It's me, Renee! My mom keeps hogging the computer, so I haven't been able to write much lately. But I finally got a chance. And whoa, do I have lots to share!
My mom is in her last year of law school. This means LOTS of travel! I am so good at travel. I love to fly, but I like airports even more. I zoom and weave between people and suitcases with ease. My mom loves that I do this, so she doesn't bump into anything.
I like the new addition to our team, Aira, at the airport, too. My mom and I aren't great at finding gates in airports. Mom says she can't read the signs well. I'm not sure why, but honestly, I cannot read them either. They didn't teach me my numbers and letters much at the Seeing Eye.
So Aira is this camera thing that my mom has on her Google glasses. It connects to an Aira agent through my mom's phone, and the agent can see for my mom. It's like we are driving a car...My mom is at the wheel guiding us, I'm at the peddles to stop and start for safety, and Aira is the eye of the driver. Aira is my mom's eyes.
We went to Chicago for a conference that was really cool. I had a MAJOR traffic check on the way to the hotel. A traffic check is when a car doesn't follow the rules of the road and puts my mom and me in danger. A big city bus ran a red light and almost hit my mom. If she had kept walking on her own, well, that would have been really bad. But I was there to stop just by the bus, letting it pass. I don't get why drivers don't follow the lights of the road, but I love that I can save my mom's life when this kind of thing happens.
We also went to Arlington, Virginia for another conference. That was cool, because we got to stay with my mom's friends who also have guide dogs! I got to play and have adventures around the town. I love new places!
This whole new Aira thing is just so cool. I can feel my mom relax, knowing she has an extra set of eyes to help. Just this morning, my mom and I went on a new adventure. Mom has been nervous about visiting the Education Building's coffee shop on campus for the past two years. She has never been there and hates going into new places where she doesn't know how or where to order. Coffee shops are especially hard, because sometimes they give you your coffee and sometimes you have to get it yourself.But my mom is brave. She decided to try with Aira. Emma, an Aira agent, was super helpful. She told my mom where the line was for ordering. She explained how many people were ahead of us. She even read the menu that was up on the wall, something my mom has never been able to do before. Mom ordered her coffee, and Emma from Aira guided my mom to the counter where the coffee was given to her. It was so cool! My mom and I felt confident with our new pal, Aira.
All of this is just so exciting. And there's even more excitement going on! My mom is talking more and more about graduation from law school. I think I heard it's sometime in May. She's talking about moving to another city and a whole new state. She thanks me for being flexible about the idea of moving. In reality, I love it! It would just mean more adventures for us. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are the best team we can be. I just love being a seeing eye dog!
All for now, and lots of kisses,
Renee, the Seeing Eye Dog
