Day 2 of placement camp and Wanda woke up and said "it's embarassing to look like a tourist in the city, gotta act like I've lived here my whole life".
We gave her quite a long day (about 4 hours total) and she totally relaxed into it. We did a lot of subway travel, the grocery store, sniffy breaks and the Boston public library (for a nap break). We would not have been out nearly as long if she had shown signs of wanting (or needing) to stop but she was showing true relaxation so we didn't need to.
The key to getting the mental endurance for long public access days is habituation; the world is not novel or interesting, it is boring and supportive of true relaxation and sleep. That will come with time and supportive handling (listening to and accommodating moments of difficulty, stress or need for rest while still getting her out often and for long hours).
To already see the start of that on the second day is more than I could have hoped for! Such a credit to the combination of good genetics and quality socialization. Couldn't be more proud of where she is at just 16 months old.
Today we were able to repeat the experience we had last year with Windsor EMS!
This was an excellent opportunity for our teams to practice loading into an ambulance without the stress and pressure of a real life medical emergency. Everyone practiced jumping onto the stretcher, letting the EMTs secure them and the hydraulic lift and bumps of being pushed into the ambulance. After being loaded they simulated vitals checks and early medical intervention. At the end, we all got to listen to the siren as it drove around the block, then had questions answered about the best ways to communicate with emergency personell about our disabilities and service dogs.
Fantastic experience all around!
Forever grateful to the team at Bradley International Airport for their hospitality in allowing our teams to rehearse the TSA travel experience today!
And I am so incredibly proud of all these handlers and dogs. The dogs blew me away with their professionalism, happiness and general cool-headedness, and the handlers made all the correct training choices to promote their good behavior.
I wasn't able to record any of the equipment but we went through the line and process 3 times total. The airport staff were instructed to treat us like any other passenger -- shoes came off, treat bags went through the scanners, dogs had to remove all of their gear and wait to be called through the metal detector by their handler.
The general pressure, uncertainty and stress around the TSA experience was definitely present. But without the additional pressure of actually traveling, this gave everyone a chance to get really familiar with the entire process. Repeating it three times helped them get truly comfortable with the activity. This will make future travel easier and take a lot of the anxiety away!
Overall just a fantastic start to camp!
The wheels were not the only thing to go round and round on the bus last Friday -- the dogs did too!
Thanks to our friends at @cttransit_official, Joyful Paws teams got to spend their afternoon training with two city busses and two drivers. Dogs and handlers got to try the wheelchair lift with our trainer Kasey's expert guidance, learn that bus hydraulics are safe and normal, and even go for a ride!
The video shows a relaxed and easygoing Elena modeling for the youngsters how it's done as she sits with her handler on the moving bus, with a cameo by Wanda practicing her "under" behind a volunteer's legs, and baby Abigail thoroughly enjoying herself held safely in arms. More videos on comments!
Thanks to the partnership with CT Transit and their generosity in scheduling two busses and two drivers to spend the evening with us, the dogs were able to take their time and become comfortable with this new experience for many, including some younger or less experienced pups who may not have been ready to use public transportation and board a public bus like little Abigail. All of our teams did a great job!
We went bowling for our outing yesterday and the dogs did well. As you can see Evelyn is focused intently on her handler, and patiently watches her bowl and have fun... Good job Evelyn!!
