Helper Takes a Ride on the Polar Express...

As a special holiday treat my sister took her daughter, grand daughter, me and Helper to a train station outside of Utica, New York for a magical ride on The Polar Express!  As you can imagine, there were hundreds of excited children, dozens of Santa's elves and many people in costume to match the chacters in the book and movie.  Any of these things would have made your average dog nervous.  Not Helper...she was loving all the activity!  At one point as we were standing on the train platform waiting  to board the Polar Express,  a trained roared by on the adjacent tracks and blew its whistle.  We humans jumped!  When I looked down at Helper she was just calmly standing there happily wagging her tail.

In this photo Helper is meeting Santa Claus for the first time.  I was pleased that the constant motion of the moving train did not make her timid or nervous.  She did great!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!!!!

One of the wonderful things about spending the holiday with family in upstate New York is the chance to have a "White Christmas".  It sure is pretty to look at!   However, I was not sure how my Texas puppy was going to like getting out in the snow and freezing temperatures when she had to relieve herself 4-5 times per day.  My questions were answered when we got the first of several snowstorms.  Luckily my sister lives in a cute little town because each time we would go outside we had to walk in the street.   Most sidewalks were not shoveled due to the multiple snow storms that hit during the week before and after Christmas.  Helper did not care...she was one very happy puppy playing in the snow!  We would start out walking in the street and then she would charge over the snow banks created by the street plows so that she could put her face into the fresh snow.  Thankfully, I brought a long retractable lease with me so she could enjoy her time in the snow.  It was so fun to watch!  Here are a few pics of Helper at my sisters house after the first snowfall.  With her nice red jacket who would guess that she was a Texan?

 

A Visit to my Home town...Plattsburgh, New York

Holly and I drove to our hometown (Plattsburgh, New York) for the weekend to visit family and friends prior to Christmas.  This allowed Helper to gain three more new experiences that will serve her well as a service dog.  First, the road trip took four hours each way.  Helper was great in the car and during rest stops on the way north.  It was very cold, rainy/muddy and windy but Helper did not hesitate to go outside when necessary.  Secondly, we stayed in a hotel for a couple of nights and she had to sleep in a portable kennel.  This new environment was not a problem for Helper and she settled into the new routine immediately.  The third new experience for Helper was being outside in the cold  winter weather!  We were invited over to our friends Sue and Don for a puppy play date and it started to snow!  This picture is of Helper and Kerry (beautiful Golden puppy on the right).  Kerry's big sister Hannah is out of the pic because she wanted nothing to do with the "kids"!  It was wonderful to watch them play as the snow began to fall.

Helper's First Plane Trip Inside of the Cabin!!!

An airport can be a very stressful situation for a puppy because of the crowds, booming announcements over the public address system, luggage being dragged by strangers, people in wheelchairs, motorized carts, smells from all of the foodservice operators etc.  Because of these reasons CCI requires that you get their permission before you fly anywhere with your puppy.  It is very important that they have a good experience so that they are confident traveling as a graduate dog assisting their partner.  To help prepare Helper for the atmosphere inside an airport terminal, I took her to the airport a couple of times in November to walk her around the ticket counter, baggage claim and the security check points.  She did well and loved the attention she got from all of the workers and travelers!

The last time Helper flew on a plane she was 8 weeks old.  At that time she was put in a kennel and transported in the cargo section of the plane.  That was in March when she was sent to DFW Airport where my friend Virginia and I picked her up.  It seems like a long time ago!  

Today's trip was very different for Helper.  She is almost one year old and has the skill to accompany me in the cabin of the plane for my trip home (upstate New York) for the Christmas holiday!  The picture above was taken (by a fellow passenger seated across the aisle from us) on our first flight as Helper slept on the floor beside me.  Everyone was very nice!  On this leg of our journey (first of two flights) as we were exiting the plane, the co pilot actually tried to get Helper to sit in his seat for a great photo opportunity!   She was not cooperating so we settled for the pic below of Helper sitting in the cockpit next to the pilot.  The United Airlines crew was terrific!

We changed planes in Cleveland, Ohio and had enough time to go for a potty break outside of the airport terminal which meant that Helper had to go thru security again.  Just like in Dallas where we started our day, she navigated the check point like a pro!  I was very proud of her as I commanded her to "stay" on the other side of the security checkpoint as I walked thru the electronic detector and then called "here" for her to walk thru the detector by herself.  Everyone was impressed with Miss Helper!

The second flight went as well as the first one and when we arrived in Syracuse, New York we were met at the airport by my sister Holly.  It was a long day but Helper gained valuable experiences that will serve her well as a service dog.