Dogs to board OC buses on Saturday during OCTA service animal training

ORANGE – Dogs training to serve people with special needs require practice, learning to deal with distractions and loud noises – yelling, pops, screeches – everything they could encounter on the streets of Orange County.
To give those service dogs real-life experience, the Orange County Transportation Authority is opening up some OC Buses for a day of training this weekend.

The training sessions will be held:

• Saturday, Oct. 7, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• At Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC)
• 2626 E. Katella Ave. in Anaheim
• Free parking will be available for participants in Lot A.

During the training, service animals and therapy animals are welcome to ride special OC Buses for free between the Anaheim-ARTIC Metrolink station and stops at Downtown Disney and GardenWalk shopping mall in Anaheim.

​​A roundtrip training bus will depart every 20 minutes, allowing trainers to ride with their animals to practice boarding, riding and exiting the bus. Trainers are encouraged to ride multiple times.

​Trainers and their animals are also welcome to ride a Metrolink train to the event, though standard Metrolink fares will apply.

​​Program alumni and friends and family are all invited to attend. Registration is available in advance or at ARTIC on the morning of the event, starting at 7:30 a.m.

​​For more information and to register in advance, visit octa.net/ServiceAnimal.

About OCTA:

The Orange County Transportation Authority is the county transportation planning commission, responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for a balanced and sustainable transportation system that reflects the diverse travel needs of the county’s 34 cities and 3.2 million residents. With the mission of keeping Orange County moving, this includes freeways and express lanes, bus and rail transit, rideshare, commuter rail and active transportation. To sign up for more OCTA news, visit octa.net/GetConnected.