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1. SDIT Meets the Last Frontier – Part 2
GUGP
Once we landedandhappilyreunitedwithmycoworker we headedoff togetourrental car. In the
Anchorage airportthere are lotsof large native wildanimal replicaseverywhere.Pixiewasn’ttoo
sure about these thingsbutdidoblige whenIaskedhertopose fora photo…butdefinitelydidn’t
trust the strange thingsbehindthe glass.Whenwe gotto the rental car area I tookher outside to
see if she neededtopottyagainand she hadher firstexposure toreallycoldweatherandsnow on
the ground.I couldn’tconvince hertogo and we movedonto get ourcar and finda place to eat
dinner.
I alwaysgeta little anxietywhentravelingwithadog,especiallyoutof state because younever
knowwhatthe culture aboutservice dogswill be like.Are businesseseducatedaboutthem?Will
theyaccept them?Are the general publicacceptingof them.Ourfirsttestwouldbe whilegoingout
to dinner.Wouldwe be deniedaccess?Wouldotherdinersgive usdirtylooksforhavingadog inthe
restaurant?Hard to believethatinthisdayin age thisstill happenstoservice dogusers,butitdoes.
To my relief,Ihadabsolutelynoissuesthe entiretrip.Everywhere we wentwe were welcomedand
the people inAlaskawere great.
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dog, hearingdog, mobilitydog, psychiatric service dog.
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Afterdinneritwastime to getsettledintoourhotel.All three of uswere exhausted.Onpasttrips
Pixie wasalittle unsettledinhotelrooms.Thistripshe wasamazing.The onlytime she barkedwas
once whena maidknockedonour door the 3rd day.She was happyto unpackher toysand playin

2. the room and evenate mostof her dinnerwhichwasalsoa bigchange for her.Past tripsshe would
pickat herfoodor not eatthe firstday.I was able tofinallygethertopee inthe snow at the hotel
before we turnedinforthe night.
The nextday we got upand founda great enclosedemptydogparkforPixie toblow off the stressof
travelingthe daybefore.She immediatelytookoff runninganddoingpuppyzoomies.She wasvery
comfortable playingandrunning inthe snow andfinallypoopedaswell.Once she hadagoodrun
sessionwe wentoff todoa little sightseeingandshopping.Pixie isanexcellentshopper,butthe
cute country souvenirstore we foundhadsome challengesforher.Life sizedbearreplicasandlarge
stuffedanimals.Theseare thingsthatshe haspreviouslybarkedat.Notthistime,nobarking,but
slighthesitationtoapproacha large stuffeddog.Ididpick outa few stuffedtoysforher,she
absolutelyadoresstuffedanimals.We dohowever needtoworkonherwaitingforme to pay for
themfirstbefore playingwiththem.Everytime Iputdownmyhand baskettolookat something
closershe wouldreachinand pull themout.Yesit was verycute,butpatience mydearPixie.
Time quicklypassedandwe neededtogetreadyforour shiftatthe clinic.IpackedPixie some
yummychewbonesandtreatsand her favorite pinkstuffedpoodle thatshe haswhenwe goto
work.We got to the clinicandtheyshowedme where togetherset up.There were a few other
dogsin the runs,but it wasa little draftyandhad loudhummingnoises.Igother a cozy blanketand
got herin a kennel andtoldherthat I wouldbe backin a little bit.She didprettywell.Asfaras I
couldtell she wasn’tcryingeverytime Iwenttopeakin onher.Halfwaythroughthe shiftI tookher
for a pottybreakand aftera little coaxingshe went.Iofferedherdinner,butitwasstill inthe bowl
whenmyshiftwasoverand she happilyate itonce we were backat the hotel forthe evening.The
shiftwentfairlyquicklyforme,I’mnotsure how time passedforPixie,buteverytime anyone went
back to the kennel areatheyreportedthatshe wasdoingwell.Iwasafraidto checkon hertoo many
timesmyself becauseIthoughtitwouldmake hermore anxious.Whenthe shiftwasovershe was
eagerto leave andhappyto be back inthe hotel roomandplayedwithhertoysas my coworkerand
I settledinforthe night.
The nextday we decidedtogoback to the parkto letPixie run,butwe got distractedaswe drove
throughthe downtownareaand sawa dogsledrace happening.We gotveryexcitedbythis
opportunitytogeta glimpse of a race.We were inAnchorage the weekbefore the startof the
IdidarodandI was reallybummedthatwe were goingto misssuchan iconicevent.We detouredour
plansof goingto the parkand founda place to park to go watch the race.We foundourselvesonlya
blockaway fromthe start and had a chance towatch a few teamstake off from the start line.This
was a HUGE challenge forPixie…excitedbarkingdogs!Thisisanarea that we are still workingonand
she didhave some barkingand excitementinresponse tothe environmentatthe startingline.Idid
my bestto give hersome distance tohelpherandnot disturbthe teamsat the start line.Overall she
didprettywell withthe environmentIputher in.Once the last mushertookoff we were able to
walkaroundthe downtownareaand Pixie wasmuchcalmer;evenwithafew of the sleddogsout
and aboutthat were leftbehindwithcaretakers.

