We can all appreciate how much guide dogs help their people pals. These specially trained canines enable the visually impaired to go places and do things with greater ease.

It’s not hard to imagine that training such valuable companions takes a lot of time, patience and doggy treats!

One critical part of guide dog training is exposing them to places and situations they would likely experience with their owners. Real-world training that imitates the real-life activities of a visually impaired person is vital to ensure the dogs become successful guides.

To that end, the Jacksonville International Airport has been proud to partner with local guide dog training organizations and conduct training tours of the airport.

The tour begins with a shuttle ride to the terminal. Once at the front door of the airport. The dogs and their trainers walk through the entire facility, including the security checkpoint.

The dogs experience walking through crowds, up and down stairs, through narrow screening machines and riding shuttle buses so that they will become better partners for their handlers.

That’s something we all feel “paw-sitive” about!