We had done the route a couple of times previously with Becca but now it was just Gio and I as we made our way to Richmond Station together.

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Looking back on a day in which Gio did some excellent work along busy streets and past challenging distractions in Westminster.

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We walk past the Palace of Westminster and down Whitehall, dodging police convoys and noisy demonstrators.

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I look back on a mixed day of highs and lows, and an awful lot of learning points.

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Part of my favourite walking circuit, with plenty of distractions for Gio.

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It's time to feed and spend Gio but there is one small problem in the form of some very loud church bells.

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I look back on the ninth day of guide dog training with Gio, a day off for both of us.

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Piglet arrived in my life just over a week ago, soaked to the skin in saliva and seemingly an object of desire for my soon to be guide dog Gio. In the early days he became the ubiquitous toy for cuddling, reassuring, and throwing, but more recently I have begun to worry about his longevity.

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I look back on the eighth day of guy dog training when we free ran the dogs in the morning before returning home later in the day.

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A week after heading across town to the Euston premier in I found myself back at home in Richmond with Gio, with a little time to spare before the second stage of my guide dog training began.

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