Around Town with Tommy: The Capitol

FOX 7 has teamed up with Patriot PAWS to help train a service dog and it's the job of FOX 7 puppy raisers to socialize Tommy and take him out on different outings. 

KTBC has been located downtown for decades and since Tommy spends a big portion of his day at the station he is getting to know the area when he heads outside for his walks. That means the sights and sounds of a bustling city and of course a few birds and squirrels.

But there's also a lot of history nearby and Sarah Alvardo with Patriot PAWS joined FOX 7 to give Tommy a little lesson at the State Capitol. But the real goal is to help Tommy get comfortable with new smells, people and places.

Once inside the Capitol, Tommy went through security just like everyone else. He didn't make it too far though as the marble floor made for a nice cool down.

Session is still months away from starting but there's still a lot to see. Tommy enjoyed the rotunda with other visitors and got to see former state leaders from both sides of the aisle.

Tommy tackled lots of stairs and got to sniff out the Senate Chamber as well.

Once outside, Tommy got a drink of water and then paid his respects to fallen firefighters at one of the 17 memorials on the grounds.

So how did Sarah think Tommy did on his first official outing with FOX 7? 

"I'm really proud of Tommy," Sarah says. "He got to see all sorts of people walking by, walk on different surfaces. There were some carts rolling by and strange noises."

"That's what we're looking for to expose him to different noises and people and that he has a very positive experience," Sarah adds.

One of the first of many positive experiences that will hopefully give Tommy the tools he needs to lend a helping paw to someone in need.

You can follow all of Tommy's adventures, including our TOMMYCam, on our FOX 7 Patriot PAWS page here.