This is such an endearing story about a dog that gets a second chance after his owner passed away. A story of friendship and unconditional love. Blind Tanner meets Blair who has changed his life forever. The way these two interact is beautiful to watch.

I love this sweet video of blind dog Myron playing fetch!

Submitted by whispers-of-you:

This is Parker, a 7 year old double dilute rough collie. He was adopted by a loving family, and is both blind and deaf, along with the two other dogs that are part of the family. Rescued from a horrific hoarding situation, and is now starting a life as a therapy dog. He is being trained through nosework, which is through scent and touch signals. It goes to show that he doesn’t need to hear or see to reach his full potential!

Shelley Mamott, Staff Writer

These two special friends are looking for a loving home together as they have become an inseparable pair, one acting as the eyes of the other.

Elly, (top) the blind Pug relies on best pal Franky (bottom) to help her get around

Franky, the black Pug, acts as a guide dog to his blind friend Elly, helping her on walks or to get food and water. Elly follows Franky everywhere he leads, she sniffs the air to find him then nuzzles into his side so he can lead the way.

Nursed back to health after they were found, RSPCA workers are hoping to find a home for the four year old Pugs together.

Elly sniffs the air to locate Franky, then nuzzles his side so he can lead the way

Elaine Buchan, manager of the RSPCA centre in Newport said: ‘This little duo obviously love each other very much. Franky is extremely boisterous and playful and Elly is very affectionate and cuddly. He looks out for her and provides support while guiding her on walks or to food or water.”

Both Franky and Elly will need operations before they can be placed in a new home, but vets are certain the dogs will be a delight to anyone who takes them in.

Mrs Buchan added: ‘There’s absolutely no option of homing them separately as it would break their hearts and also be wholly impractical. They’re great little dogs and I’m already jealous of the lucky owner who will get to care for such a loving pair.”

Lily, left, being guided by Maddison, right. The pair have been inseparable since Lily lost her sight

When the world read the heartwarming story that blind Great Dane Lily and her guide Maddison were looking for a new home, Dogs Trust centre in Shrewsbury had thousands of offers from dog lovers to take them.

Anne Williams, 52, and her husband Len, 53, a retired fireman, fell in love with the dogs. Lily and Maddison will be moving in with the Williams family 35 miles away in Crewe, Cheshire.

Len Williams and his wife Anne with Lily and Maddison

In July their owner could no longer cope and they were sent to the Dogs Trust in Shrewsbury, a re-homing center.

Mrs Williams, a business manager for an insurance company, said: ‘We’ve always had two dogs together, I like them to have company and so taking on two of them wasn’t a daunting prospect.

‘My daughter moved out five months ago, taking her two English setters with her, so the house has felt a little quiet without them.

‘We live in the countryside and I miss having a reason to go for a walk – I can’t wait to take the dogs out with us. We’ve also got a lovely big garden so it’s the perfect setting for two huge dogs.’

Louise Campbell, manager of the Dogs Trust in Shrewsbury, said: ‘This is the happy ending we were all hoping for and everyone is delighted for Lily and Maddison.

‘The Williams family were the perfect match and we know they’ll give the dogs all the love and fuss they so deserve.’

* Update – There has been an update on Lily and Maddison’s situation that has been brought to my attention. Despite the very best efforts of their new owners the two dogs were no longer happy living together and a decision has been made to rehome them separately. Maddison will stay at her new home and Lily is doing very well back at the rehoming centre. To read more dogstrustblog.

Photo credits: dailymail

Putting Her Down Was Not An Option

When Shelly, a healthy and energetic black lab from Memphis started losing her sight at three, owners Gail and Charles Silverstein knew they had to do something. Putting her down was not an option.

They headed to a nearby animal shelter and let Shelly, with the help of a dog trainer, choose the dog who might become her companion and guide dog. She immediately took to a 2 year old Lab mix named Tommy.

Guide Dog Tommy Tries To Heal Her

It was what happened when they got home that was remarkable. Tommy laid down beside her and began licking her eyes like he knew she was going blind and was trying to heal her.

Tommy Keeps Her Safe

The Silversteins usually walk the dogs on a double leash, but sometimes let Tommy take her for a stroll on his own.

Shelly feels comfortable and safe with her guide dog and Tommy has never lost sight of his mission to lead, and protect.

“She’s never afraid with him around. When strangers come up and she is afraid, he’ll go and comfort her. It’s like he knows that that’s his job,” said Gail.

The Two Dogs Saved Each Other

The Silversteins are sure that Shelly saved Tommy’s life from the shelter but most certainly Tommy saved Shelly’s too.

Blind Dog Gets New Leash on Life: MyFoxMEMPHIS.com

When illness forced vets to remove Great Dane Lily’s eyes, the prospects of a fulfilling life didn’t look good.

