by Mr. A., as told to his dog-mom, Andrea Giudice
Hi, Mr. A. here, I’m the guide dog of Andrea Giudice. She is the convention coordinator/program planning team lead for the 2019 Guide Dog Users convention being held during the ACB conference and convention in Rochester, N.Y.
I have been listening to Andrea spending hours on the phone making plans. Well, let me tell you, I have lots of tail-wagging, butt-wiggling exciting stuff to tell all of you!! One very important thing I keep hearing Andrea say is that she needs people to reach out and make donation requests for the auction. She is doing her part - she is asking absolutely everyone! So I know all of the awesome stuff being donated and I hope she is going to bid on all of it!
Here’s the scoop on the other stuff … GDUI’s convention will begin on Sunday, July 7, with the opening of GDUI’s BarkaLounge, and continue through the annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, July 10th. There will be interesting speakers sharing all kinds of important information. Andrea is responding to that as if it is a high value reward. I am totally stoked about all the amazing cool items she can bid on for me at the live auction Sunday night, and that Carla Campbell will be in the BarkaLounge available to provide canine massage!! I understand there’s the possibility of an audio-described movie to follow the auction, great door prizes, an outstanding luncheon speaker — and this is just what I heard between naps and playtime!
I am looking forward to hanging out under all those round tables sharing stories with all of the other guides, using each other as pillows and, maybe if I am very lucky, mini play groups in a hotel room or two! The early morning walk to the breakfast location is a terrific way to start the day, striding along, guides ahead of me, guides behind me, instructors from different programs sharing the work of keeping our humans on track, the smells of an unfamiliar city in my nose and my mom confidently following my lead as we move along. Another thing I have picked up is that all the GDUI programing and the BarkaLounge will be located in the Riverside Hotel, which makes me very happy. I hear that there is lots of grass for my friends who really like that to relieve on!
Andrea is so excited about this year’s convention! I really hope lots of you attend. That way all the work she and her program planning team have done, all the individuals and companies that have donated items to the auction, the presenters, the award winners and the luncheon speaker, all have a huge crowd to show GDUI’s appreciation for their support and commitment.
To stay current with all things convention, visit https://guidedogusersinc.org/gdui-convention-2019/.
Happy tails,
Mr. A.