[Blindtlk] Seeing Eye from one dog to another

[Michelle Medina]

Bonnie and Clyde are a bonded pair of Border Collies-but, in a one-of-a-kind
twist, Bonnie serves as a seeing eye dog for Clyde, who is completely blind.

By Kathryn Hawkins
August 02 2009

The original Bonnie and Clyde were together until the bitter end-and, though
they're not robbing any banks, the
same goes for another couple named for the reckless gangsters: a pair of
Border Collies.

This canine couple was discovered wandering the streets of Norfolk, England
a month ago. They wore no tags or collars, but were obviously tame: when a
woman discovered the dogs running loose on the street during a rainstorm,
she opened her car door, and they instantly jumped in. Because she couldn't
find their owner, she took them to the Meadow Green Dog Rescue center, where
the staff and volunteers could help them find a new home.

The Meadow Green Dog staff soon realized that these were no ordinary dogs
although they both seemed fully functional when they were together, Clyde
was lost without Bonnie-literally. As it turned out, the five-year-old dog
was completely blind, and relied upon two-year-old Bonnie to be his own
seeing eye dog.

"If Clyde's unsure where he is he will suddenly go behind her and put his
face on her back so she can guide him where he is going," the center's
Cherie Cootes told The Telegraph.

"He totally relies on her the whole time. When she walks she tends to stop
and make sure he's there - she does look out for him."

In the initial article about Bonnie and Clyde in The Telegraph, Cootes
stressed that the dogs would need to be homed together. Such special
requests can be challenging to fill for any bonded pair of animals, but
particularly for a disabled dog like Clyde. She wasn't sure whether anyone
would be willing to make the commitment to care for the special pair.

But Cootes' worries were unfounded: after the article's publication, more
than 500 people called the Meadow Green Dog center, offering to take in
Bonnie and Clyde.

The two dogs have now been adopted by an animal lover who has a large home
in the country, providing ample space for the pair of Collies to run around
and play together.
It's a perfect solution for the canine couple, whose story is one of a kind.
While many dogs have been trained as guide dogs for human companions, Vicky
Bell, a spokeswoman for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, says that
she's never heard of another case in which a dog acts as a guide for another
dog.
"This is a very unusual case - it's such a lovely story," she said.

"Some dogs take to guiding better than others because they naturally have
the right temperament.

"It very much depends on the individual dog."

-- 
For those about to rock, we salute you!