The pedestrian overpass was an interesting field trip. The overpass crosses over Interstate 25 and is located in Denver near Speer Boulevard. The goal of this trip was to increase our dogs confidence while working high above traffic.
As a survivor of a severe traumatic brain injury I honestly did not work on anything other than getting myself across that bridge as quickly as possible before I passed out cold. I am sure the other participants worked on some very valuable skills but the only things I focused on was getting to the other side and not looking over the edge.
Once my feet were firmly planted on the other side and I had a few moments to recover, from intense vertigo, the fun began. As we walked through the streets I began to notice that there were lots of people walking dogs, riding bikes, skate boarding, or just taking a leisurely stroll. It was great exposure for all the dogs but as a small town dweller it was especially good exposure for my service dog.
We continued our outing in a wonderful, dog friendly, store filled floor to ceiling, shelf after shelf with spices. The smells were very strong but all the dogs were extremely well behaved. The handlers may have been drooling over the wonderful aromas but I did not see a single therapy or assistance dog sniff the merchandise or try to take home any of the seasonings. However many of the handlers, including myself, just could not resist the temptation and after several samples purchased a bottle of seasoning to add to their spice racks.
A short walk later and we were back to the dreaded(at least from my perspective) overpass. Upon reaching the other side of the overpass, we continued down the street to a gourmet ice cream shop. The entire group enjoyed their choice of ice cream courtesy of one of our generous therapy dog handlers. The chairs and refreshments were greatly appreciated by all.
All in all, today was a great day! I sure do enjoy the opportunity to spend a few hours with other service dog handlers. I always find these outings are such a great learning experience.
