
So I just found out about the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation last night and it sounds really cool. I love that they'll train you in the community you live in rather than having to go to a school. So if there are any graduates from this school, I'd be interested to hear about your experiences with them. I know they train only german shepherds and that's cool. Thanks,
pianoplayer4jesus
That's the only thing I don't like about Fidelco. I'd like to have at least a little bit of a choice about the breed of dog I get. I've nothing against German Shepherds, don't mistake me. I wonder if they'd train me in Twin Falls, Idaho. LOL. And if memory serves Erik Weihenmayer is a Fidelco graduate is he not?
I bet they'd train you in Idaho. I'm not sure if he's a graduate or not. As for the German Shepherd breed I don't mind them myself.
Oh I've got nothing against the breed. I'll take any breed as long as the dog is a good match for me. But from my experience German Sheps are a bigger breed and seeing as I'm not really a very big person I'd be a little worried about that becoming a problem. Too big a dog might just drag me down the street. LOL.
Doesn't Fidelco only serve a particular part of the country? I think that's how it used to be, but I'm not 100% sure.
Hmmm. I hadn't heard that.
Upon research, I'm finding that, yes, Fidelco is one of the schools who serves their regional area only. I haven't yet found if this is still the case, so you need to call the school and check.
They are nation wide again. I got one and just had a follow up visit in Texas.
Ah, OK. I had heard something about them going nationwide again, but wasn't sure if it was a definite thing.
Ok, first of all, the reason they train only German Shepherds is that they were origionally a provider of quality GSDs to guide dog schools and other professional dog training programs including police dog training programs. They got into the business of actually training guide dogs when a close friend of the Camans wanted a GSD from a guide dog school to which Fidelco had provided Shepherds. When they found that there was no garintee of that individual obtaining a shepherd they decided to start a school. They were limited to the North East, and not even the whole North East, then they expanded to be nation wide, then, recently, a year or so ago, they constricted to the North East again, and until and unless they have trainers certified in California spacifically, and this is screwed up, not endorcing it, but it is the case, they can not place in Cali, perhaps can not even do follow up with existing grads. Last I heard, Fidelco was not Nation Wide, but of course they are still providing follow up to cliants who already have Fidelco Guide Dogs who live outside their current service area. Next, please, do not complain, even mildly about they're only training shepherds. Fidelco and Seeing Eye are really the only 2 remaining schools putting out shepherds at this time, and they are a small school. TSE only puts out about 25% GSDs out of their total graduated teams, also. If Fidelco were to start training other breeds, then more shepherds would be lost from a highly lab and golden dominated market where good shepherds are hard to come by without waiting 2 years for an appropriate match. I was a Fidelco grad, and I would like to recommend them, but at this time, I just cannot. Their transparancy as an organization has gone out the window since Robi died. They have isolated a lot of the graduate and applicant communications from those who run the school. Check out the rellivant article in the Braille Monitor, detailing a very upsetting situation that demonstrates how some very serious and disturbing developments are coming out of Fidelco. The dogs currently being turned out have a significantly higher prey drive, hearding drive and a more active tempermint than those coming out of Seeing Eye, generally speaking, and a lot of grads are struggling and returning dogs. I hope that things will work out over time, and I am not ready to condemn Fidelco as a bad job, because they have been excellent in the past, and they may turn themselves around. But for now, some really great trainers are no longer there, both Mr. and Mrs Caman have passed away, Desmond Oneal the voice and face of Fidelco, an amazing man, has disappeared and I personally, would not feel comfortable as a Fidelco grad at this time. Great schools can go down hill, horrible schools can improve, most schools will go up and down in quality in various aspects of their programs over time, so just because there are problems now, I do not mean to say that every dog is unfit, that everyone there is a bad person, or that the organization can never again produce great dogs, because I think that there could be a turn around in time. I am optimistic.
One more thing. Fidelco is not the only school that provides in home training. Freedom Guide Dogs does exclusively home training as well and many other programs such as GDF, GDB, GDD, GEB, etc offer home training or home and away combination training. It's important to do a lot of research and really understand all of the options before making such an important decision.
Guiding Eyes also trains shepherds.
They have a program to work with people at home, under certain circumstances, so consider it another option.
Another school that does train shepherds, and will do at-home training under certain circumstances, is Leader Dogs for the Blind.
I'm actually very interested in getting a Fidelco dog. I'm hoping more people who have them will post here.
GEB has discontinued shepherds, they might put out 1, literally 1 litter a year and those go to previous grads of theirs who have previously had shepherds, same with other schools who used to do shepherds like GDF, they had two litters 3 years ago, 1 2 years ago. Leader does do shepherds, but most of those are donated, same with the small percentage of shepherds coming out of Pilot. GDB has completely, end of story discontinued them and is talking about phasing out goldens also. You can talk to Fidelco grads, but really, read the article in the Braille Monitor, and talk to more recent grads, not just grads from 5 or more years ago as a lot has changed. If you want to talk privately, please email me at heather.l.bird@gmail.com, I can give you more details.
I'd really like to hear more about Fidelco and people's opinions of them, too. I'm very partial to shepherds myself. And it's kind of sad that so many organizations seem to be letting the breed slip. I can't deal with a lab or golden, mostly because of my allergies. Shepherds don't aggravate them anywhere near as much, and I'm not really sure what other choices I might have that wouldn't. The fact that they use only shepherds and the training within one's own community are what really sparked my interest about fidelco.
A lot of Leader's shepherds are now from their own breedstock. I know several people who host them in their homes. Yes, on occasion, they will accept donated dogs from other organizations, but a lot of them are now from their own stock. One of their German shepherd mom's just had a litter of 11 pups! Can you imagine? LOL
Well, that's good to hear about Leader, because that must be very recent indeed, as up untill, as I said, very recently, all of their GSDs were doaner dogs. To the poster with alergies, Seeing Eye trains boxers who are great for those with allergies, and GDF uses standard poodles which, since they have hair and not fur, tend to be better for allergy sufferers. If you do go to Fidelco or to TSE looking for a shepherd, be sure you let them know about your allergies and ask them if coated shepherds would potentially exaservate your allergies even when standard shepherds do not. Coated shepherds are those with long fluffy fur, they feel a bit like huskies with summer coats or like Belgian Malinois. Hope that helps. Also, always keep in mind that while Fidelco does specialize in and only offers home training, many schools are offering home training upon request and for certain situations.
I have a german sheppard. she is a great guide dog.