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Oh, that was so cute.  I have a retired guide dog who is bblind because of a stroke.  She lives with my Mom and step-dad and she is very happy.    I think her short memory was affected as well, because she keeps on walking in to fixed figures in the house.  Her tail never stops wagging , so I don't think she gets hurt at all.

Cairie

>>> John Schwery <[log in to unmask]> 2007-11-19 21:56 >>>
Since many of you are animal lovers, I thought you might like this 
one.  I got this from one of the deaf/blind lists I'm on.

Text of forwarded message follows:



>Northern Manitoba dogsled team has the blind leading the not-blind.
>Published: Sunday, November 18, 2007 | 2:16 PM ET
>Canadian Press: Steve Lambert, THE CANADIAN PRESS
>
>Isobel, a six-year-old husky cross, has all the great qualities of a 
>sled dog. She loves to run, has strength and endurance, and works 
>well alongside the other dogs tethered to the sleds that take 
>tourists out on the subarctic terrain of Churchill, Man.
>
>It takes a while for visitors to notice that she is completely blind.
>Isobel, a blind sled dog runs at her dog yard near Churchill, Man. 
>Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
>
>"The dog lost its vision, but it didn't lose its spirit," Dr. Evan 
>Fisk, Isobel's Winnipeg-based veterinarian said in a recent interview.
>
>"It can smell, hear and feel other dogs nearby."
>
>Isobel not only follows other dogs on the sled team owned by Jenafor 
>Ollander and her common-law husband, she sometimes runs lead in 
>tandem with another husky.
>
>"She runs tours every single day right now ... and we have tourists 
>from all over the world that are absolutely amazed," Ollander said.
>
>"I'm sure some of them think I'm crazy when I tell them she's blind."
>
>Isobel wasn't born blind. Everything seemed fine until one day three 
>years ago, when she suddenly came to a halt in the middle of a sled 
>run and started staggering around.
>
>"We hooked her back up in her house and noticed that both of her 
>pupils were completely dilated," Ollander said.
>
>"I remember a couple of people mumbling, 'What good is a blind sled 
>dog? You should just take her out and shoot her.' And I'm a bit 
>stubborn in nature .. and I said, so what if she can't be a sled 
>dog? she's a good dog."
>
>Isobel was taken to Winnipeg, where Fisk noticed her retinas had 
>detached, possibly the result of a virus.
>
>Back in Churchill, Isobel was kept indoors. Ollander figured she 
>would be happy and safer inside.
>
>Ollander was wrong.
>
>"She stopped eating and drinking and we were quite concerned about 
>what was going on," Ollander said.
>
>"We happened to bring one of our other sled dogs home, and she 
>perked right up. So it dawned on us that the problem was she was 
>depressed and she missed her pack more than anything else."
>
>Isobel was soon reintroduced to her canine comrades and her 
>behaviour improved right away. She started eating and drinking again.
>
>With some hesitation, Ollander's husband decided to take a chance 
>and hook Isobel up to the sled team and see what would happen.
>
>"That dog ran like you wouldn't believe. She ran better than when 
>she had her eyesight," Ollander said.
>
>Isobel has been running ever since. She relies on the other dogs, 
>human vocal commands, and her other senses to avoid obstacles.
>
>It's not a complete surprise for Fisk.
>
>"I believe that their senses adapt and they adjust, just like a 
>person," he said.
>
>"We know that people hone in well on their hearing skills and their 
>sense of vibration and time and distance and smell and everything 
>like that. And dogs become really acute at that. When they lose 
>their vision, the rest of their senses kind of take over."
>
>Isobel is sometimes put up front with another dog for races, and has 
>beat other dog teams in head-to-head competitions.
>
>She still has a couple of good running years left in her. But she's 
>already nearing the age when many sled dogs hang up their harness.
>
>Finding a good home for her might be a challenge.
>
>"We've had several people who've offered to adopt her ... but we're 
>really concerned because she just loves to run," Ollander said.
>
>"We want to make sure that she doesn't end up in a situation where 
>she gets depressed again."
>
>"She's OK in the dog yard where she has her dog yard buddies."
>
>
>
>
>--
>No virus found in this incoming message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 
>269.16.0/1139 - Release Date: 11/19/2007 12:35 PM
End of forwarded message text:

John


-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.0/1139 - Release Date: 11/19/2007 12:35 PM