Leading Lady (a lovely Guide Dog story)

A fellow board member (also legally blind) loaned me a audio tape narrated by Tom Sullivan and his friend Betty White (you know, one of the Golden Girls on TV). I haven't quite finished the story, but it's a heartfelt story of Tome Sullivan's first guide dog, Dinah, and how he learned to respect and love her. Tom had been blind all his life and had learned to use a white cane proficiently; however, a friend suggested he could have more freedom of movement, especially as he was such an athlete, actor, traveler, singer, and many other wonderful things, including a husband and father of two children. Tom didn't have any formal dog traiing skills when he got Dinah back in the late 70's, so he really didn't think of her as so much as a companion and friend as just a dog who'd walk him where he wanted to go. After one especially grueling sojourn, where he ended up being knocked down by a bicyclist and getting lost, his friend realized he needed more help with the dog, especially since Dinah ran the other way when he wanted to go out again. Well, things finally settled down and she became his loving companion for almost 10 years, when her age started to catch up with her and he asked his friend, Betty White, to adopt her, as he knew Betty had a couple of dogs and a cat and was very much into animal rights. At first she was hesitant to take another animal, but when Dinah came to her home, it seemed they both knew it was the right thing to do. Tom had gotten a new dog and Dinah could finally relax, even though there was some understandable jealousy of some other dog taking over role. I'm looking forward to the next part of the story.