Getting on/off motorcoach; traveling about 20 miles, approximately 1/2 hour. Walking up to 1/2 mile; flat, paved, grassy areas. Standing up to 1 hour at a time.
At the hotel.
In the meeting room, we’ll attend a lecture by a dog trainer on the training of K9 Units. These dogs are trained to sniff out dangerous or illegal items, such as bombs. Next, we’ll travel via motorcoach to the local a local pet store. We’ll select toys to donate to the Sonoma County Humane Society during our field trip tomorrow.
In the hotel’s pool area, we’ll have a make-your-own sandwich platter with salad, chips, dessert and beverage choices of soft drink, lemonade, fruit punch, iced tea, water.
We will board the motorcoach and ride to Paws As Loving Support (PALS) Assistance Dogs and their handlers. PALS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the human/animal bond by providing specially trained Service, Facility, Social, Therapy, Reading, and Comfort PALS. We'll spend time with a handler and dog team and learn about the services they provide. We’ll use the books we brought from home to read to our PALS companions and experience the imprint PALS Reading Teams leave on the children they serve. Next, we'll set out on a walking field trip with a trained volunteer to explore the Canine Companions for Independence campus. Then, one of the CCI’s professional dog trainers will lead a quick demonstration of their training and teamwork with the dogs. The CCI provides highly trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. They train four types of assistance dogs to master over 40 specialized commands: Service Dogs, Skilled Companions, Hearing Dogs and Facility Dogs.
Hotel buffet.
At the hotel, we’ll meet a Canine Companion Graduate and her service dog. Working together as a team since February 2012, the service dog has learned about 40 different commands to help her owner with daily activities. Together, they will demonstrate some of these commands. The owner will also talk about her experiences working with her service dog.