But then no one had reckoned on her pal Maddison stepping in to turn guide dog.

The pair have been inseparable for years but now find themselves looking for a new home because their owner could no longer cope.

The catch for anyone interested is that the Great Danes come as a package. They have been waiting at the Dogs Trust re-homing centre in Shrewsbury since July.

Blind Great Dane Lily and her kind-hearted canine carer Maddison

Lily, left, being guided while walking with Maddison right. The pair have been inseparable since Lily lost her sight

Manager Louise Campbell said: ‘Maddison is Lily’s guide dog. If they are out and about, for the majority of the time Maddison will lead and Lily will walk nearly touching her so she knows where to go. It’s lovely to watch. Maddison is always looking out for her.’

Lily, six, was barely a puppy when she was struck down by a condition that caused her eyelashes to grown into her eyeballs, damaging them beyond repair. It was after this traumatic event that her relationship with seven-year-old Maddison developed as she took her under her wing.

The best buddies lived together until their owners decided they couldn’t look after them any more.

Miss Campbell said: ‘With her lack of sight, Lily’s other senses have heightened so although we don’t split them up often she can tell if Maddison is nearby.

‘They curl up together to go to sleep and they are very vocal with each other.

‘We haven’t analysed their different barks but if Lily wants to go forward and Maddison is in her way, the bark will have a different pitch.

‘They are very close to one another and enjoy each other’s company’.


Lily’s lack of sight has heightened her other senses so she can often tell if Maddison is nearby without the pair touching

Miss Campbell said that Lily does all the things normal dogs do and if you saw her from a distance you wouldn’t realise she had anything wrong with her eyes.

She added: ‘They are really happy with life, the glass is always half full with these two.

‘They have been with us for a considerable amount of time but they are quite happy and go about their daily routine – they are very affectionate.’

She believes the dogs’ size and advancing years, as well as the fact they have to come in a pair, may have put off potential owners and she warned that anyone contemplating taking the dogs in should look at their lifestyle and think of the responsibility involved.

‘They are not gigantic when you see them outside. These are two lovely big girls who deserve to live out the rest of their lives together in comfort’, she said.

Dogs Trust cares for around 16,000 stray and abandoned dogs every year through a network of 17 re-homing centres.


The Great Dane is seeking an owner who would be willing to give both her and best friend Maddison a new home

Update – Dogs Trust shelter in Britain has been inundated with offers of help after it requested a home for this pair of Great Danes one of which is blind, and totally dependent on the other.

Louise Campbell, the manager of Dogs Trust Shrewsbury, said this morning that more than 200 people have responded to the call for help and possibly a new home since the shelter near the Welsh town of Newport went public about the dogs’ plight a few days ago.

“It’s been phenomenal,” she said, adding that it is still too early to say if a suitable home can be found.

dailymail

nzherald

Sami Stoner has never won a race, but the Lexington, Ohio student is winning over fans and making history in the process.

The legally blind teen is running for the Lexington High School girls cross country team, and she is believed to be the first school athlete in Ohio to compete with a guide dog. As remarkable an accomplishment as that is, it almost wasn’t allowed to happen.

“How could anyone in cross country complain when you look at what she is doing? It’s powerful stuff,” Lexington head coach Denise Benson said.

Benson is alluding to Stoner’s struggle to get the Ohio High School Athletic Association to grant her a waiver that would allow her to compete with her guide dog, Chloe. Lexington Athletic Director John Harris took a special interest in Stoner’s plight and locked horns with the OHSAA over the course of months, making phone calls, applications and appeals that would ultimately secure the conditional waiver she required in order to run. From there, it was just a matter of training.

Stoner is afflicted with Stargardt disease, a juvenile form of macular degeneration that rendered her legally blind by ninth grade. Shortly thereafter Chloe came into her life. The guide dog is a graduate of  Pilot Dogs, an non-profit organization that has been training guide dogs since 1950. When the two hit the trails, Chloe steers Stoner around obstacles while the teen uses what is left of her waning peripheral vision to watch for other runners. It’s a combination that works: while they have not yet won any races, Sami and Chloe passed seven runners on the course at Marshall Park in late September to the cheers of inspired fans.

As amazing as that may be, Stoner admits that she and Chloe still have some learning to do together. “We’re just hoping to keep on racing and hopefully keep breaking our times. We’re just trying to do our best. Hopefully, next season we can just keep getting better,” she said.

Sami’s father, Keith Stoner, said he’s grateful to those who worked with OHSAA to give his daughter a chance at pursuing a dream. “It’s a great message,” he said. “She’s never going to be up front getting a medal, but as far as my wife and I are concerned, she wins every race. I’m thankful that puppy was brought into our lives.”

lifewithdogs

Emma Williams, Manchester Evening News Syndication

Two Dogs Share A Special Bond

These two dogs are more than just best friends, they share a rare bond.

