ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — When you're man's best friend, traveling by air for the first time can be rough; there's all kinds of new things to see, smell, and hear.
That's why the Roschlis drove all the way from the Eastern Shore to Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
"There's people who need these animals to survive," said Debbie Roschli, a volunteer puppy raiser with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, "and to get around in their daily life."
Monday night at the airport was part of their months of volunteering and raising their pup, Quiche - named like the food. Quiche and about 20 other dogs went through the motions of an airport visit at BWI, getting accustomed to and comfortable with it all.
The pups aren't just the cutest things on the ground and in the air. In a little bit, they'll help folks with visual impairments navigate the world.
Take Bear, for example, the shepherd you saw in the photo when you clicked on this article. He's only 6 months old. His human is Paige Ritter, region coordinator for the Bay Region of Guiding Eyes for the Blind; they connect the pups with folks who need them.
"I'll have [Bear] until he's about 14 months old, and then he goes back to our headquarters in New York and will do another 3 to 6 months of training in harness, and then will get matched with a graduate anywhere across the United States."
Whether you have two legs, or four, you have to wait in line at the airport, everywhere from check-in to TSA to baggage.
On that note, part of traveling by air is, of course, airport security. Lead transportation security officer Thomas Stein said the Monday run-through was about putting the pups at ease.
"They'll be relaxed and comfortable," Stein told WMAR, "so the individual they're working with will be relaxed and comfortable."
As you might imagine - this is important work: making sure the pups needed by folks with visual impairments - get from point A to point B, trouble-free.
A hard-earned treat doesn't hurt, either.
