NAVIGATING THE KINGDOM OF PEACE
My Journey in Jordan
BY RITCHIE II, ALL-TERRAIN GUIDE DOG,
AS TOLD TO MARIE AND CHRIS STARK

My name is Ritchie and I am two-and-a-half years old. I have been trained extensively and now work as an all-terrain navigator. The main duties in my job description involve being constantly on call to guide a person who is blind.

When I learned that I was assigned to guide a government employee, Chris Stark, I thought I would have a quiet working life of sleeping under a desk. However, in the months since my graduation from Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, I have not stopped travelling. I have been on buses, airplanes, trains, boats and subway cars, in hotels and restaurants, and even on a stage in front of hundreds of people. I have had to eat my meals at unusual times and in strange places such as airports. For me, jet lag is thinking it is suppertime in the middle of the morning.

Not long ago, I was lying comfortably under the desk when I started to hear of a big trip to Jordan, which is seven time zones away. I would be called on not only to fly across the Atlantic Ocean without going to the bathroom, but also to cross the Mediterranean Sea. I would have to be very careful to not sniff or lick anyone, because many people in Jordan are not comfortable around dogs like me. Because of the strife in Israel, I thought we might get out of this arduous trip, but the suggestion that we might not come was met with consternation and declarations that Jordan is the Kingdom of Peace. We were told, “You must come, you will be welcome.”

So, the serious planning started. Since there were no laws to guarantee me access to public places in Jordan, a letter in Arabic was obtained from the Jordanian Embassy in Ottawa. They not only wrote a very nice letter for me, but even offered to stamp my international health certificate, my vaccination certificate and my guide dog license. Now I had really official-looking documents that were as impressive as those carried by diplomats. Since I do not have a passport, I felt a bit better having official stamps on my travel documents.

Arrangements were made to have the Canadian Embassy in Amman assist us with the formalities upon arrival. Because of concerns about my acceptance in taxis, I had special transportation arrangements. Munir negotiated with the Grand Hyatt Hotel to make sure I had a place to sleep. Debbie at Rider Travel searched carefully for the flight route that would be best for me. I take comfort in my routines, so we had to plan a schedule that would allow me to eat and digest my meals between flights. The trip lasted too long for me to go without food. Anyway, I cannot focus on my work when I am ravenously hungry.

My journey to the Kingdom of Peace began with a two-hour bus ride on the big blue KLM bus to Montreal. Once we boarded the plane, I slept all the way to Amsterdam, where I had my breakfast in the middle of Schiphol Airport amidst large crowds of people rushing by and speaking many languages I had never heard before. Strange sounds and scents were everywhere.

During our stopover in Holland, in order to answer a call of nature I had to officially enter Holland, and leave the country to get back to the airplane. My partner’s passport was stamped 16 times during our Holland visit.

At first, the staff of Royal Jordanian Airlines was hesitant about letting me in the cabin of the aircraft. However, I was allowed on board after the captain, who liked dogs, was consulted. I was told that I was the first guide dog to travel on Royal Jordanian Airlines. Safely on board, I settled down for another five-hour flight. I woke up once to find my partner gone. I didn’t worry because Laurel, my partner’s colleague, sat with me and patted my head. She had come to sit with me so I wouldn’t be alone while my partner received “special treatment” by being able to go to the washroom.

When we arrived in Amman it was dark. A representative from the Canadian Embassy met us at the airport and he made short work of entrance formalities. However, I needed a place to relieve myself. There was no spot at the airport, so we drove out searching for a suitable location. We stopped at the side of the road, but the smells were so different, I was not able to do what I needed to do. The request for a grassy site was met with the unequivocal statement that “there is no grass in Jordan.” When we arrived at the hotel we searched again, all around the back and sides of the building. There was nothing but concrete, which smelled uninviting to me. This was a crisis. We were tired, I had to relieve myself — and then the clerk at the check-in counter tried to charge extra for me. He finally understood when it was explained that I am not a pet but a mobility aid, and it is unacceptable to charge people extra for any mobility aid, be it a wheelchair or a guide dog.

We waited in the lobby for Laurel. I was very uncomfortable and my ears were drooping. A half-hour later, she arrived and we found a solution. Outside the front door, there was a decorative oasis with palm trees — and blessed grass.

