Blind dog guides – three amazing stories!
Narrated from: Dog StoriesDogs can truly touch one’s heart.
We all know for instance that it would be nearly impossible for many blind people to fit into our sighted society if it weren’t for their canine guides. Life in a world of darkness gets a little lighter when shared with the relentless loyalty of a guide dog.
But what happens when a guide dog goes blind? Well, to some extent dogs are better equipped for handling blindness than humans – nature has gifted them with an acute sense of smell and hearing.
Still, a blind guide dog would not be of much use as a guide.
It turns out, however, that the best thing to help a dog through blindness is… another dog. There are numerous touching stories of dogs helping out blind dogs – and these stories paint the perfect picture of a dog’s heart.
We have picked three for you, though there are many more – and we hope that they will be enough to illustrate that the conception of “caring” is not something that only children believe in.
Bonnie and Clyde
Finding a home for a homeless dog is no easy task – and becomes nearly impossible when said dog is blind!
However, 5-year old Clyde had a strong pro – he came with his own guide dog!
Clyde was put out for adoption in 2009, after he was found wandering the streets of Blundeston during a storm. The blind Border collie had obviously been abandoned in the rain! The people in the animal shelter knew that finding a home for a blind dog would be no easy task – but it turned out that Clyde was getting along just fine!
Clyde was found together with another Border collie – Bonnie. It turned out that the two-year old female had taken the burden of acting as a guide dog for poor Clyde. People were amazed, as the two dogs were inseparable – literally! Clyde seemed to be doing very well, and acted as capably as a fully-sighted dog – but only when he was with Bonnie! Left alone, he would refuse to move altogether.
Bonnie always stayed close to Clyde when she guided him on walks or towards food and water. They were able to run together, and every time Clyde got tired or confused, he would just rest his head on Bonnie’s haunches and she would direct him in the right way.
Of course, there was no doubt whatsoever that the dogs had to be adopted together. Luckily, their sad story gained them enormous popularity, and finding a responsible owner who could take care of a blind dog and a guide dog was no problem at all!
Lily and Maddison
A similar story unfolded in 2011. Lily the Great Dane suffered from a rare medical problem from when she was only six months old. As result, both her eyes had to be removed and the dog was left completely blind back in 2005.
Luckily, there was another Great Dane in the house – Maddison. And as it turned out – in your hour of need a dog would never abandon you. Maddison was seven years old at the time, and took young Lily under her wing without hesitation. The two dogs became inseparable. Maddison spent most of her life leading Lily, who had to walk so near to Maddison that she almost touched her.
Alas, six years later the situation changed and Lily and Maddison’s owners found out that they could no longer take care of two large dogs in the house. They acted responsibly, and gave up the two dogs for adoption at the local Dogs Trust center in Shrewsbury.
However, finding a home for two large dogs was very hard as there was no doubt that the pair could not be separated. People would just walk away seeing an eyeless Great Dane coming in a package with an even larger Great Dane.
Again, a public appeal had to be made, and only then people willing to take both the dogs in stepped forth – ultimately providing a new home for Lily and Maddison!
Graham, Opal and Edward
But really, let’s get back to the main question – what should one do when one’s guide dog goes blind?
Graham Waspe was faced with that question after his loyal friend Edward developed an inoperable condition. Edward had guided Graham through the streets of Stowmarket for six long years. Fate decreed that for the loyal service, the dog would be rewarded with his master’s fate.
The Waspe family was devastated when they found out that one of Edward’s eyes had to be removed – and dumbstruck when the second eye could not be saved as well. What should they do with a blind man and a blind guide dog in the house?
Well, abandoning Edward was never an option of course!
There was only one thing to do – get a guide dog for the guide dog!
Well, two years old Opal came in to fill the position of Edward, who officially “retired”. Graham would not part with Edward of course, so Opal simply needed to be trained to take care of both dog and master.
As result, the unlikely trio can now often be seen taking a walk, or paying a visit to local schools in order to raise awareness towards blind people.
And even though they are both blind now, Edward and Graham seem to be getting along just fine – because dog and master know full well that they can always rely on each other!
to top of the page Previous Next