3. Whenit wastime to headintothe clinicforour shiftPixie alreadyknew whereshe neededtogo.I
sether upin a differentkennel,butstill inthe same area.She didn’twantme toleave her,butwas
cooperative.She wasgoodandquietforthe firsthalf of the shift.Butwhenthe otheremployee
dogsleftforthe eveningandshe wasinthe kennel areabyherself,she startedtocrya little bit.
Thenat one pointone of the techswho arrivedfora latershiftcame from the kennel areaandasked
“umm, is the poodle supposedtobe loose inthe back?” I wasso embarrassed,Pixie hadfiguredout
howto openthe kennel door.She didthis2 more timesbefore we hadtoput a lock onit. Once the
lockwas inplace she didsettle downandwas quietforthe restof the shift.Again,afterthe shiftwas
overshe was happyto leave andgetback to the hotel.She ate dinnerandwasalreadyina fantastic
before bedrelievingroutine.
On our thirdfull dayinAlaskawe decidedtogofor a hike.Pixie hasbeenonafew hikesandloves
the outdoors.Thisisanotherarea where we are workingonthings.Pixie isalittle tooeagertogo in
outdoorareas andpullsa bittoo much.So the hike wasa challenge forus.We were planningon
beinginthe snowfor a goodhour or so. I plannedaccordinglyforbothof us.I had warmclothing
and gloves.Pixie hadajacketand her RuffwearBoots tokeepherfeetprotected.Ihadnoticedthat
duringour shortplaysessionsatthe park she wouldgetsnow stuckto her furbetweenhertoes.I
knewthiswouldirritate herfeetif we were there longterm, sobootsforthe hike itwas. Luckilyshe
has practicedwearingherbootsmanytimesbefore athome andhad no problemwearingthem.She
wasn’tperfectonthe hike,butshe didlearnthat she had to be careful goingdownhill withthe
slipperycompactedsnow.We all hada greattime on a verybeautiful adventure andeventhough
Pixie wasn’tperfect,itwasa greatlearningexperience forher.
Whenwe arrivedat the clinicforour final shiftPixiewasprettymuchreadyto take herself tothe
kennel area.Howeverwe were stoppedbythe doctoronshiftandshe said that Pixie canstayup
frontin the treatmentareaif I want.Well,she prettymuchinsisted.The dayshiftwasa rough one
witha lotof sad casesand theywanteda healthyanimal tolove on.Isether upon the floorin front
of the doctorsstation.The clinichadsome tie downhooksinthe floorwhichwasreallynice.She
quicklysettledonherblanketandseemedsuperhappywiththisarrangement.Atone pointIlooked
overand the doctor wassittingonthe floorwithPixie huggingher.Pixiewasjustwhatthe doctor
had ordered.Pixie remainedperfectlycontentinherspotforthe entire 10 hour shift.Patientsand
staff walkedbyherall nightlongand she didn’tmake a single peep.Whenthe nightshiftcame in
theyaskedif she escapedtoomanytimesandhad to be puton the tie down.I laughedandsaidno,
that she was there byrequestfromthe earliershift.Everyshiftthatsaw herthat day complimented
me on her behaviorandhowquietandgoodshe was forstill beingayoungdog.These are always
great complimentstohear,itmakesme feel like Iamdoingsomethingrightwithher.
The last nightwe were there itsnowedandPixie gottoexperience freshpowder.We tookherback
to the park the nextmorningfora romp before needingtoheadtothe airportto start our journey
home.She lovedthe freshsnowandIlovedwatchinghertrulyenjoyinghertime there.It isso
importantto balance workandplayfor service dogs.Pixielovestowork,butshe alsolovestoplay.
She needsbothto be complete.
Shortlyafterthe park we got notifiedthatourflightwasdelayed.Thiswasalittle bitof a problemas
thisdelaywouldcause usto missour connectingflightinSeattle.OurflightinSeattle wasthe last
flightoutforthe night,meaningwe were goingtobe stuckinSeattle forthe evening.Thisisabig

4. fearof mine,gettingstuckwhentravelingwithadog.That wasgoingto be reallyhardon Pixie if we
got stuckin the airportovernight.We were able torebookthe flightoutof Seattle forthe following
day andwere informedthatwe wouldgeta hotel voucherforthe evening.We headedtothe airport
to returnthe car and checkin forthe flighttoSeattle.
