[NAGDU] Our trip to Ireland

[carcione at access.net]

Some people were interested in my trip to Ireland with my dog Igloo, and my
husband, so here's my story. Just FYI, Igloo is a yellow lab/golden, 23
inches tall and almost white.

 

I'm glad people here recommended having hard copies of the airlines forms.
Even though we flew on Aer Lingus, an Irish airline, they wanted the DOT
forms.  I uploaded them to the airlines website, but they wanted to see the
hard copies when we got to Newark Airport, and spent a long time showing
them to supervisors and making copies.  I insisted on getting them back,
which was good, since they also wanted to see the forms when we were in
Dublin airport to fly home.  At least that time they didn't want to take
more copies.  Really, it was as if the people in Newark had never seen a
guide dog before.  

I also had the CDC form, which US Customs in Dublin needed to see.

 

The flight from Newark to Dublin was around 6 hours, + the hours beforehand
getting through security and all, so when we arrived we wanted to get Igloo
a place to pee as soon as possible.  But we nearly caused an international
incident.  I thought, instead of waiting around who knew how long for
someone to show up to assist, we could just follow the crowd down to
baggage, run outside for Igloo to pee, then come back in for our appointment
with the Ministry of Ag to look at Igloo's papers.  I didn't know that, in
Ireland, baggage is included in the secure zone.  An Aer Lingus person
caught up with us partway through our scamper, but really wasn't too
helpful.  We came almost outside, then we stopped in a foyer by a security
desk, and the guard there said we couldn't go outside because Igloo wasn't
approved, and we couldn't go back inside because we'd left the secure area.
We were just supposed to stay in the foyer.  He said Igloo could pee on the
floor.  I knew Igloo wouldn't do that.  Then the guy yelled at us that we
should have had pee mats with us.  We didn't, and I don't think Igloo would
have gone for that anyway.  My husband has trouble not raising his voice
when he gets upset, and we were both anxious, but I was worried he'd get
arrested trying to straighten the mess out.  Finally a supervisor came, and
he was very helpful and calm.  He took us outside, where Igloo didn't waste
any time using a bit of grass the super found.  Then we had to go back
through security, with lots of paperwork for the super, and then back to
where we could meet with the Ag person.  Happily, the Ag person came in
early to meet us, so that was quick and we got away to our hotel.  Anyway,
we won't do that again, and take a warning by me.

 

After that everything was great.  We brought Igloo's Mutt Mat with us, so he
lay on it in our tour bus and in various castles and cottages.  Ireland
doesn't get below freezing often, and buildings do not have the heating or
cooling we're used to, so many of the floors in places we visited were quite
chilly.  

Igloo walked up and down spiral staircases in castles, some of them quite
uneven, so that enemies would have a hard time running up them.  

We went into the passage tomb at New Grange, which was an amazing
experience.  There were many places I had to duck under stone beams, and one
very narrow place I had to turn sideways.  Igloo was cautious but not
anxious.  When we got to the inside room, deep under the hill, our guide
turned off her light so she could show people how the light comes in at
Winter Solstice.  That made some people anxious, but not Igloo.  The guide
let me touch the 5,000-year-old stone carving on the big marker stone, which
was incredible. 

On our way back to the bus, we passed a guide dog puppy in training, wearing
his puppy vest.  We didn't stop to chat, but Igloo looked.  Maybe he was
saying "This could be you someday, kid."

 

It was a bit hard on Igloo, switching hotels every couple days.  We'd just
get used to one, then move on to the next.  I think he was getting a bit
stressed by the end, but he still did a great job.  He could always find the
restaurant or the pub, and always find our room, once we found the lift.
None of the hotel rooms had braille room numbers, so I hung a mask on the
door handle when we went out until we got good with the room location.  

Our tour was for musicians, so we had a session every night.  Igloo was very
good about lying quietly while I played my whistle with the fiddles,
guitars, and flute.  I didn't know if he'd mind the music, but he was great.


 

We took a Samhain-Halloween walk through a field with a guide and actors
impersonating Halloween creatures.  Some of them were magpies and would rush
at us making bird screeches.  Igloo bounced at one who came pretty close.  I
think he thought this was a fun game and was ready to play, but they got a
hint and didn't come so close after that. 

 

Everywhere we went, people were impressed by Igloo's intelligence and calm,
sweet nature.  He was a shining example of what a Seeing Eye dog should be,
and I was very proud of him.  It was a lot of hassle to bring him with me,
but I'm glad I did.

Tracy