Brewhouse puppy raisers: New sights and sounds

I've had several busy days this week. As a guide dog puppy in training, I need exposure to many different places, sights and sounds. My puppy raisers are supposed to take me just about everywhere they go because I need to be familiar with the types of places where I may someday lead a visually impaired person.

Since I am doing very well with house training now, I got to attend Bible Study and church with mom on Monday night. It was a long evening, but I behaved very well in both the classroom and the big church setting. And no accidents!
I did so well that mom took me to choir on Tuesday morning, too. Mom is in a group that sings gospel music at nursing homes every Tuesday. I love music and listening to all the people sing. It was fun to meet more new people and get used to these new environments.

We had another fun day on Wednesday. We went out to lunch and ran some errands. This was my first visit to Brazos Mall. We were stopped by several people that asked about the guide dog program, and even how they could request a guide dog for a loved one. It's great to be able to share the good news about Southeastern Guide Dog service! My position is to lay, sit, or stand while mom and dad do the talking. No noise from me!

I met a cute little girl in a stroller at the mall with her mom. She squealed and was really excited to greet me. I haven't been around very many kids, but I was interested in smelling her. I need lots of exposure to little children so that I know how to behave around them. Since I am still a youngster myself, it's okay for people to greet me and even pet me a little bit when I have my coat on. I am learning that when I wear my coat, I am working, and I need to behave like a big boy. When I get a little bit older, I won't be able to greet people while I am working in my jacket. I am also learning to sit before people can greet me, and both me and my greeters have to be reminded of that sometimes. See, Dad is making me sit before I greet this little girl.

Since I am running low on food, we made a stop at PetSmart to choose my new dogfood. I got to smell alot, but I didn't get any samples.

Hey, while we are here, I think I need a new Kong. What do you think?

We visited the grocery store, and every time we go there we are greeted by people who are interested in me and my pretty blue jacket.

Many people down in this area are not familiar with service dogs and can't understand why I'm allowed in these kind of public places. We are handing out alot of brochures and explaining what my service role will be when I grow up.