The Flight Was Easy, but the Stairs Were a Killer

Twenty puppies in training as guide dogs for the blind were taken on a 70-minute round-trip flight from Burbank Airport to Orange County Wednesday as part of a training session aimed at acclimating them to air travel.

But first they had to get inside the aircraft.

“The hard part was getting up the stairs,” said Jane Brackman, a spokeswoman for International Guiding Eyes of Sylmar. For example, “There were a couple we had to tug,” such as Ernie, above, who also needed an additional airlift from behind.

But, after 20 minutes of waiting--and some pushing and pulling--the Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and German shepherds were safely aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Burbank Airport to John Wayne Airport.

Brackman said the pups, which range in age from 12 weeks to 18 months, have yet to begin their formal guide-dog training but already are being exposed to a variety of situations they may encounter. During Wednesday’s flight, the dogs were taught to stay under their trainers’ seats--and to keep their tails out of the aisle.

The dogs took the flight well, Brackman said, snoozing much of the time and reserving any yipping and barking for the ground.

At the Burbank terminal, some travelers appeared not to notice the dogs, wearing bright yellow coats. But, when other travelers saw the dogs waiting by a gate, Brackman said, their expressions made it clear what was on their minds: “Oh, I hope this isn’t my flight.”

The dogs and their trainers--all of them, sighted--were the only passengers on the regularly scheduled Alaska Airlines flight.