Wait times for getting a dog

[cfgo...@gmail.com]

Can anybody tell me why it can take up to eighteen months to get a dog now? I don’t get it. I was told by one of the schools that there are wait lists and that the dog is matched when you get to the top of the wait list! Who has ever heard of that? Help me out here!

[Debby Phillips]

I can't speak for all schools, but I do understand that ever since Covid it is taking longer for schools to get dogs ready. I also think that if you have been to a school before, they have kind of an idea about what dog might work, and usually have an alternate that might work, in case the first match doesn't work. Two years ago when I was matched with Ruby I had been told that I might have to wait a year, but then I got a call because someone cancelled. At that time too, I had to get a specific kind of Covid test, and also had proof of vaccination which may, and I say, may have helped. I don't know that for sure, though. Fortunately I was able to get everything done, because I only had a couple weeks' notice. In fact, I was visiting my family for Christmas. I was able to fly from the town where my family lives and then back home to where my husband and I live. It was all very quick, and a little nerve-wracking, but so worth it in the end. So my suggestion is to apply where you want to go, keep busy in the meantime (because that will make the time go by faster), and if you can, be a bit flexible in case you get a quicker date than they expect.

On Aug 22, 2025 6:25 AM, cfgo...@gmail.com wrote:

Can anybody tell me why it can take up to eighteen months to get a dog now? I don’t get it. I was told by one of the schools that there are wait lists and that the dog is matched when you get to the top of the wait list! Who has ever heard of that? Help me out here!

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[Heidi Vandewinckel]

It is a lot more complicated than just the waitlist. Every student has their own needs, and every dog does too.

So for instance, I am a fast walker, I need a dog that can do everything but escalators cause they try not to use them. So it has to be a sound city dog Able to fly frequently on planes, cruise, going into different environments. All that and at a fast speed. So the dog that I’m looking for is sort of a unicorn. It took me 17 months to get matched with my little girl. It was worth the weight. She is my eighth dog.

 I was vice chair of program services for Gdf for in the past. This was a Board position, and we constantly looked at waiting list and reasons for people waiting a long time. The more specific you are about what you want, potentially the longer with the weight can be. So for instance, if you want only a female golden who weighed less than 60 pounds, that would take much longer a time.

Although there is a waiting list, it is even more complicated than that. Most schools will service repeated grads on a priority basis.

If you have any special needs that might prolong your weight.

I could have been bottom of the list and needed a dog that walked out of very very fast speed. If there was no one else on the list, I would’ve been bumped to the top.

So when they give you that number, it is only to tell you, this could be a wait, it may not be, or it may be.

I was told by a past DOT that most people fit into a certain framework of what they need. Those people are easier to place. I would not fit into that group.

With my seventh guide, I put in an application, they were trying to slow Annie down, so when my application came in, I was bumped to the top of the list. For that dog, and only waited a couple of months. Again, she was not a match for anyone higher on the list.

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 22, 2025, at 7:25 AM, cfgo...@gmail.com wrote:



Can anybody tell me why it can take up to eighteen months to get a dog now? I don’t get it. I was told by one of the schools that there are wait lists and that the dog is matched when you get to the top of the wait list! Who has ever heard of that? Help me out here!

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[shirl...@gmail.com]

Hello,

 

One way to minimize your wait time is to seperate what you actually need from what you prefer.  For example, your walking pace is something a dog needs to match.  The color or sex or breed of a dog is more of a preference, unless you have allergies or something like that.  If you have children, cats or other dogs your dog will need to be capable of handling those circumstances. 

 

Before COVID larger schools had well oiled breeding, puppy raising and training procedures to meet the needs of the clients they served.  COVID disrupted those procedures and many schools are, it appears, rethinking those old procedures as they rebuild those parts of their programs.  Given the costs involved in providing each handler with a dog which meets their needs it makes sense to regroup and evaluate.

 

 

Wishing you a very special phone call soon!

 

Shirley Manning & Bonnie

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[hihe...@gmail.com]

I absolutely agree with this statement.  Although I have a personal preference for black labs, mostly due to shedding and the type of clothing I wear, I would have accepted any good match including goldens and poodles.  For me, my guide dog is a mobility device first and I know I will love whatever dog they give me. 

 

As I was using my phone for dictation, I thought I would add a bit more, now that I am on my desk top.

 

The matching process is very interesting. For instance, GDF as part of their application process requires a video.  When I was in training with my 8^th guide, I have been a guide dog user for a very long time, My instructor and I were talking and she said that she tries to mimic the walking gates of her students who will be placed with a specific dog, while she is working that dog.    Other factors include your lifestyle, what is your daily work like.  I indicated in a previous e-mail that I travel a lot.  I, of course do not travel every day, so I need a dog that will also calm when not stimulated.  When I received my second guide, I was in graduate school with classes of 2 hours at a pop.  I needed a dog that would settle down in that situation. 

 

There are also many reasons why applicants on the wait list may decline a specific class including health reasons and work reasons.  That applicant most likely will remain high the waiting list, but  that may give an opportunity to someone further down.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/guidedogusersinc.org/d/msgid/chat/014201dc139a%247293c350%2457bb49f0%24%40gmail.com.