Kodie - The Black Lab Guide Dog

After most hikes there is a group that goes to eat on the way home. This trip was no different. The suggestion was to go to a neat little place where you overlook the Ohio River. I quickly volunteered to join the eat-fest and then second guessed myself.

Remembering Kodie was with me I began asking questions about the layout of the restaurant. "Is it possible to see the cars from inside?" "Can we get a table so I can see where she is?" "Is there shade in the parking lot?" I was assured that we'd work something out.

With that, I headed to my car. I was joined on the walk by Jake, one of our fellow hikers who happens to have a visual impairment and sometimes uses a red-tipped cane to help him get around. As we walked Jake said," I bet I could take her in and no one would question it."

With a wide-eyed look at this fantastic idea I said, "You know, I bet you could! Do you want to?" He agreed and I became giddy with the plan and potential of not having to worry about Kodie.

In the parking lot I put her "all business" collar on and gave Jake some brief instructions on how she walks. We entered the restaurant and Jake and Kodie both acted like pros. Everyone at our table giggled with our fun [and harmless] plot. Kodie behaved perfectly. I stayed close to them so it wouldn't be obvious that Kodie wasn't Jake's dog. We even made a trip to the bathroom!

Towards the end of the meal one of the waitresses came over to Jake and said, "What kind of a dog is she?" We all looked at each other. We hadn't thought through the plan that far. I spoke up and said she was an American Indian Dog. To which Jake replied, "They told me she was a black lab."