Rescue Dogs Help to Heal One Another From Illness

Any owner of multiple dogs knows the apprehension in acclimating two dogs to each other. It is likely to take a long time for the dogs—especially older dogs—to learn to get along with one another and there is the worry of the dogs failing to reconcile any differences.

That is not to say it doesn’t happen, however.

In a remarkable story out of Oklahoma, two dogs at the Woodland West Animal Hospital in Tulsa have not only became best buddies, but have also rehabilitated each other of their respective ailments.

In a report by ABCNews.com, one-year-old black Labrador mix was brought to Woodland after she was shot while living on the streets. After recovering from her wounds, though, Blair remained shy and nervous because of her tortured past and made her a difficult dog for a family to adopt.

Then there is Tanner, a two-year-old Golden Retriever who was born blind and with a seizure disorder. Tanner was sent to Woodland after his owner had passed away and the Sooner Golden Retriever Rescue organization was unable to give him the round-the-clock care that he needed.

Woodland West Animal Hospital director Dr. Mike Jones described Tanner’s seizure disorder to ABCNews.com as nearly impossible to control because no medications seemed to be helping the poor pup. Because every time Tanner seizes he expresses his bowels, it makes living in a home rather difficult, Jones explained.

 Both Tanner and Blair were coping with their respective conditions alone until they were randomly placed together a few months back.

“One day they were exercising in a play yard together and they got together,” Jones said.  “Blair all of a sudden seemed to realize that Tanner was blind and just started to help him around.”

Recognizing the dogs’ immediate connection, the hospital staff began to place Blair and Tanner together and was astonished by the results.

After being boarded with Blair, Tanner’s nightly seizing dissipated. Although he is not completely seizure free, the seizures are a lot less frequent, Jones said.

“We’ve worked with a lot of different service dogs to provide these services for people,” said Jones. “But it’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this, the special relationship these two dogs have.”

Jones notes that the bond between the two dogs is so instinctive that if Tanner is wearing his leash, Blair will pick it up and guide her friend around. In the same regard, Tanner has a soothing effect on Blair making the precious pup much less apprehensive and timid.

Now Jones and the Woodland staff are trying to find an adoptable home for the dogs to live together and continue their joint recovery.

The owner for the dogs would have to be an individual who understands the special relationship between the two dogs and understands the difficulties of Tanner’s seizure disorder.

Isn’t this a remarkable story? Share your thoughts about Tanner and Blair’s beautiful friendship in a comment below.