[nagdu] Pilot in 1987

[Jenine Stanley]

This discussion of the test/achievement walk at Pilot brings back memories.
I was there twice in 1987 and can still do that walk in my head. <grin> Of
course I occasionally find myself on those very streets these days but don't
go downtown much as I once did. For those who don't know, I live in Columbus
but work for GDF remotely. 

They may have changed things but as I recall, the Pilot leash is the only
one with the extra snaps needed to turn it into a muzzle of sorts. Because
the leashes I'm familiar with from there had only a snap under the chin to
close the loop of the muzzle, it was easy for the dog to break. My first dog
routinely broke hers, unsnapping the muzzle part then chewing it viciously.
Many a time I got off a bus with half a leash in my right hand. 

As for muzzling on the buses, prior to the ADA, that was a requirement of
the Central Ohio Transit Authority that all dogs in training be muzzled.
Silly, yes, but there you go. That requirement is no longer in place as I
understand it. 

As for the test walk, as we knew it, the walk was designed to not only show
you that you could work alone with your dog over a route, but to show the
staff how you dealt with stress. 

I think there were merits to it but the pressure the instructors in my
classes put on people was a bit much. They were all former military and ran
it like a drill, not exactly helpful. I hear things have changed a lot and I
like the new name of the walk. 

Yes, remembering the streets was important as you needed to know about where
to turn for the bus stops. People could use whatever method they wanted to
remember the route. The real test was if you could understand the
differences between streets and alleys on the route, keep track of where you
were and judge your crossings. 

I failed my first test walk because I didn't catch my dog veering right
during a wide crossing and walking down the block, but on the street, not
the sidewalk, and right toward a bus. I caught it but not in time to satisfy
the instructor who was judging my walk. For you Pilot folks, it was Jay
Gray. We laugh about it today. Not so much back then. 

We did go into the old Woolworth store along the route and had to purchase
something. I think I bought candbars. I still think this is an excellent
exercise. 

Here's the route we took back in 1987. I'd be curious to hear from recent
grads if it's the same. 

Leave the gate near the relief area at Pilot. You're on Grubb Street. Turn
right and go to the corner of Grubb and Town streets. 

At the down curb, turn right and walk down Town street with the traffic on
your left. At the next corner, which is Town and Skidmore, turn right again.


The next cross street is Rich Street. Cross here and at the up curb, turn
right and walk maybe 10 feet to the bus stop on Rich street. 

Take the Number 10 bus and ask the driver to let you know when they get to
Long and High. 

The nice thing about Columbus is that it's laid out in a grid pattern in the
downtown and Pilot Dogs area and the grid runs pretty much true north/south.


Our buses now have the automatic stop announcements but it's been my
experience that drivers tend to turn them off or way down so asking is
prudent.. 

You get off the bus at Long and High. Back then it was just before Long
Street so you'd turn left once off the bus and walk up to the corner with
the traffic on your left. Then you'd turn left again to cross High street. 

At the up curb, you'd turn left, walking the way you'd come on the bus,
south. You would next cross Gay Street, Broad Street and on the up curb of
Broad Street, turn left and cross High street again. This is where I screwed
up. <grin> 

On the up curb of Broad and High, turn right and walk along a very wide
sidewalk in front of the Ohio State House. The next street you come to is
State Street. 

Cross State and at the up curb, turn right to cross High Street yet again. 

On the up curb, turn left to head south on High Street. Along this block was
where the Woolworth store was, about halfway down. Since the dogs back in my
classes didn't have suggestive turn commands or find commands, you had to
know where the door was and give a right turn command exactly there or the
dog would turn into windows. You could ask for help from people but you were
supposed to do it yourself. The instructor judging your walk would not talk
to you at all unless you were in danger. You didn't get dinged for missing
the door though or no one would have gone home with a dog. <grin> 

We'd been in this store before, several times so we had ideas of where it
was along the block. 

Once you'd purchased your item, you left the store and turned right to
continue down the block to the corner of Town and High streets where you
turned right on the down curb. 

This street is where the bus stop is to go west on Town Street so you'd walk
about halfway down the block, prior to the alley, and wait for the Number 10
bus. 

You would ask the driver to let you off at McDowell Street, which is 2
blocks shy of Pilot. This street has a light control. 

I want to say that the bus stop was just past McDowell, but I could be wrong
on that one. At any rate, once at the down curb with Town Street in front of
you, cross town with McDowell on your left and turn right. You next cross
Skidmore then continue to the corner of Town and Grubb where you turn right
and head for the gate on your left along that block and you're done. 

Tired yet? <grin> It's really a very nice walk and I'd be curious to know
where you all go now. Done right, the concept is a good one and sort of
mirrors what I think some of the O&M lessons are like at the National NFB
centers, plus the dog of course. 

Jenine Stanley FSO-PA
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 18-06
Columbus, OH 
cga.jenine at wowway.com

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