I was soon comfortable, and we settled in for a long sleep in yet another new bedroom. For the next week when anyone would ask, “Where are you going?”, the response, “To the palm trees,” resulted in a knowing nod. I had not been shown to the oasis at first because people thought I would offend. However, no one objected that week. We always picked up and I never once had an accident. The oasis was at the centre of everything and I liked to watch life go by during my five stops a day under the palm trees. Many people passing by the oasis would smile a friendly greeting to me.

It was afternoon the next day when we woke up. It was time for me to work. At first, people wanted to take us everywhere. Gradually they learned that this was my job. I learned the route from the elevator to our room, the way to the dining room and the route to the meeting rooms. I already knew the way to the palm trees, where the grass sparkled in the afternoon sunshine.

At first, people worried when we approached the top of stairs or neared a hazard, but soon people began to accept my competence and skill. I stop at the top of stairs. I walk around obstacles. I avoid dangerous hazards. And I place my nose under the door handle or elevator call button so it can be found easily. By the time the Global Summit on Peace through Tourism started the next day, staff had come to trust my work and would not get nervous about my partner’s safety each time we walked by a danger — such as the opened hotel entry door, which jutted into the path of travel.

There were some things we had to get used to. Elevator buttons did not have Braille or tactile markings. We had to find another solution. Counting down the row of buttons was necessary in order to find the button for the lobby, the conference centre or the floor on which our room was located. There were also no tactile markings on the wall by the elevator door to tell us the floor number. At first we took many wrong turns, but we gradually found solutions for these gaps in accessibility that we take for granted at home. It was explained that many multi-national American corporations cut corners in their five-star hotels abroad, failing to follow the standards required at home by the Americans with Disabilities Act. This seemed to be a source of disappointment for many people we met from abroad. They were dismayed that access is not being implemented when new hotels are built by knowledgeable corporations. They called this practice exploitation.

I have a very delicate stomach so I drank bottled water to avoid any problems. One night, Laurel took us on a walk to buy bottled water. I had to really concentrate on my work because of the many obstacles. There are big holes in the sidewalks, and the hills in Amman have steep slopes and drop-offs as well as hazards such as signs and poles on the walkways. There are many free-roaming cats in Amman, which would tease me and try to distract me. At first I found it very difficult because there are so many of them, but a gentle command or two helped me refocus, hold my head high and march by those cats with haughty disdain. After all, I am a professional navigator.

Later in the week, we had to make the same journey by ourselves for more bottled water. We had a bit of trouble crossing the streets because drivers do not yield for pedestrians. A shop owner, noticing my difficulty, sent his boy and his friends to help us home. At each intersection on the way back to the hotel, they blocked the traffic for me to cross. A policeman came by, and when he understood what was happening, he joined in. It was quite a spectacle as the Amman traffic was parted for me to lead the way back to the hotel. It was the first of several royal processions for me.

I befriended a real live prince, who even took me for a ride in the royal limousine. It turns out that His Royal Highness Prince Raad Bin Zeid is Jordan’s patron of person with disabilities. Because the Global Summit on Peace through Tourism had embraced disability issues, His Royal Highness had agreed to chair the sessions on tourism for persons with disabilities.

It was a great honour for the entire summit to have the participation of a member of the royal family. His presence lent stature and credibility to the message of inclusion that the speakers with disabilities brought to the attention of delegates. The prince arranged for Jordanians with disabilities to attend the presentations. We met many other Jordanians with disabilities, who shared their experiences and expertise with us.

I blushed when His Royal Highness publicly declared in front of all those people at the seminar how impressed he was with my work. I was overwhelmed when he said that “Jordanians need to find a way to look beyond the social stigma of dogs so that Jordanians who are blind can benefit from the independence, safety and freedom provided by professionals like Ritchie.”

The Prince was very interested in how I worked and what I could do. Every day, my vocabulary grew: “Follow the Prince” was a new command I learned to recognize. As a sign of respect for people with disabilities, the Prince declined his seat at the head table and sat with us. This kind gesture was formally recognized by the luncheon speaker. I lay quietly beside the Prince throughout that long luncheon. When my partner was served a large piece of meat and asked Laurel to cut it, the Prince intervened and cut the meat. For the next few days, people would approach and greet us — because my partner had a new notoriety as “the man, with the dog, whose meat was cut by the prince.”

