Citrom’s (Lemon) puppy raisers, went for the spring holyday to a place where they could not take their puppy, therefore Citrom got from Piliscsaba, from a house near the forest to a busy traffic point of the 11th district of Budapest, where the trams were passing in every minute and the final stop of the bus route 7 was near, and in every moment, he got such stimulus that was different from what he was used to.

When we are looking for a boarding for our young dogs, we try to find a different environment than usual to gain as much experience as possible. We hoped that the
change of environment will be useful for the ten-month-old, yellow male, and we were curious to know that what kind of experience will be gained about him by the host
family. Of course, enjoying this week was more important than the many practicalities.

Model

Everything went on much more smoothly than expected, there were only minor hesitations from which he immediately returned to normal. But where do we start? Let’s
see how Citrom looks like. If he had been designed by a graphic artist, we could be accused him with exaggeration, why he lined the eyes so strongly. We marvel at the pair of bright black eyes every day. But the designer’s imagination did not stop there. The regularly spaced points, started from the sides of his shiny black nose on both sides, look like curling tattooed moustache. It will surely become a trend, but it will not look that good on anyone. His look can be diverse; kind, funny, sometimes confusingly glare. Citrom’s physique is well-built, flexible, and he will have a distinguished appearance in adulthood after gaining a few pounds of muscles. The lighter and darker shades of yellow alternate in his fur-6colour.

Well trained dog

He is cuddly, kind, loves cotton up to people, and needs to be stroked. He brings his toys; he seeks the company of humans. He is interested in everything, he would go to dogs, birds, and he marked on his walking-route as much as he would have a ten-litre tank installed on his body. He pulled while walking, which was difficult to dissuade but he managed to some extent. It was possible to let his hold go in a quiet park or a blind alley where cars not passing, and he proved how excellent training he received so far, as he immediately responded to every call. It happened that he would have moved towards a pigeon or a dog, but he stopped when he was called and came over after a little hesitation. Of course he deserved treats every time. He stopped at the curbs, which is also praiseworthy. A few times he was released without a leash and walked comfortably sniffing on the path, and he was perfectly recallable.

A born traveller

Citrom travelled on tram, train, and bus several times, but his puppy raisers can not take him regularly, therefore it was a good opportunity for Citrom to travel a lot. Naturally he went on a train to Verőce without any problem, he tolerated the narrow-lane train as well, even it was very loud, bumping along and the place under the seat was uncomfortably narrow where he smartly huddled himself. He was not released of the leash in the forest as it seemed risky in this unknown environment, but most likely he would come with us without difficulties. On another day, he travelled on trams and buses with such calmness as he would be a city dog in his whole life.

Of course, he noticed the louder environment, the sight and the noise of the trams impressed him. He pricked his ears by the siren of the ambulance, the buzz of the door
opener. He was going in the lift, he lived in a flat instead of a house with a garden, but it did not bother him. He played well with the ball in the dog park, he was eating well and slept like a log. He owned the city completely. But then, what was that tiny problem?

Citri

It’s true that it was tiny but it was not “what” but it was a who. His name is Vince, he is three years old and he was looking forward to meeting Citrom weeks before his arrival. The youngest member of the family spent all his waking hours with Citrom during the first two days. There were extreme manifestations such as approaching to the dog by yelling and jumping in Indian hops, or other time, gently nicknaming the dog – he called him “Citri” – and trying to lie on Citri with his entire body. He liked lying on the floor with Cirtom, to be exact on him. He needed Citrom’s presence when building the train tracks, even he refused to give up the dog’s company when he had his afternoon nap or night sleep. Citrom slept on his own blanket placed beside Vince’s bed and even fell asleep faster than Vince. Even the little boy observed from a two-centimetre distance how “his” dog eats and once in a careless moment they caught Vince drinking from the dog’s bowl. The dog tried to calm down the fanatical enthusiasm with licking which was a good tactic, but on the first day even this proved to be insufficient a few times, so Citrom fled to another room or hid behind the parents from the hissing sounds and the constant following and hugging. In such cases adults were always rescued Citrom quickly and decisively as Vince’s attention could be distracted by watching a fairy tale or playing a favourite game. It is interesting, that Citrom came over at this time and calmly lied there, and observed Vince with interest shuffling the trains, then he fell asleep peacefully.

It was a good school

From the second day, Citrom no longer was such a novelty for Vince. They got along well with each other even Citrom licked him thoroughly a few times that Vince got tired of nagging. The farewell went well, they agreed that they would meet again.

All in all, the hosting family met a beautiful, kind and clever dog in Citrom, who also enjoyed his time. Regarding usefulness, it is worth noting that Citrom also learnt a lot as he got to know city life, public transportation and experienced that what kind of company a small child is. If he finds himself in similar situations, as a guide dog, he already has seen before, can rest assured that there is nothing wrong with him, that nothing is new, under the sun.