Ilmkreis is assistance dog friendly – a journey to Arnstadt in pictures.

Sometimes it rumbles … one of our assistance dogs becomes ill shortly before departure, a project that required night-time commitment until shortly before packing, and one is ailing oneself and yet one does not want to cancel under any circumstances. The dog is fit again on the morning of departure, a feeling of anticipation dispels the heavy tiredness and one reassures oneself that it will be alright, one is not alone. The navigation system is programmed, coffee is ready, the mood rises and off we go….Arnstadt, here we come!

Refuel with coffee at the rest stop and give the dogs a little run. New on board is Honey Bee..
The gingko tree greeted us in the garden of the hotel. Two and yet one … having different needs and yet coming to a common solution.
Two who have known each other for a long time.
In the garden of Mrs Rosenthal, Superintendent in Arnstadt, not only a self-confident cat welcomes you, but also a welcoming atmosphere. The next day, Ms Rosenthal will take the matter of the access campaign and many flyers and stickers to the state synod. We enjoy the dreamlike garden and the open ear that is given to us.
Our three heroes patiently await our search for electricity.
The tent is up, the sun is shining…ready to go!
Ms. Mückenheim, Disability Officer of the Ilmkreis, brought the access campaign to Ilmkreis.
Mr Mölders, Chairman of the Board of Life Aid, took a large stack of stickers with him to label all the life aid facilities.
The fact that the election campaign was in full swing around us did not bother us. So we got into interesting conversations with some parties quite easily. Mr Mölders immediately understood our request and also the urgent need.
The Thüringer Allgemeine Zeitung reported on the access campaign.
Just as we are taking a break, the press is standing in front of the door, no, in front of the tent. Quickly we start a conversation.
Arnstadt has a beautiful old town.
Daika and Masha in the Bach Church
The very well-known and popular organic food shop “Grüner Günther” supports the access campaign.
This ensures clarity.
“Green Günther” is an institution in Arnstadt and was immediately taken with the access campaign.
The centre manager of the Ilmkreis Centre came especially to receive the stickers for all the shops in the centre personally. For all…? There was already….
A surprise at the centre’s Edeka store. One of the first stickers of the campaign (we can tell by the size), is already stuck there. Super!
Daika and Masha wait patiently for their next task.
Honey Bee continues with Roswitha Warda towards Gießen to a new family. Enjoy your retirement! We think Daika and Masha deserve a reward.

The rain gets heavier. We start our journey home. Why all the trouble? Because we have to be on the ground. We notice that again and again. It takes encounters, it takes conversations and experiences. Assistance dogs and their human partners have not yet arrived in people’s minds. When we check out of our nice hotel, we are asked if we have been to a dog show or to a training course. When we talk about the access campaign and about us and Daika, Honey Bee and Masha, the staff member is completely flabbergasted. “Mrs Reuter is blind? You are disabled? These are your own dogs? You don’t train them? That was not at all what she would have thought. And instead of checking out, we talk for quite a while about non-visible disabilities, how to recognise assistance dogs, also about the new assistance dog law. She had never heard of that before. The staff member thanks us and says goodbye: ” That’s something someone has to show you.” “How else can you know about it?”

Luckily we didn’t cancel, every one of those conversations was worth it. Arnstadt confused us with its bollards in the old town, challenged our improvisation skills with the lack of electricity and then saw us off with parking tickets, but we were greeted by a beautiful old town that was full of open-minded people who didn’t just open their gardens or shops to us.

Many thanks to Aktion Mensch and the BMAS.

The “Assistance Dog Welcome” campaign was made possible by funding from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Aktion Mensch.
Logo - Funded by: Federal Ministry of Labour and Social AffairsLogo Aktion Mensch