Highlights of the summit included the poignant message from Nelson Mandela read to the delegates. He wrote in part:

“Conflict, violence, warfare and instability still plague too many parts of our world. The suffering inflicted, and more often than not on the most vulnerable sectors of society, demeans all of us as humanity. That it is invariably women, children, the aged and disabled who suffer in these conflicts stands up to the added shame of mankind.

“We so often speak of globalization with reference only to the opening of markets, the removal of trade barriers and the free flow of goods and finances. The free flow of people and ideas, the unfettered exposure of different cultures and customs to each other should be an equally important aspect of the globalized world, of the global village we so often refer to. Tourism has become the primary vehicle for the promotion of such exchange. In the process, peace and harmony amongst people and nations are served.”

I participated in an interfaith service at Bethany on the Jordan near the Dead Sea. The sun and the moon could be seen in the sky at the same time. The singing of the children’s choir was lovely. Afterwards, the children from many lands came over and said hello at me. A journalist on a six-month study assignment with the English-language Jordan Times Newspaper recognized us as fellow Canadians because of the label on the plastic bag in which my water and bowl were carried.

A co-presenter was a wheelchair user from the Republic of South Africa. We visited Jerash with him, and I followed his wheelchair around those ancient Roman ruins. At guide dog school I had been trained to walk on cobbled streets, so I skilfully adapted and navigated the best route by finding the smoothest cobble stones to walk on. On his voyage to Jordan the South African gentleman’s wheelchair had been destroyed by the airline, which had been unable to provide a replacement. So, during the man’s stay in Jordan, he used a very uncomfortable hotel wheelchair. At our farewell meeting with Prince Raad Bin Zeid, a wheelchair was presented to the visitor from South Africa as a gift from the people of Jordan, to help him get home more comfortably. My partner and I received an autographed picture of our lunch with the Prince.

This was a sad time as we bid farewell to all our new Jordanian friends. My fear of being unwelcome in Jordan had been as unfounded as all the other stereotypes about disability we know so well. Even when touring on our own and arriving unannounced, we had been well treated and warmly welcomed. The Kingdom of Peace is a lovely place, with friendly and hospitable people. I met many Jordanians who wanted to get to know me. I enjoyed the dialogue. I speak the universal language of friendship with my eyes and wagging tail, and I always look professional.

At midnight, we left for the airport. The security staff at the airport entrance wanted to know where my “cage” was. They did not accept that I would travel in the aircraft cabin. They weren’t going to let me pass — until my partner informed them that the King had said I was to travel in the aircraft cabin. My partner even invited them to call Prince Raad Bin Zeid at the number on his official card, which he had given to us. Security staff decided not to call the Prince at one o’clock in the morning. I was told to follow an airline person, and we were on our way.

Six hours later, I was entering Holland again to use the grass in the airport park. A lovely lady helped us buy a few souvenirs, and we were on our way again. Thirty-one hours after I left the hotel in Amman, I was in my own back yard playing with Zena, guide dog, and Quincey, retired guide dog.

I have a sense of accomplishment. My professionalism helped encourage delegates to include a strong reference to the accommodation of persons with disabilities. The summit’s final communiqué, The Amman Declaration, proclaimed in part:

“The right of people to travel is a fundamental human right which should be exercised without undue restriction, including the facilitation of travel for those with disabilities and special needs.”

Hup up, Luna Dog! Hup up! With a wag of her tail, a shake, and a jangle of the harness, this golden retriever guide dog answers the “all aboard call” to start the long airplane journey home at the end of another enjoyable vacation in the hot sun.

Travelling abroad with a guide dog can be complicated, time consuming, hindered by a general lack of awareness, and fraught with bureaucracy. The effort, however, is worth it in terms of freedom and independence, which are, after all, the reasons why one gets a guide dog in the first place. The obstacles can be overcome with research, planning, and a little public relations work.

