Glenbrooke News

-Traveling with a service dog,  part three -by Darcie Gore

We are so lucky to be at our favorite Southern California Beach.   The skies are seldom this clear or deep blue - thanks to previous off shore breezes.    The temperature is perfect between 65 and 75 degrees.   So when we got a confirmation phone call that tickets were available for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, we decided to drive the 60 miles to Burbank.      

The show is a "live taping" meaning they don't stop or tape over any mistakes but run through the entire hour; pausing for commercial breaks.  When the TV audience is watching commercials, the studio audience is being entertained by Kevin Eubanks and the Tonight Show Band and staff throwing t-shirts and water bottles to the audience.

We arrived at “Guest Relations,” taking the young page by surprise with Bailey, my service dog.  He said “I don’t believe you will be able to bring the dog to the taping.”     Part of the responsibility of owning a service dog is public education  - both about Service Dogs and the American with Disabilities Act.   I smiled and said, “I think she will be allowed” and handed him Bailey’s documentation.   He left to check with his supervisor.   Service dogs are not considered pets but rather “medical equipment” in the eyes of the law.

A few minutes later our host returned saying there would be no problem.  At 3:00 PM we were ushered behind the scenes, past offices and into Studio 4.   Most of the audience waited in an outside fenced area before being brought in to the studio. Since that route had stairs, wheelchairs and scooters were lead through the interior of the studio to join the others.

Bailey, followed closely at my side taking everything in.  Staff members commented on her as we went by them working.   One man that used to be “on the dog show circuit” wanted to stop and talk. But our host was on a mission to get us to the studio quickly and I could only answer questions over my shoulder as I tried to keep up with our little group.

When we got into the studio, the rest of the audience was seated in elevated rows.  We were show to seats in the front row.  They looked extra special as they had a piece of blue tape reserving them - which the host removed for us. 

Bailey quickly scooted under my chair settling on her special pad.  The only thing showing was her front paws and her nose.  One of the responsibilities of owning a service dog is protecting the dog from all kinds of hazards like hot pavement, exuberant toddlers, glass on walk ways, etc.  In this case, I she needed protection from the cameramen.   They would carry large video recorder on their shoulders, and long heavy cords would flip around on the ground that could easily strike Bailey.  I put my foot out to intercept any whipping cords.

It was interesting that for every cameraman (and they were all men) there was another man that followed either rolling up the cord or letting it out to prevent the cameraman from becoming tangled.  We wondered why they didn’t have wireless cameras but speculated that the ‘cord roller’ might be a union job.

The applause sign lit up and Jay Leno was ready for his signature ‘high fives’ at the beginning of the show.   We were too slow and missed the opportunity.    The monologue was quick and enjoyable.    Bailey was now asleep head down on outstretched paws. Jay Leno did a double take when he saw her under my seat.    ­­­­­

Amada Seyfied

The first guest was Amanda Seyfried and once Jay sat behind the desk; our ‘special’ seats didn’t turn out to be so special as the multiple cameramen shuffling between the stage and us totally blocked our view. We ended up watching the rest of the show peering up at the small monitors.  

Guy Fieiri

Chef Guy Fieri was the second guest and they brought out a propane grill for his segment. Jay and Guy bantered and made all us all hungry with the BBQ aromas that filled the studio.   The musical closing followed Guy with Luke Bryan.  

Bailey never ceases to amaze me.  We were about 8 feet from the band.  She never startled when they suddenly started playing for commercial break.   She stayed under the chair but did not neglect her duties either.   When multi-color lights started flashing around the audience, she immediately sat up and put her head in my lap to remind me to look down at her and avoid looking at the lights.  When the lights stopped flashing she returned to her pervious position under the chair.  

At the end of the show, Jay Leno and the guests taped a couple of quick promo spots for the show and that was it.   We left the studio half expecting it to be dark 12:30AM but it was only 5:00PM.   We watched as Leno drove his silver Corvette out the gate and past the autograph seekers.

Read more about traveling with Bailey on the following links:

Cruising with a Service dog (part I) HERE 

Unpleasant experience  (part II) HERE and the resolution of those problems HERE 

Guidelines for Service Dog encouters Here  and Here.