NFB and Dogs at Conventions

Last week, I attended the national convention for the National Federation of the Blind. This convention is held every July, and consists of many different conferenses to keep us updated on blindness in our country in subjects such as new laws, and new ways things are becoming accessable to us. Also, they have many different items in the exhibit hall for us to look at and possibly buy. Basically, it's an event I allways enjoy attending.
Now, for the dogs. Some dog guide handlers bring their dogs to convention, while others leave them at home. This was the first convention I attended since getting Mason, and after much deliberation, I decided to leave him with my mom. The reason for leaving him was stress. At an NFB national convention, a dog will have to endur 3 thousand people, possibly getting hit with canes and stepped on, and a lot of other dogs. There are many more stressers involved, but you get the idea. Some dogs handle it fine, and Mason might have. However, I decided to leave him in case I forgot how intense it would be since I hadn't been in 3 years. Will he go next year, I don't know. All I know is that kind of thing allways depends on the dog, the handler, and the location. However, this is something I enjoyed doing, and something I can't wait to attend again next year.