By focusing on Caribbean vacations, this article will share some of the tips that we have found, from our own personal experiences, to work well. Travelling to the U.S. we find effortless, although travelling to other parts of the world is, to date, outside the scope of our experience.

Our family, like a growing number of Canadians, enjoys escaping the cold winter for a couple of weeks. We did not experience any real problems until Luna Dog joined our family. The first hurdle to overcome is always in deciding where to go. You will most likely have to do this research on your own and then inform your travel agent. The choice is a matter of which country you can enter with your guide dog rather than which country you want to go to. We set criteria based on what we want to do, swimming for example, and then find a place that both meets our criteria and will accept the dog. The American Humane Society publishes a brochure on foreign travel with animals which summarizes the entry requirements of various countries. This is a good place to start; however, the brochure is not always accurate. For example, it says that Jamaica exempts guide dogs from quarantine regulations, but a letter from the Jamaican Department of Agriculture advises that, in Jamaica, guide dogs are not exempted.

Generally speaking, the list of possibilities for travel with a guide dog among the Caribbean nations are the Bahamas, Cuba, St. Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curacao, the Cayman Islands, and the Caribbean coasts of Venezuela, Columbia, and Mexico. Countries which do not allow guide dogs to enter have quarantine regulations modelled on the British system and include Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Antigua, and Ste. Lucia. At the time of this writing, the Dominican Republic’s policy remains an enigma to us. We mention this in order to point out the difficulties sometimes involved in obtaining information from some countries and the general reluctance of the international travel industry to consider this aspect of the tourist trade seriously.

Our family has visited both the Bahamas and Cuba, which are good examples of the two types of procedures you will have to cope with. In the case of the Bahamas, a form is obtained from the Minister of Agriculture in Nassau, completed and returned with $10 U.S., and in a month or so you receive it back with an official stamp. Next, visit your vet 24 hours before leaving, have your dog examined, and obtain an International Animal Health Certificate. Armed with these two documents, we breezed through immigration in Nassau with no questions asked. One final note on the fee: although the Bahamian officials say that the $10 fee is waived for guide dogs, our application was returned with a request for the fee. Rather than argue, we just paid it in order to speed up the process.

Cuba is a good example of the other pattern of entry requirement. First, obtain an International Animal Health Certificate from your friendly neighbourhood veterinarian. Have the certificate signed and stamped by a Canadian Department of Agriculture veterinarian. Have the certificate legalized at the our Department of External Affairs’ nearest office. Take or send the certificate to the nearest consulate or embassy, pay the fee (in this case $75), wait a week for the wax seal, then take your certified certificate and away you go. Some countries will accept either the Department of Agriculture or External Affairs stamp, so check first. Some countries have a time limit, such as having the veterinarian’s examination within 30 days of the trip.
It is important to find a travel agent with good communication skills, who knows the business, and who is committed to the project. Even so, it will be necessary to provide information, combat misconceptions, and provide direction in resolving the obstacles that will be placed in the path of the guide dog.

The first of these obstacles is the persistence of tour operators, property operators, and governments in treating the guide dog as a pet. We have never completely conquered this problem, but continue to combat it. A document in the language of the country concerned explaining the function of your guide dog can be very helpful, especially if it is on official government letterhead or officially stamped. This document will work wonders. If you cannot procure such a document, simply make back-to-back photocopies of guide dog information with the entry permit or even a form letter from the tourist board inviting people to visit (which we did in the case of the Bahamas).

Try to choose a tour operator who will work with you and your travel agent to encourage the destination property to accept your guide dog. Some companies expect you to make a booking before they will ask and do not seem to understand the feelings of rejection you can experience as a result of being denied access because of your guide dog, especially if this happens several times. Also insist that the tour operator send an explanation of the dog and its function in the language of the country concerned ALONG WITH the request for a reservation. Some will refuse. Others will ask for extra money to cover the cost of cleaning up after the dog or as compensation for the extra body in the room. Others will demand a muzzle. These have all happened to us and we have rejected all of these conditions.

