Hi, I'm Paige, and I'm a dog guide. I've blogged here before, and so has my master, Crista Earl, who wrote a several-part diary telling how we first met. I wanted to give a shout-out to all my fellow dog guides because it's September, which is National Guide Dog Month.
Recently my master and her colleagues took a trip to a wonderful place called The Seeing Eye in Morristown, New Jersey. Most of the people had never been there, but I already knew my way around since this was where I went to school and where I first met my master!
I am a New York City dog, so I am used to taking trains. We took a train out of Penn Station into New Jersey. Once we got there, the nice folks from The Seeing Eye came and picked us up and we drove out into the beautiful countryside, where they are located.
All the humans introduced themselves, and had coffee, then watched a presentation. Since I like to relax when I can, I just lay down by my master's feet. (Pro tip: if you see a dog guide like me wearing a harness, that means we're still on the job, even if we're lying down.)
Then, we got to go outside in the sunshine and meet some of my fellow canines. A dog named Krokus showed how to navigate obstacles (traffic cones, poles, barriers, and overhanging objects) with his trainer. I remember how hard it was to learn those things so I was very proud of him! We also saw a German Shepherd puppy named Gremlin, who was just a baby but everyone said was very cute.
After lunch, we got to take a tour of the campus. Everyone knows that we dogs have to go through training, but did you know that our dog guide masters have to go to school too? They live on campus with us for a month and we learn how humans and guide dogs work together.
Then, all the humans got to learn what it was like to be guided by a dog guide. The sighted people wore blindfolds. Everyone was surprised how fast we dog guides walk. (I don't know why they were so surprised—we've got places to go!) When a dog guides you, you hold the harness with your left hand and keep your arm bent at the elbow. You command the dog with your voice and by moving your right arm. My master was guided by a different dog, and I only got a tiny bit jealous.
Even though it has been almost 8 years since I was there, it was great to visit my old stomping grounds at The Seeing Eye. Hopefully the humans learned a lot about how important we dog guides are and how hard we work. So, Happy National Guide Dog Month everyone—the next round of treats is on me!
