I hit a point in every prolonged absence from home where the excursion isn’t fun anymore and all I want is to sleep in my own bed, cook my own meals, and wear something that I haven’t pulled out of a backpack in the past week. This time last year, I was so there! and if I could’ve just gotten on a plane and taken “Juno” with me, I would have.

But we had important things to do…

We had the simulated traffic checks, which I already knew that “Juno” would pass with flying colours (she did). We sat for pictures, which was extra frustrating because the trainers guided us to the platform while another trainer situated our dogs, and then some of our dogs would lie down during the group picture rather than sit up. Photos are not a hill I will die on; so long as my dog is out of the way and behaving herself, I don’t care if she’s in the photo op. By the time photos were done, I was so frustrated that I went to my room, and then to the dining hall where I commiserated with my classmates who all had strong opinions on photo day.

After photos and lunch, we headed over to a local park to do some “doubles” work. This is where two guide dog teams practice walking together, alternating who’s in front, so that one dog isn’t always in the lead. This was one thing that Jenny was particularly stubborn about – she always had to be in front – but “Juno” doesn’t care so much about such things. Our doubles partner was not her class boyfriend; we all agreed they’d be too much of a distraction for each other. Instead, the class’ social butterfly was “Juno”‘s doubles partner… for a while at least.

I’m glad we’d switched to the leather harness from the Unifly. One thing I didn’t know was that this park was one of “Juno”‘s favourite running spots. The leather harness constricted her movements enough so that she couldn’t go flying around the park loop… but she wanted to! I hoped we could get a run in before we headed home…

After our invigorating power walk through the park, it was time for vet physicals. All the dogs got their checkups and weigh-ins, and then got taken for baths to make sure the giardia was gone. My girl came back to my room all shiny and clean, happy to be back with me, and out of nowhere got the zoomies! I’d never seen her so happy! I still wanted to go home, but the next day would be one of the highlights of guide dog school – New York City!