Try to select a chain hotel’s property for your holiday destination. While there may not be any laws in the country you are visiting which guarantee access, the affiliate hotel is governed by the bill of rights of its own parent country. Chain hotels are familiar with the concept and will, in general, offer the least resistance. The Best Western British Colonial in Nassau is a case in point. It was one of the hotels best suited to our purposes in which we ever stayed. The security guards even chased off the occasional loose dog and kept the grounds safe for Luna.

Stray dogs are a concern, but we have yet to have a problem that we could not cope with. On the streets, people may be afraid of all dogs, including guide dogs, since many of these countries’ dogs have been made extremely aggressive by having been abusively trained as guard or attack dogs.

Once you have a reservation, your task is not over. Insist that reference to your guide dog appears on all documents that contain your name, including the travel insurance document. Should you have problems or if anyone tries to penalize you for the presence of your dog, you will have written proof of the fact that the presence of your guide dog was well known and accepted at the time of sale. Watch the terms and conditions of the tour operator. For example, some companies say that seat selection is on a “first come, first served” basis. That is fine, except that it is their responsibility to ensure that we have a seat with sufficient room for the dog. On most aircraft this means the bulkhead seat. We insist on this.

Ensure that your tour operator notifies the airline you are using that you are travelling with a guide dog at the time of reservation. Ask for a copy of the airline’s rules and procedures for accommodating guide dogs. This is important. One airline told us that it would not accept the dog unless she were muzzled. When we asked for that rule in writing we learned that as long as the dog was wearing a harness she would be accepted. Carry this rule with you when you travel. Staff, particularly of charter carriers, may not be used to dealing with travellers with disabilities. It would be very difficult to deal with the “muzzle matter” at an airport early on the morning of departure, not to mention the fact that it would just add needless stress. Just give the agents a copy of the airline’s rule and leave it to them.

On the way to Cuba, Security at Mirabel required the airline to re-issue a boarding pass because the original did not include the guide dog. On one occasion at an airport, when the ground attendant was asked where would be the best place for the guide dog to go to the washroom, he proceeded to yell into his walkie talkie “Where’s the nearest fire hydrant? I’ve got a dog who needs to go!”

Obtaining a copy of the airline’s applicable rule or tariff, well in advance of the day of the trip, is also a good way of ensuring that the travel company has advised the airline of your guide dog at the time the reservation is made. At the check-in counter the airline will ask to see travel documents for you, including your passport, and for the dog, the permit and/or health certificate. Airlines must ensure that all passengers have the proper documentation before individuals are accepted by them.

This forethought should ensure that your vacation is truly relaxing. At your destination, your hosts may not be familiar with independent blind persons, let alone guide dogs. Many funny things will happen and you should be tolerant, within reason. People on the beach seeing the dog being harnessed would ask if we were going to ride the dog or run the dog in the dog races. Restaurants, cabs and busses will be worried about their licences and getting in trouble with their own authorities. Giving them a sense of security by offering the proprietor or driver a copy of your official-looking awareness document about guide dogs helps. Offering the person a copy to keep is, in a sense, providing that person with a permanent defense, if hassles should occur after you leave. We had eaten in one spot several times when one day a customer started to fuss about Luna. The owner produced our paper from under the counter and proceeded to read it in a loud voice to all concerned. Once the customer understood, he was very friendly. Yes, we made a bit of a spectacle but it was better than going hungry.

Travelling with guide dogs in the United States is still sometimes an adventure, even after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We were looking for a place to relieve our guide dogs at O’Hare International Airport. We had 57 minutes between flights en route to San Diego for a baseball sports trip. We had spent fifteen minutes in a futile attempt to get airline staff to assist.

A fellow passenger with a mobility impairment offered to help. He showed us to the front of the terminal and sure enough there was some grass. The guide dogs did their thing and we were on our way.

Despite advanced requests, airline staff were remarkably indifferent to our need. Surprising since it was their aircraft which would have been soiled if an accident had occurred on the second flight of our 9 hour journey. “After all this is an airport, what do you expect” was the response.

When travel problems arise as a result of indifference, the only solution is self help. In this case, the actual relieving took ten minutes, less time than we spent trying to get help in a large, strange terminal we had never visited before. Oh well, we were on our way again.

