A team of about a dozen service dogs was present at a live performance of “Billy Elliot: The Musical” in August as part of their training.
The highly intrigued and courteous group of future service dogs attended the performance at Stratford, Ontario during the span of their theatre festival. It is reported that the said festival is indeed part of their training.
As head trainer Laura MacKenzie explained to CNN, the occasion is said to be part of a two-year training program run by K-9 County Inn Working Service Dogs.
Additionally, other parts of the dogs’ training have included visiting zoos, subways, as well as busy markets in order to familiarize themselves with the atmosphere of such spaces they could stumble upon with their future handler.
As far as the theatre goes, the dogs were expected to remain under the seat, or stay at their handlers’ feet while they (the people) were entertained by the wonderful show.
All in all, the service doggies managed to be quite calm and silent throughout the performance, however, a few of them wanted to take a sneak peek of the show, so they did for a few minutes.
Ann Swerdfager, publicity director of the Stratford Festival, informed CNN that quite a few of the theater’s dedicated supporters (patrons) take their service dogs to shows, therefore, the company is more than happy to provide service dogs with the opportunity for training.
Furthermore, the theater company also provides audiences with the experience of ‘relaxed performances’ suited for those with sensitivity to light, sound, as well as noise- which is excellent for service dog training.
The team of well-behaved, polite (and adorable) dogs will be back to the theater in October for another round of ‘relaxed performance’.
“The dogs were extremely well behaved. We hope they will join us for years to come,” Swerdfager added.
