ALBANY, Ore. — From the second floor, Clarita took in the stairwell at Linn-Benton Community College: its shadowed steps, the boom of voices echoing off the brick walls.
Then she trotted confidently down, tail wagging as she accepted a kibble treat from her walker, Julia Marsh, 11, of Albany.
Stairways, fountains, even a ride in an elevator: nothing fazed the three puppies who spent an evening April 19 at the community college practicing their skills to be Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Albany Democrat-Herald reported http://bit.ly/1SBSRP5.
Members of Eyeraisers, a Benton County-based 4-H club connected with Guide Dogs for the Blind, take regular field trips to expose their pups to new situations.
On this particular day, Clarita, a 6-month-old yellow Lab, visited LBCC with Mycroft, a 9-month-old yellow Lab, and Vale, a 6-month-old black Lab.
The club’s human members took turns walking the pups down the halls and through the courtyards, cruising along the second-floor railings to make sure no one had a problem with vertigo.
“Everybody came down the noisy stairs fine? Didn’t bother anybody?” asked Penny Steele, the Eyeraisers’ leader. “Awesome!”