A few hours later, we were relaxing by the pool at our San Diego hotel in bright sun shine with pleasant mid 70s temperatures. We were listening to the San Diego Padres announcers broadcast the last game before the all star break. The game was with the Montreal Expos, the team we would follow after the break on their California road trip.

Since the Expos were doing very well in the game, it was strange to listen to the Padres announcers trying to find positive things to say, Eventually the announcers gave up in a string of. “mercies”.

For us, fans who are blind, the radio plays a big part in our ability to enjoy the game. We sit in the stands with earphones stuck in one ear and listen to the play by play descriptions over the radio, while listening to the sounds of the ball park with the other ear. However, the California games were a few days away. First it was time for a bit of sight seeing.

A visit to Tijuana for shopping produced a few bargains. A nice leather back pack was purchased for $20 after some hard bargaining. The guide dogs gave a wide berth to the many “burros” they also called “Mexican Tigers” standing on the sidewalks waiting to have their pictures taken with passing tourists.

After a tiring morning of shopping, it was off to —-for a Mexican lunch and a relaxing afternoon at the beach. All the visitors stuck to American food as they were worried about getting sick with the “tourista”.

The beach was wide and sandy. The water was a bit wavy and noisy so the dogs would not venture too far into the sea. The water was surprisingly cold at 70 degrees and helps to explain the mild pleasant coastal climate while inland locations sweltered in the summer heat.

After a romp on the beach, the dogs settled under an umbrella for a snooze. Soon a strange pungent aroma woke them up. Thus began an alert afternoon for the dogs watching pair after pair of horses ride by as people enjoyed an afternoon sea side ride.

All too soon it was time to leave and prepare for the next leg of our journey, a visit to Los Vegas.

Wow, was it hot in Los Vegas. Temperatures over 100 degrees every day. Most people seem to live inside huge resorts filled with the noise of slot machines, gaming tables and loud music.

At our hotel, the request for the special services desk for help with orientation information was met with consternation. We were informed that in Los Vegas, the only “special services offices were for providing assistance to high rollers.” Assistance for persons with disabilities was non-existent.

We had to fend for ourselves and by the end of the three day stay, we were able to get around our hotel with ease. The guide dogs were cruising through the rows after rows of slot machines as if the had been doing it for years. Slot machines were everywhere, even in the bathrooms. It was gaming on wild.

Staying in Los Vegas was like what we imagined living on a space station would be like. The heat meant that people tended to spend more time inside surrounded by video screens, bright lights and lots of electronic noise rather than out side in the 100 degree temperatures.

In the shade, it was quite pleasant outside. We spent many hours in the shade near the pool. The heat was so dry that the dogs would stay for hours without panting. However, the sun was another matter.

During the day, we avoided the sun. At night, we visited several of the monstrous hotels on the famous Los Vegas Strip. This city has 12 of the 13 largest hotels in the world. We stayed at the 13th largest hotel in the world, The Riviera, with 2273 rooms. The largest hotel in the world will be the 5009 room MGM Grand Hotel and theme park.

An average of 6589 couples say, “I do” every month in Las Vegas. Marriage licences cost just $35 dollars at the Clark County Marriage Licence Bureau which is open 8 a.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday and 24 hours a day on Weekends. So, the divorce capital of America is now trying to become the marriage capital of America, with Valentines Day and New Years Eve being the most popular marriage days of the year.

There is even a Casino Radio providing tourist information and calling itself, “the best deal on the dial.” It was a great source of information for people who could not read the tons of written ads and offers. The radio described restaurants, buffets, show times and hotel features.

More than 21 Million people visit Los Vegas each year. Revenue from gaming tops 4 billion dollars annually. We contributed to this profit. We lost all of $12 dollars in Los Vegas but one of our travelling companions cheerfully lost his budgeted gambling amount of $2000.

The Los Vegas Strip is a famous place. We had red about it in many talking books. In reality, it, like Hollywood, did not live up to expectations. It was noisy and dirty. The sidewalks were narrow, uneven and in need of repair.

The walks on the strip was memorable for us, however, because our dogs were attacked by two unleashed pets. There was a tense couple of minutes while we tried to protect our guide dogs from the other animals until help arrived. Guide dogs are not aggressive. In general, they will not even defend themselves unless seriously hurt. They look to us for protection and we did our best. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.

