[NAGDU] Our trip to Ireland

[Alison Miller]

Tracy, 

How long have you and Igloo been working together? What travel service set your trip up?  I would like to take another trip abroad. It sounds wonderful. Thank you for all the good information.  I know Seeing Eye staff are proud of Igloo’s skill and training. 

Alison

> On Nov 14, 2024, at 9:46 AM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> NAGDU mailing list
> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/alison.miller%40msn.com