All In a Day's Work

Dakota got to visit the airport for the first time this week. What an exciting challenge! The noise of the parking garage was the biggest obstacle for him -- doors slamming and engines starting just seemed magnified by the cave-like echoes and he was kind of jumpy at first. But once he figured out the noise didn't bother us, he decided it was okay. By the time we got in to the terminal he'd settled in to his work and did well. He enjoyed walking up and down, finding things for me, and working stairs. As usual, he attracted lots of attention!

Here he's licking his lips nervously under the glare of the orange garage lights as if to say, "I don't know about this..."

...But now you can see he's relaxed and hard at work again.

So much to see around here!

This week's new experiences included not only the airport, but also a farmer's market and some new neighborhoods. Of course errands take us to familiar places as well. I think the employees at Walmart are finally starting to get used to seeing us.

Dakota didn't care for the crashing of a long line of carts being returned to the store and stopped in mid-stride.

We waited and watched the men finish their job so he could see everything was all right.

Here Dakota finds the trash can and a seat...

...But guide dog work isn't always exciting. A big part of it is just learning to be patient. Here Dakota waits quietly and watches passersby while I do a little price checking.

It's all in a day's work!