In Las Vegas, we always carried lots of water for the dogs. We never let them lay in the sun. We would not walk on the streets during the day for fear that the heat from the black asphalt roads would burn the dogs’ paw pads.

At night, we were free to roam in comfortable temperatures. We attended several Las Vegas shows including the performance by Canadian Rich Little and His Copy Cats at the Sahara Hotel and the hit show SPLASH at the Riviera.

Guide dogs do not like loud sudden noises and we became a bit worried about Luna because she began to fidget during the SPLASH show. We thought that maybe she had a problem needing a vets attention. The photographer who took pictures of patrons was a dog lover. She spent more time, with our permission, petting the dogs under the table than taking pictures during the show.

When she learned that we may need a vet, this lady went out and looked up the address and phone number of the nearest vet to our hotel and gave it to us. Although, as it turned out, we did not need to visit the vet, this thoughtfulness was very much appreciated.

We were soon off to Los Angeles for the first of our 11 baseball games. We flew on a carrier called Southwest American Airlines. They were a “no frills” airline. They did not even have seat reservations. We were worried at first about getting seats with room for the dogs on the 9 flights we were taking with this company between western United States cities.

Our worries were unfounded. Although the staff wore shorts and short sleeve shirts, there was nothing casual about their professionalism. Directions were given in explicit language which enabled us to find boarding gates on our own. We were the first of the walk on passengers which meant that we always had access to the seats with adequate room for the dogs.

At the front of the aircraft, they had two rows of seats facing one another. This configuration allowed six people and two guide dogs to travel in comfort with room for all. A highlight of the whole trip was these 9 flights on Southwest American Airlines and the ever present professional, courteous service. The staff even made a point of telling us that there was sufficient oxygen masks for the dogs in the event of cabin decompression. Rarely do the traditional airlines show this level of consideration and service to guide dog users.

We had visited Los Angeles before. So, we passed up the city tour in favour of learning the hotel. A wise decision as the other 30 members of our group returned to the hotel in shock after a wild ride with a bus driver who narrowly missed cars and often could not shift gears on the many hills of Los Angeles and had to back down many a busy city street.

Although the Expos lost 3 of the 4 games at Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine, this was the most enjoyable series for us. The stadium staff were courteous and attentive. The food was good for stadium fare and the seats in the stands had adequate room for the dogs to lay down in the stadium row during the game. Vince Skully, the Dodgers radio announcer, was a good commentator and so we really enjoyed the stadium and atmosphere. We purchased a radio in the shape of a baseball to take home as a souvenir.

Since the games were at night, we had the day to pursue other interests. We visited Universal Studios. We were frequently forced to take a different route than the rest of our party as we could not use the escalators. This was a bit disruptive when trying to enjoy attractions together. We were often taken directly into a ride while everyone else had to line up for a half hour to get in. We ended up waiting an equal time for everyone else at the end of the ride. The Back to the Future and the ET rides were particularly enjoyable.

Near the end of the visit, we took the dogs to see the animal show. We heard Beethoven, the new lassie and many other show animals. Our guide dogs were mighty interested in that show. They watched the birds tricks with wonder but seemed to treat the dog antics as nothing special. We found the animal show by accident as we searched for a place to relieve our dogs. Most staff were non plussed by the request until one young fellow remembered that Universal Studio had its own resident canines and took us there to use their runs. The trainers were glad to see us and made us feel most welcome.

By mid afternoon, the crowd had become horrendous and it was hard to move about the park. No matter, it was time for us to leave to ready ourselves for yet another evening baseball game.

Hotel staff were also surprised that we found grass in their courtyard suitable for relieving the animals. They were also relieved. Staff knew the had to accept guide dogs at this new hotel but not how the dogs would relieve themselves. This is a preoccupation of those who are not familiar with guide dogs. We are often complimented on our dogs’ ability to use the toilet as we leave public washrooms.

Lugging kilos of dog food around in our luggage really adds to the weight and difficulties on a trip like this with many flights and hotels. So, we planned to restock our supply during the trip. When the time came, we were still in LA. Our hotel was in the business district and there were no store nearby. A staff member at the hotel drove us to a supermarket in their limousine to get dog food and only in LA would no one bat an eye at going through the supermarket parcel pick up in a limousine with two dogs aboard. Maybe Beethoven and Lassie shopped at that supermarket too.

