Here we go again with our twelfth road trip. This time, it is to help a friend by puppy sitting a 5-month-old Dogs Inc puppy named Vistana. My friend needed help because Vistana is not old enough for transportation exposure outings at Disney Springs. I was more than willing to help—and it made Ace happy that this was a road trip, not just a day trip.
We had no issues getting off the airport bus, finding the restroom on the ground level, and Ace even knew the way to the relief area in just 10 minutes flat. Whoa, his speed is incredible. We were picked up, and Ace and Vistana locked eyes immediately. I had to place Ace in the backseat with his seatbelt harness, and he knew how to sit properly. I sat in the front passenger seat while Vistana slobbered all over me. I motioned with my hand for her to settle. Just a spunky puppy! After a minute or two, she finally settled.
We had a productive day with a lot going on, but I was not feeling well thanks to pollen—only in one nostril, not both. Yes, just one nostril congested. Crazy. Thankfully, no other symptoms. I did not feel up to enjoying the night after dinner. I was exhausted, especially since Ace woke me up at 3:30 a.m., and I felt like I should not fall back asleep.
The next morning, knowing my friend had to get ready for the exposure outing at Disney Springs, Ace and I went for about a mile walk around the resort, which felt like a maze. I was hoping Ace would remember the way back—and he did. We never got lost. Ace-mazing. We also did stair work from one building to another, and it was fun. Ace loved it. We even learned a new crosswalk—a three-way crosswalk with an offset in the middle. A very good experience for both of us. Ace understood how to navigate carefully on deep slopes and knew to slow down when needed. Perfect.
After my friend left, it took the puppy a while to settle, so I let both dogs nap first so I could relax a bit. Then I worked with them. I had Ace in a down-stay while I walked Vistana back and forth, teaching her not to ambush Ace. She is only 5 months old and thinks everything is playtime. It was great learning progress for Vistana—and Ace enjoyed watching.
After a short break, I worked myself closer to sitting down with Vistana, slowly helping her stay settled. Then I motioned Ace to sit on the couch, continuing to teach Vistana not to ambush him. After a few minutes, both dogs settled. I got up and walked away, and neither of them secretly tried to ambush each other.
I took them out one at a time to the relief area, and both were quick. It is adorable walking such a small puppy compared to a well-built Ace. It was a wonderful experience working with Vistana at her age. Sometimes she still tries to ambush Ace to initiate play, but I do not allow indoor play in a resort.
My friend returned in the mid-afternoon, and Vistana was happy to see her mommy coming through the door. Ace knows not to greet at the door and stayed calm. That's the best dog I have ever trained. I put a lot of work into greeting protocol, and he is expected to ignore my friend completely.
We ended up not going anywhere because we were exhausted, and I am feeling under the weather with nasal congestion, though I am about halfway better. Ace enjoyed some much-needed rest, and that's perfectly fine with me.
My friend asked if I would be interested in going to the arcade game room, and I thought, sure, why not. I still had my arcade card and could easily reload it. Ace guided me along the proper route to the building instead of dashing across the parking lot. That's exactly what a guide dog should do—stick to the sidewalk and follow a safe path.
Once we got inside, Ace perked up as if he remembered we had been there before. He confidently guided me over to the skee-ball area and clearly wanted me to play. We located a machine, and Ace stepped up onto the pedestal—one of those small platforms children use to reach the card reader and reload station.
I found it ace-mazing. With a little help from my friend, I learned how to use the machine and started to understand it better.
After reloading the card, Ace guided me right back to the skee-ball lane. We started the game. For those who may not know, skee-ball is a game where you roll a ball up a ramp, aiming for rings at the top with different point values. Ace loved the sound of the balls rolling and watched each one as it landed.
When the game ended, we walked around for a bit, reminiscing. But as soon as I was ready to leave, Ace pulled back toward the skee-ball. He clearly wanted another round. I had to laugh and gave in. We returned to the machine, Ace stepped up onto the pedestal again, and I reloaded the card while he watched me tap the screen and insert cash.
Once it was done, Ace guided me right back to skee-ball.
It was so ace-mazing to watch him channel his inner kid instead of acting like a puppy. He truly enjoyed the experience—watching the game and happily earning his kibbles as I played.
Unfortunately, my friend did not take a picture of us together in the arcade game room. So, please enjoy the videos and photos woven together into one clip.
We are very much looking forward to our next road trip next week. This one will be a little bit more complex. Keep your eyes peeled for it in a couple of days!