9 dogs call St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport home for special guide dog training

Guide dogs take part in training at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport

Dogs Inc instructor Chelsea Aldrich�and her four-legged friend Ralph experienced a typical day of travel at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. FOX 13 photojournalist Barry Wong takes us there.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Dogs Inc instructor Chelsea Aldrich and her four-legged friend Ralph experienced a typical day of travel at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport.

"There's lots of different sights, sounds and smells here," Aldrich said. 

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The duo and other pairs of dogs and trainers first headed through security, where both must go through detectors. They got to navigate the terminal and then head through the gate. 

What they're saying:

"As a guide dog team, I like to think of myself as the navigator, but he's the driver," Aldrich said. "I'm giving him directions this whole time for where to go, but it's his responsibility to get me there safely."

Safely means avoiding potential obstacles and hazards, some that many travelers simply don't have to think about. Ralph is trained to stay to the left when guiding his handlers, a technique called shorelining. He also stops when the ground changes, like the doorway from terminal to gate. 

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"His job is to look out for any hazards and that could mean anything that people can trip on," Aldrich said. "Getting onto the plane, there was a step-up with a gap there and somebody could definitely trip on that, so it's his job to stop for that one."

Dig deeper:

During the 90-minute session, Ralph was experiencing what instructors call the "bank of positive experiences," which prepares him for his future job. Something as simple as staying calm during a crowded gate or finding a chair for his handler to sit on all helps Ralph's brain develop. 

"These dogs are so incredibly important. They can make the experience just so much easier," Aldrich said. "It can take so much longer with a cane trying to get this done. There's a video out there. It shows somebody doing a route with a cane. It takes about 45 minutes, and they do the same route again with a dog, and it takes 15, so our dogs are really incredible mobility aids."

Dogs Inc takes guide dogs to big, public places around three times a week, all with the goal of exposing them to a variety of different experiences.