SF Airport

Another exciting morning in SF. We walked through the airport and had a meeting with a TSA agent and trainees about how to get people with guide dogs through the metal detector. One by one we were led to the conveyer belt and removed shoes, jewelry, etc. and placed them in the bin. We had to put our dog on a long leash and use a sit/stay command while holding the end of the leash and walking through the metal detector assisted by a hand on the other side. Once I was through, I called Melanie to heel, which she did pretty well. Of course, the dog collar, leash, etc. sounded the alarm and they had to use the wand to check the dog. Then I was escorted to a seat where my box of items were placed. After it was done, we met again with the TSA team and gave them our feedback on how they did. It was a very positive experience but TSA said airports may differ in their approach on handling guide dog teams. The one thing they cannot do is separate you from your dog.

After getting back to the dorm I had a voice mail message from Melanie's puppy trainer who plans to be at the graduation ceremony. It usually is quite an emotional time as the puppy raiser had the puppy from about 6 weeks to a year. I also had a visit from Melanie's GDB trainer today just to say hello and visit Melanie again. Melanie remembered her well and was happy to see her. Melanie is just a sweetheart.