There is no strange to see dogs working as a guide for people with visual impairment. They help these people a lot, making their daily life go easily.
These affectionate, loyal, and responsible animals are also adorable friends and great companions.
They can even comfort these people when they feel sad or angry. Giving them a hug or resting their head on them is always enough to melt the heart of their owner.
And, the dogs also become a perfect guide for their blind furry friend.
They have the same breed, so can understand each other better. The story of the cute Golden Retriever puppy named Oko below will get you hooked.
This adorable guy becomes a guide for 12-year-old blind dog Tao. The two have built a strong bond since then and became inseparable. Let’s scroll down to know more!
Tao’s owner Melanie Jackson said that Tao lost both of his eyes last year. Her old furry friend was
diagnosed with glaucoma, an eye disease where the eye can’t effectively drain its fluids. She
never thought that his disease progressed unexpectedly and rapidly like that. One morning,
Tao seemed to be doing just fine, but in the evening, he started shaking his head (dogs do that when they feel pain), and just a few hours
later, he went blind in one eye and had the eye removed. Unluckily, Tao got his other eye gave out and removed in January.
Tao was diagnosed with glaucoma that caused him losing both of his eyes. But the brave dog recovered quickly and was happy again
Despite his blindness, Tao recovered quickly. He started walking up the staircase all by himself and was able to walk off-leash just three days
after losing both of his sight. Tao seemed to stay again. But his owner Melanie Jackson found that there was something missing. Tao needed someone to play with him and keep him
company so that he didn’t feel lonely or get left. So, she took matters into her own hand – find a friend, companion, and a guide for her poor furry friend.
There was still something missing
This cute dog becomes a guide for the blind dog
“Tao’s health is really good now. He’s in no pain, and to say he’s nearly 12, he acts like a much
younger dog! He does everything he used to do apart from jumping up hay bales and jumping over hedges—we walk around 8 miles a day and he still trains most days,” Melanie told Bored Panda.
Melanie decided to find a dog that could befriend and get along well with Tao
Oko who was only 8 weeks old then was brought into Tao’s home and became his guide
Oko is also a golden retriever. The pup was just about 8 weeks old when Melanie got him, but he quickly got Tao’s trust and built a strong bond
with him. The two become inseparable ever since. Oko performs excellently as a guide dog to Tao. Tao follows Oko around when they’re
walking, and they also sleep together. The owner is also simultaneously training Tao to follow Oko so he won’t get into trouble. “Oko is being
trained by me—if not, he would lead Tao into mischief as he is a typical inquisitive puppy. Tao is being trained to follow
Oko’s scent and Oko to listen and respond to my commands to ‘stop, wait, go right, go left.’”
They’re around each other all the time. They walk and sleep together
The owner is also training Tao to follow Oko’s lead
Oko is now about 17 weeks old. The boy has gotten used to his new role. His owner has also raised a cause for glaucoma awareness in dogs.She has worked with The Kennel Club, who have used Tao’s DNA to help identify other dogs’
proneness to glaucoma.It can be prevented if diagnosed early enough. The duo Tao and Oko is exploding over social media, with a solid 30k followers.They love the way the two get along well with each other.