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Tracking guide dog training at the San Diego International Airport

Guide dogs must undergo rigorous training to learn to stay on task, and the airport, which is full of distractions, is a great place to teach a dog how to focus.

SAN DIEGO — Guide dogs must undergo rigorous training to learn to stay on task, and the airport, which is full of distractions, is a great place to teach a pup how to focus.

Inside Terminal 2 at the San Diego International Airport, it's pretty busy for a Monday. Still, it's the perfect environment for puppies like Taffy with Guide Dogs of America to train how to get through an airport.

“She's learning about all the sounds and people around her. ‘Good girl,’” said Mike Adams, Guide Dogs of America, Tender Loving Canines volunteer.

Raven, who is an 11-month-old black lab, is working on how to navigate an airport.

“’ Good girl,’ you see, hopefully, you can see that Raven is very focused on me, and I'm rewarding her for that because she is not paying attention to all the other dogs that are around; she's not paying attention the cars driving by or planes flying,” said Leslie Adams, Guide Dogs of America, Tender Loving Canines, area leader.   

Raven and the other pups are part of Guide Dogs of America, Tender Loving Canines, a volunteer organization that trains puppies from 8 weeks to 17 months old. They're learning to help visually impaired people, military veterans with PTSD, and children with autism. Some will work as therapy dogs at hospitals, schools, or courtrooms. This is a free service with free vet care. 

“They have to be 100 percent focused 100 percent of the time. It's good for us to expose the puppies to the distractions now so it's not a new environment when they are working, and their partner's life is in the balance,” said Leslie Adams

The airport can be chaotic; smells and crowds overwhelm a dog and its partner.

“She listened the entire time. She did cues. It's just a lot to take in,” said Laura Wutz, a volunteer.

Taffy and the other dogs went through TSA and boarded a plane, and learned how to guide her partner in the seat.

Guide dogs may take a special pup, but the organization says it also takes a special volunteer, which they need now.

“It's a dream position for me because it's what I love,” said Wutz.

This training is critical for guide dogs early on so when they graduate, they can focus on specific cues to become trusted companions that increase their partner's confidence, mobility, and independence.

Click here to learn about volunteering for Guide Dogs of America and Tender Loving Canines.

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