Hugger curled up at my feet in the airplane. Her harness is stored next to the window, for easy access in case of emergency. Service dogs are allowed on the floor in front of any seat except the emergency rows. In contrast to carry-ons, which must fit under the seat, its assumed that Hugger will move and be useful if I need assistance, so I don’t need to call on the flight attendants.

Hugger on our back porch, getting acclimated to her new home.

Hugger’s first airplane ride went smoothly. Victoria (one of our instructors) took us to the airport, and came with us thru security. Hugger’s harness handle is metal, so she alarms. I have Hugger sit, I walk through the metal detector, then have Hugger come through. Hugger is one passenger who loves her pat down. She thinks TSA stands for TonS of Attention.

After ensuring her floorspace was clean, Hugger curled up in a corner of the bulkhead floor, and went to sleep. She slid around a bit when we accelerated for take-off, but seemed satisfied with her new position, and didn’t get up. A yawn or two on descent must have cleared her ears, or maybe she was tired from all that napping.

At home, she sniffed the house thoroughly, until she knew every cranny. Then we went for a walk to our bus stop, which is near the Waquoit Feed Store (which sells dog toys) – any trip that includes squeaky ducks is good. I know Hugger will be excited to bring me to the bus any time! And we need to go back soon because squeaky duck already is missing some feet and feathers.