[nfbwatlk] Bonnie and Clyde...

[Lauren Merryfield]

> Blind border collie gets his own guide dog [England]
> A blind border collie has found a new lease of life thanks to his mate – 
> who acts as his guide dog
> July 24, 2009
>
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5897234/Blind-border-collie-gets-his-own-guide-dog.html
>
> The inseparable pair were rescued as strays three weeks ago and are now 
> looking for a new home.
>
> Black and white hound Clyde is totally blind and relies on his partner and 
> fellow collie Bonnie to guide him everywhere.
>
> She stays inches from Clyde's side while guiding him on walks or to food 
> or water, and lets him rest his head on her haunches whenever he becomes 
> disorientated.
>
> When they are together five-year-old Clyde seems as capable as a 
> fully-sighted dog, but he refuses to move unless two-year-old Bonnie is 
> nearby to guide him.
>
> The inseparable pair were rescued as strays three weeks ago and are now 
> looking for a new home.
>
> But Cherie Cootes, 40, at the Meadow Green Dog Rescue centre in Loddon, 
> Norfolk, said Clyde would be lost without Bonnie and the dogs had to be 
> re-homed together.
>
> She said: "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.
>
> "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.
>
> "When Bonnie's about you wouldn't necessarily notice Clyde is blind, but 
> when she's not about he refuses to move without her.
>
> "There's absolutely no option of homing them separately – they have to go 
> as a pair.
>
> "She's just so good with him. They really are the most lovely pair of 
> dogs. We've got to find them a home."
>
> Bonnie and Clyde were rescued after being abandoned on a street in the 
> middle of a storm three weeks ago.
>
> A member of the public spotted them running though the rain in Blundeston, 
> Norfolk, and when she opened her car door they jumped straight in.
>
> Waveney District Council placed the dogs, who have no identifying collars 
> or chips, with the rescue centre but no owners have come forward to claim 
> them.
>
> Cherie described the dogs as "typical high-spirited collies" and said they 
> would make ideal pets in a home with a large, secure garden away from busy 
> roads.
>
> Long-haired border collie Clyde has a friendly face while short-haired 
> Bonnie is much smaller.
>
> Cherie said: "They've got very nice manners and they walk well on the 
> lead. They really are a very sweet pair of dogs.
>
> "Clyde's going to have to have a more rural type of home purely because of 
> traffic. It would be fantastic if someone had a large garden so he can 
> have his exercise."
>
> Sue Cootes, 59, who runs the rescue centre with her daughter Cherie, said 
> it was incredible to see how Bonnie took care of Clyde.
>
> She said: "She's a little darling and he just follows her everywhere.
>
> "It's just instinctive with them to help each other and it's marvellous to 
> see animals doing this together.
>
> "We get them outside and on walks as much as possible because Clyde may be 
> blind but Bonnie certainly isn't. We have large paddocks and they potter 
> around together out there.
>
> "Without Bonnie Clyde would be lost. They can't be separated, we need 
> someone to take them both on."
>
> The Cootes family took over the rescue centre five years ago and now look 
> after 45 abandoned dogs.
>
> Vicky Bell, a spokeswoman for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, said 
> she had never heard of a dog voluntarily acting as a guide dog for another 
> dog.
>
> She said: "This is a very unusual case – it's such a lovely story.
>
> "Some dogs take to guiding better than others because they naturally have 
> the right temperament.
>
> "It very much depends on the individual dog."
>
>
>
>
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