Early the next morning after another pleasant flight, we found ourselves in San Francisco. As the baseball games at Candle Stick Park were in the afternoon, we went directly to the stadium.
Upon arrival at the stadium, we looked like ducks out of water. Candle Stick Park must be the coldest and windiest place on earth. Marie just had to have a $35 dollar pair of sweat pants from the souvenir shop to cover her legs. I sat shivering in the stands. I looked so pitiful that the San Francisco Giant fan sitting in front of me gave me a big woolly horse blanket to snuggle under. He took great delight in showing the tourists the wind breaker he was wearing. When we returned the next day, we came armed with all the long pants, sweaters and jackets we had brought with us.

San Francisco provided the most interesting sight seeing of our trip. We visited the Golden Gate Bridge, Oakland Bridge and marvelled at the recent earthquake damage and had an enjoyable harbour cruise followed by a tour of the infamous Alcatraz prison. We enjoyed our evening walks through China Town and along the streets of Fisherman’s Wharf. The cable car ride provided a sensation of a by-gone age but walking up the steep hill of the crookedest street in the city nearly did us in. It was nearly straight up in spots and went on for blocks in a vertical direction.

San Francisco is a unique place with character of its own. One of our bus drivers lectured us on the fact that the United States was really socialist country and the Armed Forces wit their health and social benefits was the America’s socialist institution. We caused a stir when the dogs steped out of a stretch Cadillac onto the streets of China Town on our way to supper at Longs. The Holiday Inn Persisted in keeping the only piece of grass on their property, a scrubby patch of weeds, under lock and key and each trip to the dog patch was like a visit to an alcatraz maximum security cell.

After the Expos lost three games in San Francisco, it was off to San Diego where our team won three out of four games, so, our trip ended o an up beat note. The mid 70’s temperature was ideal for lounging around the pool all day which was exactly what we did. Occasional walks along the waterfront to Sea Port Village helped to add a bit of variety to pool lounging.

We had an opportunity to briefly speak to several players and team broadcasters during our stay at the same hotel used by the team. Several members of our group were upset when they observed the pitcher eating a big buffet meal an hour and a half before he was due to pitch, They were right this pitcher lost his game.

One of the pleasures of any trip is the people you meet and the new friends you make. This trip was no exception. We enjoyed several pleasant meals with an industrial psychologist and his wife who we met for the first time when attending the Rich Little Show together in Las Vegas. She was petrified of dogs and nearly did not get on the plain when she heard that two dogs were part of the party. Through the trip, she tried to overcome her dislike of dogs. The more she tried, the more pleasant time we spent together. On their wine tasting trip to the Napa Valley, they acquired wine for us. We even benefited from some free psychological services as he used his skill to solve our access problem with the stadium elevator. Even though this elevator was for use by persons with disabilities, it was commandeered by the press core and the first evening we nearly got locked in Jack Murphy Stadium waiting for the elusive elevator.

We were surprised about the few incidents of attempted denial of access of our guide dogs in California, a restaurant in Los Angeles, a cafeteria at San Francisco International Airport and The Stadium Club at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego where the host wanted to put our dogs behind a curtain in an anteroom. We never imagined that we would have to educate people about their own laws but fortunately we had photocopies of the California statute relating to service animals which we distributed liberally in response to this treatment.

Our trip home was very smooth. After all, we were retracing the route we learned on the way out to California. In Montreal, we landed at 10:10 a.m., passed through immigration, cleared customs, relieved the dogs, travelled by shuttle to the Dorval station, bought our tickets and had five minutes to wait for the 10:57 a.m. train to our home town, Ottawa.

No sports trip would be complete without statistics. Here is the box score for our trip: 16 days, 3 countries, 8 flights, 2 trains, 2 boat trips, 11 baseball games, 3 stadiums, 5 cities, 4 hotels and numerous bus, van, limousine and taxi trips. We are now longing for another idyllic vacation under palm trees on a secluded beach.