For more than a decade, OCTA has conducted one of the only programs in the country that pairs service animals and their trainers with experience riding public transportation.
More than 150 dogs and their trainers took advantage of OCTA’s semi-annual Service Animal Training in Anaheim on Saturday, Oct. 7. The event allows dogs training to serve people with special needs an opportunity to practice riding public transportation, complete with the distractions and loud noises they would normally encounter on the streets of Orange County and wherever they travel.
Trainers came to the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) by car and train from all over Orange County and surrounding counties to ride OC Buses, dispatched every 20 minutes to stops at GardenWalk shopping center and Downtown Disney.
Participants from organizations such as The Guide Dogs for the Blind and Canine Companions routinely participate in the training – both for puppy practice and for building stronger human relationships.
The next event is expected in spring 2024.