ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – If you’ve ever wondered how service dogs are trained to be so well behaved in public places like museums, part of the reason is because they are trained in public places like the Dali Museum.
Through the galleries, down the stairs and into the elevators, service dogs from the nonprofit organization Dogs Inc. gain real-world experience in a museum known for its surreal art.
“Today we have a really fun training course with the service dog team. We take all of our dogs through the Dali Museum so they can practice in new environments, with different people, different sights, smells and sounds. And they can also practice being good service dogs and generally being well behaved,” said trainer Katie Baker.
Dogs Inc., formerly known as Southeastern Guide Dogs, trains about 50 dogs a year, but because opportunities are limited in their offices, they often rely on partners in the community to open their hearts and doors to them.
“We always enjoy working with Dogs Inc. to bring them here to the museum for training,” said Beth Bell, marketing director at The Dali. “Training is an important part of their program and we have unique spaces to be able to offer them training in different locations. Our atmosphere includes many different things, between gallery space and outdoor space and even a spiral staircase. It’s a great place for them to come and learn.”
Dogs Inc. conducts its training in the community about three times a week, visiting all sorts of locations from restaurants to stores to movie theaters.
“That’s a huge advantage. We’re often in dog-friendly environments and our dogs can act a little silly. They can tell when there’s a little more stress, like, ‘Oh, we need to be quiet, we’re in a museum,'” Baker said.
Trainers say the dogs don’t seem to mind going to school in one of Tampa Bay’s most popular tourist destinations.
“There were a few pictures of food that I think made my dog’s mouth water,” Baker said.
“We looked at the hallucinogenic torero with a dog hiding in the painting and I said, ‘There he is,'” Bell said.
After completing training, most of these service dogs are assigned to veterans from across the country.
For more information about Dogs Inc., visit their website.
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