Blind border collie gets his own guide dog…
A blind border collie has found a new lease of life thanks to his mate – who acts as his guide dog. 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.”
