One interesting aspect of Kerry's city travel was his lack of courtesy. Now, he did not stick his wet, doggie nose up some poor woman's dress. But he obviously can't be expected to have an understanding of social protocol. He gets me where I've indicated I want to go as fast as possible without jeopardizing either of our safety. I of course don't like being discourteous, but damn if Kerry doesn't cut through a crowd like a knife. He didn't demonstrate this tactic today, but some dogs have been known to gently push their snout against the leg of someone who's holding a team up, hopefully instigating them to allow us room to pass. This writing sounds like I'm all about cutting people off and selfishly inconveniencing others as Kerry and I make our way through life. Maybe, at the core that's essentially what it is. I am unashamedly excited about how much more efficient our travel in New York City was.

After about three miles of traveling between 34th and 67th as well as between 5th and 8th, we figured it was time to find out how Kerry and I did on the subway. It mostly went well, although the turnstiles spooked him the first couple of times. And one time the subway was standing room only, so I got a crash course in how to position him best when that is the case. Much like traveling on airplanes, that is something that just probably will never be easy to do with the dog. Still, I doubt this is the last time I'll be in NYC, and I doubt it's the last time I'll have standing room only on a subway or other transit vehicle.

The only criticism I can make of Kerry's performance is that he was somewhat cautious in spots. He was quite assertive with pedestrians, but vender carts, poles, and other nonmoving obstacles made him second-guess himself on occasion. This is easily explained by a dog guide's training process though. During the first week working with a new dog, the blind person is bound to give lots of correction. The dog needs to adjust to its new handler's dimensions, and the only way to do that is to correct him when he doesn't provide ample clearance. So from about two weeks to a couple months after getting a new dog, a blind person can expect even the most aggressive traveling dogs to grow somewhat timid, since they don't want to be corrected. Once they figure out the necessary level of clearance in even greater detail though, most dogs regain their assertiveness. Kerry started as a dog that didn't fear initiative, and I expect him to return to that after he figures out just where we will and won't fit.