Dogs Inc. service dogs get a day of training at Van Wezel

Making phone calls and dropping snack bar wrappers in a theater aren't actions that are typically condoned.

Unless you were one of the volunteers who joined Dogs Inc. staff at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Aug. 26, for a training session for future guide dogs.

Marisa Blanco, canine development manager at Dogs Inc., said to train at the facility, due to a partnership with the Van Wezel, was a "wonderful" opportunity the organization had not had before.

The dogs, all Labrador retrievers, had the chance to learn about navigating public places and entering a theater, practice different walking surfaces and avoid distractions such as food being served in the Grand Foyer.

Dogs Inc. provides guide, service, skilled companion and therapy dogs for people, including those who are visually impaired, veterans and children.

Canine Development Manager Marisa Blanco, of Dogs Inc., said the organization wants people who adopt the guide dogs to "feel that they matter again, that they can get out and they're independent," as well as to give hope.

"We need a dog that is exposed to a lot of different environments, because sometimes we never know where that dog is going to go," she said. "We have a lot of people that live in big cities, or maybe in the country."

Justin Gomlak, director of education and community engagement at the Van Wezel, said time with four-legged friends was a great way to spend a rainy day at the facility.

"This is such an amazing opportunity for us to use this building in a completely different way, but in a related way," he said.