I’m always fascinated to see how my guide dogs react to the experience of air travel. If I consider it logically, it must be somewhat confusing for them. I mean, what must takeoff and landing feel like to a dog? What do they think is happening while we all sit there in what must seem like a small metal room with seats? Do dogs ears pop as we climb to a higher elevation, and what does that feel like to them?
As I mentioned in one of my recent blogs, Guide Dog Normandy isn’t exactly a frequent flyer. At least not yet. As far as I know, he has only been on an airplane three times in his life. Admittedly, that is three times more than most dogs, but it’s a relatively small number when compared to how often my previous guide dogs flew.
On the way home after our recent trip to Durban there was one moment that I truly would have loved to be able to see into Normandy’s mind. We were fortunate to have an empty seat in our row, which meant Normandy had more space to curl up on the floor.
Initially he lay below the window seat. He had sufficient room to stretch out a little, but not much since his head was facing the side of the plane. Eventually he began to feel uncomfortable, tried to turn to face me, and discovered that he couldn’t.
I felt the best solution would be to turn him around by placing his front paws on the seat next to me and then pulling them towards me, leaving his head facing the aisle. I thought that would give him more space to stretch out.
Only, when I lifted his paws onto the seat, I suddenly had a guide dog seated beside me on the seat.
Then Normandy turned and looked out of the airplane window. That was the moment I wished I could read his mind.
What did he make of what he was seeing? What did he think of the clouds, and the empty blue sky? What did he think had happened to the ground?
I know Normandy spends a fair amount of time looking out of windows. He does so often when we’re at home. And he loves looking through car windows when we’re travelling somewhere. But the view out of the airplane window must have been completely different from anything he’d seen before.
Craig managed to get this photo of Normandy on the airline seat. What do you think is going through his mind?
Whatever it was, I didn’t give him time to become accustomed to the novelty of the view. I encouraged him back down onto the floor, now facing with his head towards the aisle. And that’s where he remained for the rest of the flight, resting happily with his head on my foot.
I also wonder what the passengers in the row behind us thought when a Labrador head appeared? I’m sure they must have been surprised! Don’t you?
Next time I’ll share a video of Normandy guiding me through one of the airports on our recent travels. I was ecstatic at how well he navigated the unfamiliar environment and how instinctively he knew what to do.
