Transit Day for Guide Dog Pups!

Puppies trained to become guide dogs practice public transit etiquette in Central Park

Puppy raisers from the Sylmar puppy raising group recently had the unique opportunity to expose their foster puppies-in-training to three different busses, and they had the busses all to themselves!   The Sylmar group’s leadership team worked with City of Santa Clarita transit to organize the training adventure, and the transit company graciously provided a transit bus, a commuter bus and an Access van, plus drivers who took the group for a spin around Santa Clarita’s Central Park.

Handlers helped puppies practice boarding and exiting the bus calmly, as well as settling calmly at the handlers’ feet.  Having the busses all to themselves meant the training experience could be modified to allow “street legal” dogs of all ages to participate.  Positive experiences with public transportation are an important part of a guide dog prospect’s puppy training.

It was a great morning of training, and the Santa Clarita Signal was even along for the ride and wrote a fun follow-up story about the event and GDA’s puppy raising program.

Read more here