SAN ANTONIO – Gino the guide dog in-training experienced a first on Friday.
The nearly 1-year-old dog KSAT 12 News has been following spent the day at University Hospital to test his reactions at the facility.
Upon entering the hospital, Gino was approached by a young patient in a wheelchair.
"It went really well,” Jaime Massey, of Guide Dogs of Texas, said about the encounter. “Sometimes dogs can be a little wary of wheelchairs, you know. It changes people's forms. They're not used to people sitting in a chair and wheeling."
Crutches and walkers can throw dogs off, too, not to mention the different smells and overall mood inside a hospital.
"People are not feeling well, maybe a little emotional,” Massey said.
But a hospital is a place a guide dog will likely have to visit, and that's the reason why Gino is training in such a setting, Massey said.
"Dogs will go with clients. Maybe their wife is having a baby, and they’re in the delivery room,” Massey said. "We've had those kinds of situations."
Loud sounds inside a hospital could also bother Gino. Inside a patient’s room, Gino is tested as a loud beeping noise is played from one of the machines. He is unfazed, which means his training inside a hospital was a success.
Gino had one last encounter to be tested on, and this time it was a surprise. He runs into Lucy, a goldendoodle therapy dog. Her job is also one of service.
"She’s just a really good distraction,” said Courtney Smith, Lucy's owner. “It helps them stop thinking about their pain for a few minutes. They focus on the dog.”
During the meeting of the canines, Gino behaved himself, and the two may have a budding friendship.
"She just wanted to have a little play date,” Smith said.
Look for more updates on Gino on-air and online.