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Service dogs help their humans navigate a lot of challenges in the world.
To make getting on and off a bus easier and more familiar, the Orange County Transportation Authority hosted a free training day Saturday.
It’s a service the operator of OC’s bus service occasionally arranges, offering free rides so the service dogs and therapy dogs can familiarize themselves with how to take public transportation.
For several hours Saturday, buses arrived every 20 minutes at the ARTIC transit station in Anaheim for a roundtrip with stops at the GardenWalk mall and Downtown Disney. Trainers were invited to ride multiple times for practice.
Service puppies get a paws-on lesson in public transit with their trainers on on Saturday, October 2, 2021 during the OCTA’s free service-animal training day. Buses left from the ARTIC transit station and made stops at Downtown Disney and GardenWalk shopping mall in Anaheim so the dogs could get used to the experiences and learn to stay focused. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Rico, a puppy-in-training for Guide Dogs for the Blind, politely sits on an OCTA bus during a free training day for service puppies. Dogs got to ride buses and get used to public transit on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Trainer Ann Larson with Guide Dogs of America, and her 1-year-old yellow lab, Ivan, right, take part in the OCTA’s day of training for service puppies on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Handlers and their puppies take part in OCTA’s free training day for service animals in Anaheim on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Vicar keeps Canine Companions volunteer trainer Denise Phillips in sight during a free OCTA training day in Anaheim on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Trainers and their service puppies get ready for a bus ride around Anaheim during the OCTA’s day of free service-animal training on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Constance Howell with Canine Companions, and her puppy-in-training, Zen V, ride the wheelchair lift with the help of OCTA Supervisor Laura Castaneda on Saturday, October 2, 2021 in Anaheim. The OCTA hosted a day of free service-animal training in Anaheim. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Service puppies carefully navigate steps off a bus during the OCTA free service-animal training day in Anaheim on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Canine Companions puppy-in-training, Vicar, left, gets a kiss while traveling on an OCTA bus during a free training day for service animals in Anaheim on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Raynie, a puppy-in-training for Guide Dogs of America, takes her seat on the floor of a bus during the OCTA’s free service-animal training day on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
East Valley Therapy dogs Oliver, from left, Elliott, and Winston take part in OCTA’s free service-animal training day in Anaheim on Saturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Service puppies get a paws-on lesson in public transit with their trainers on on Saturday, October 2, 2021 during the OCTA’s free service-animal training day. Buses left from the ARTIC transit station and made stops at Downtown Disney and GardenWalk shopping mall in Anaheim so the dogs could get used to the experiences and learn to stay focused. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Service puppies get a paws-on lesson in public transit with their trainers on on Saturday, October 2, 2021 during the OCTA’s free service-animal training day. Buses left from the ARTIC transit station and made stops at Downtown Disney and GardenWalk shopping mall in Anaheim so the dogs could get used to the experiences and learn to stay focused. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Service puppy-in-training, Tahoe, rides a bus during the OCTA free training day in Anaheim onSaturday, October 2, 2021. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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