Ellie, a young cavalier King Charles spaniel in England, is almost completely blind. While her owner and a local animal organization work to raise money for a vision-restoring operation, a German Shepherd named Leo has taken matters into his own paws, and is protecting and guiding her.

Leo Guides Blind Ellie

“Ellie has cataracts on both eyes and is only aware of shadows,” explains Jean Spencer, manager of Rochdale’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in an interview. “But Leo, who’s an absolutely massive dog, has become her eyes. It’s touching to watch them together. She follows him around and snuggles up to him.”

He Loves Little Dogs

Ellie was part of a litter of five puppies rescued from harsh conditions by the RSPCA, says Julie Lander, an RSPCA volunteer and Leo and Ellie’s owner. “As well as having cataracts, Ellie’s eye muscles haven’t developed as they should have as she’d been kept in the dark. The puppies had no light or heating. I felt so sorry for her when she arrived, and knew she’d need a special home. But I also knew she would be all right with Leo, as he just loves little dogs and they took to one another straight away,” Lander tells the Manchester Evening News.

Keeps Her Safe

Lander goes on to explain how Leo’s almost 90 pounds of bulk helps keep his new charge safe. “I take them for walks in the park and Leo guides Ellie around. He is so protective and herds the more boisterous dogs away from her,” Julie says.

No one has commented on whether Leo can actually tell that Ellie is disabled or if he is caring for her based solely on her size. If Ellie’s problem is ever fixed, it will be interesting to see whether she will continue to share the same bond with Leo.

pawnation

A blind Pit Bull puppy becomes a breed ambassador and certified therapy dog

By Jen Milner

Two years ago we had an amazing opportunity. My partner, Brian, and I were picking up our foster dogs from an adoption event for the Utah Animal Advocacy Foundation and saw a pen at the front with two pit bull puppies. Dropped off at the humane society with their sister when they were 5-weeks old, all three were blind.

We already had a 10-year-old pit bull mix at home. Boo had come into our lives as a stray and proved to be a loving companion. Young and not prepared for working with pit bulls when Boo arrived, I learned that he could be reactive with our other dogs, and I didn’t know how to address this nor did I have the resources needed. He inspired my love for pit bulls, and my experiences with him resulted in my hope to one day have a pit bull I could train and socialize in all the right ways – I wanted an ambassador for the breed.

It wasn’t the ideal time for us to raise a puppy, but one came home with us a week later for a trial weekend. We couldn’t send him back. As he navigated our house, his head swayed from side to side, and it became obvious that his name would be Stevie the Wonder Dog.

Stevie was happy and confident from the beginning. He loved meeting new people and new dogs. He went with us to the farmers market that first weekend, and we couldn’t walk five feet without someone approaching to pet him. He loved it! At the dog park and at his day care for dogs, he became a favorite and found new friends, both canine and human, everywhere he went.

It was clear from that he was destined to be an ambassador. He began puppy kindergarten and quickly moved into a Canine Good Citizenship class. As soon as we passed our CGC test, we registered to become a Delta Society Pet Partners team.

I was a nervous wreck at our evaluation, but Stevie sailed through it confidently. The evaluation tests basic obedience skills similar to the CGC along with the dog’s natural reactions to strange people and new situations. Stevie didn’t flinch at two women yelling at each other who came close to pet him. He seemed to enjoy their clumsy petting. He jumped when someone dropped a metal bowl near him but quickly recovered.

After Delta approved us, we started as volunteers at an adult detox center serving homeless and low-income clients. Stevie greets each of them and offers his love. For him, it is just what he does, but for the residents, it’s a break in routine and a positive connection to the outside world.

We hear stories from people about their dogs, as many have pit bulls at home too. Some have told me of a bad experience with a pit bull and want Stevie to provide them with a good experience, which he always does. I’ve also heard some wonderful renditions of Stevie Wonder hits inspired by Stevie.

A woman told me that Stevie made her feel connected to her son, who also has a pit bull. On our first visit, a resident declared, “Well, I’m going to go to a treatment program, then the Paul Mitchell school, and then I’m going to adopt two pit bulls and dress them in pink sweaters.” Amen to that. I think that’s my favorite.

An important part of this story is that we live in Salt Lake City, a community that has embraced pit bulls as many cities have not. Our county shelter has a program devoted to encouraging adoption and targets responsible guardianship of pit bulls. Many well-behaved pit bulls walk around town with their families. In other places that I’ve lived, people would cross the street to avoid my dog, but here people bring young babies to meet him.

It would have been a lot harder to expose Stevie to such a variety of people and experiences if our community wasn’t so receptive. And who knows, maybe three blind pit bull puppies would not have been considered worth saving.

Reprinted from StubbyDog.org