Once at the airportcheckin wasa little chaotic.The peopleinfrontof ushad a cat ina carrier,which
Pixie wascuriousabout,butshe managedtokeepherself composed.Butwe were rightnexttothe
counterfor large checkins.Two huskydogscame in barkingincrates to be checkedin.Theywere so
loudand echoingthroughoutthe airport.Thiswasa little unsettlingforPixieandshe letouta few
quietoofsunderherbreath,almosttosay “boyare theyannoying”.Thenassoon as those dogs
were off a gentlemangotinline afewpeople behinduswithawell behavedlabrador.Pixiewasfine
withthat dog,justa little distracted.We were finallycheckedinandgivenvoucherssowe didn’t
have to pay to checkour bags a secondtime forthe nextflightthe nextday.We were alsotoldthat
because some people rebookeddue tothe delaywe were givenarow of seatsto ourselves.Ijoked
withPixie thatshe wasgoingto getherown seat.I shouldnothave toldherthat, because once we
wentthroughsecurity,foundourgate and boardedthe plane she hoppedupandsat onthe middle
seat!Everyotherflightshe haseverbeenonshe has boardedthe plane andsettledonthe floornot
evenlookingatthe seat.I quickly gotheroff,okmaybe I grabbeda quickphototo prove to Matt
that she didthis,and gother settledonthe floor.Thisflightwasalittle differentforPixie.Forthe
firsttime she showedalittle anxietyandwasnervousonthe flight.Idon’tknow if she waspicking
up on something,butshe hadsome minorbodytremblesandjustwasn’trelaxed.She stayedinher
spotthe entire flight,butIcouldfeel the uneasinessfromher.
Whenwe landedinSeattle we visitedthe same pottystationthatwe useddaysbefore;she once
againquicklydidherbusiness.We thenwenttocollectourvoucherforthe hotel.Thistookabout45
minutesof standinginline.Pixiehandledthispartwell afteralongflight.Youcouldtell she was
readyto leave the airportanddidn’tunderstandwhywe were standinginlineagain.Once we got
our voucherwe wenttoclaimour luggage and findashuttle tothe hotel.Bythe time we gotto the
hotel itwas almostmidnightandwe were all exhausted.Thiswasa lotfor Pixie.Yetanothernew
room,differentpottyroutine(thistime downanelevator),andof course differentsmellsand
weatheroutside.
Pixie tookthisdetourinstride,itwasjustanotherdayat work forher.She settledintothe new hotel
room noproblem,ate herdinner andsnuggledinbedwithme.Ididwake up inthe morningand
foundhercurledup inthe nextbedwithmycoworker.I thoughtitwas verysweetof herto share
hercuddles.
It was a veryfastturn aroundfor us, we hada flightat9am aftergettingintothe hotel solate.Pixie
was greatabout gettingupandshe evenpoopedforme at the hotel.Whichmeantthat she would
be comfortable inthatsense forthe flighthome.We were all tiredgoingthroughthe airportforour
flighthome.Pixie wasdoingareallygoodjobnavigatingandgivingalittle extraenergy.Forthe first
time itwas verynoticeable howmuchshe helpswheni’mdraggingenergywise.WithPixiedoing
momentumpull Iwaswalkingalmosttwice asfastas my coworkerthroughthe terminal.Iactually
had to tell hertoslowdown.Notbecause she waspullingtoohardfor me,butbecause we were
leavingmycoworkerbehind.

5. I was a little nervousforPixie.The lastflightshe hadalittle anxietythe daybefore.Pixie showed
absolutelynohesitationboardingthe plane orgettingsettledinonthe floor.Nojumpingonthe seat
thistime.She didhave some minortremblesshortlyaftertake off,butshe stayedsettledotherwise.
Thisis somethingIwill have tokeepaneye onandmaybe nexttime we flytrygettingseatsinfront
of the enginesandsee if there isadifferenceinhercomfortlevel.Whenwe landedinOaklandshe
was herhappyperkyself.She wasreadyto leadme outof the airport.
She was soexcitedwhenMattcame to pickall of usup. He hadthe otherdogswithhimand Pixie
wentnutswhenshe sawPenny.She absolutelylovesthe otherdogsinourfamilyandI know that
she missesthemwhenshe isaway.She wasmore than happyto be back at the house andinher
usual routine.
I am beyondproudof Pixie andhowshe didonthistrip to Alaska.She isstill averyyoungdog.We
have some thingsthatneedwork.We have thingsthat needsome fine tuning.Butthisisthe best
she has done onany trip she hastakenby far. She ate betterthan she hasevereatenawayfrom the
house.Herrelievingroutine came quicklyandwasreliable.She wasmore focusedgoingthroughthe
airports.She wasway more comfortable andquietinthe hotels.She evengotcomplimentedby
people almosteverywherewe went.She isreallystartingtoshow a highermaturitylevel.She isway
more comfortable innewenvironmentsandprovingtome that she wantsthispartnershipthatwe
are building.
I am so gladI broughther! Notonlyforeverythingthatshe gainedbygoing onthistrip,but whatI
gainedaswell.I’mgainingmore knowledgeonwhere she canhelpme andhow she can helpme.I
am learningtotrust hermore to do so.This tripwas importantforus to grow as a team.I oftenfind
travelingwithadogcan add tothe stressof a trip. It issuch an importantpartof trainingthatit
overridesthe stressitaddsbecause the dogsalwaysgrow onthese trips.But thistripPixie didn’t
add to the stressat all.It feltverynatural andeverythingflowedreallywell.It feltright.Getting
away fromour normal routine allowedustobecome more aware of what our rolesare as a team.
Yes we still have alotmore workto do,but thiswas a greatglimpse of ourpotential together.
For more detailson our products and services,please feel free tovisitus at: assistance dog, ptsd
dog, hearingdog, mobilitydog, psychiatric service dog.