As hard as it is to believe it’s true, a blind border collie has his own guide dog.

Bonnie and Clyde, as they’re now called, were found wandering the streets where they were picked up and taken to the Meadow Green Dog Rescue.

Bonnie and Clyde do everything together, from walking and wagging to bounding and burying.

But Clyde is always just one faltering step behind.

That’s because he is blind – and his fellow border collie Bonnie acts as his guide dog.

She leads him to food or water, and lets him rest his head on her haunches when he feels a bit lost.

They are inseparable, and if Bonnie isn’t nearby Clyde refuses to move a paw.

The pair were rescued as strays three weeks ago and are looking for a new home together.

Cherie Cootes, 40, at the Meadow Green Dog Rescue Centre in Loddon, Norfolk, said: ‘Clyde relies on Bonnie the whole time. When she walks she tends to stop and make sure he’s there – she does look out for him. They really are the most lovely pair of dogs.

‘There’s absolutely no option of homing them separately, they have to go as a pair.’ Bonnie, two, and Clyde, five, were rescued after being abandoned on a street in the middle of a storm three weeks ago. No one has claimed them.

Miss Cootes said they would make ideal pets in a home with a large, secure garden away from busy roads.

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.

After receiving more than 500 calls from around the world inquiring about them the dog rescue has found Bonnie and Clyde a new forever home.

The centre staff are continuing their work to re-home 50 other dogs at Meadow Green, so keep them in mind if you’re interested in adopting.

* Pic by SPLASH/Mail Online

I realize times are hard, but that’s when help is needed the most. I know there must be someone looking to adopt an adorable dog (look at those faces) or a rescue group that can step in and help this person.

Hello rescue friends-

This is a plea to help 3 stray dogs in my neighborhood in Decatur, GA. They need rescue or adoption. So far, Canela (left) is in a temporary foster home, but Ossa (middle) and Beethoven (bottom) are still in their respective yards.

The brief story is that these are dogs taken in off the street by one of my neighbors, who has a big heart but not the best situation to be taking in animals. Her husband is not an animal lover to say the least and would not allow her to keep them on their property. She has been keeping them in the back yards of 2 separate houses that have been vacant for some time. She feeds and visits with them daily, and they all at least have a rabies shot. Canela is spayed but due to my neighbor’s lack of transportation, the other 2 are still intact (they stay in separate yards).

My neighbor has limited resources to place the dogs – no car, no computer, limited command of English – and she also has a turbulent home life. I want to help place the dogs for their own sake, but also so that she can focus on her own problems. She was assaulted and ended up in jail about 2 weeks ago, which is when I was asked to feed the dogs. She was bailed out a few days later, but has a court date coming up and could be incarcerated again. Hopefully together we can find these dogs a better situation. I can help with vetting / transport for anyone who can take them.

Ossa (my neighbor says this means “little bird” in Spanish) is a fluffy black border collie mix (my best guess). She is about 2 years old and is playful and friendly. She is maybe 30 pounds.

Beethoven is a shepherd mix puppy who is just under a year old. I thought he would be bigger than he has turned out to be (a thick but compact 35 pounds or so), so maybe he is mixed with a smaller breed as well. He is extremely playful and enjoys belly rubs and lots of affection.

Canela (”cinnamon” in Spanish) is a beagle mix and her tail is cropped because something was wrong with it when she was found, like the others, tied to a tree or a building. She is learning manners in her foster home and is getting along with both dogs and cats. She is also about 30 pounds.

I would take these dogs myself but I already have 7 animals in my house. I appreciate your concern and thank you for your efforts. Any interested parties may contact me at this email address.

Please feel free to post and crosspost this message, time is of the essence.

As many people know, especially after the recent US Airways Flight 1549 incident,  birds and planes do not mix. That’s why at the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport they hired a Filly as a preemptive strike. Filly is a border collie who chases fowl for a living, she’s a “wildlife management canine.”

“She’s chased flocks of geese into the water,” said Bob Hood, the airport’s wildlife manager. “She’s really good at her job and she really likes her job.”

Filly is the third wildlife management canine Hood has trained to shoo away birds like Canada geese at the airport. (He’s trained police dogs and search-and-rescue dogs as well.)

The birds, of course, probably don’t much like having Filly around — but it’s certainly preferable to the alternatives, not the least of which is being hit by a plane. From the Coos Bay World:

The dogs don’t hurt the birds, because they usually can’t catch them, although Filly did catch a goose once.

“She’s fast,” Hood said. “I saw her run and jump up in the air. There was a big fight on the ground by the time I got there.”

The Coos County Animal Shelter donated the 2 1/2-year-old about a year ago. She had about two months of training before going out in the field.

Every day Hood and Filly arrive at the airport at 5:30 a.m. and stay until dark when an operations crew takes over.

As they ride around in his truck, Hood communicates by radio with the air traffic controllers, who monitor aircraft arrivals.

That’s one smart dog, she knew how to make herself invaluable and get hired even in these tough times.

*Photo: A flock of birds, disturbed by a plane’s takeoff, takes flight from the side of a runway in Canandaigua, N.Y. Credit: Vasiliy Baziuk / Associated Press

I want to thank Buddy for barking this story to me so we can help make sure Sadie gets justice. In La Crescent, WI a couple is charged in the death of their neighbor’s dog.

Criminal charges accuse the Blanks’ neighbors, Scott and Tammy Bailey, of pouring antifreeze into a bowl of food scraps March 10 to discourage the dog from returning to their yard, according to the criminal complaint.

The Baileys, both 30 and of 416 S. Sixth St. in La Crescent, made initial appearances Monday in Houston County District Court in Caledonia, Minn., on charges of cruelty to animals causing death and poisoning animals. The couple returns to court May 29.

Sadie was unresponsive on the backyard deck when Blank came home from work March 11.

“She looked like she was drunk,” Blank said. “I picked her up, and she fell over.”

A veterinarian diagnosed Sadie with antifreeze poisoning and ordered an IV before the onset of seizures and kidney failure, Blank said.

Blank’s husband, Rod, a retired Hokah police officer, suspected foul play and notified La Crescent police.

Investigate the neighbors, he told officers. Rod Blank believed the Baileys had filed a police report when Sadie wandered into their yard last fall.

Frustrated by Sadie’s frequent trespassing, garbage raids and a recent incident in which she stole meat from their grill, Scott Bailey left a cup of antifreeze in a bowl near the backyard grill, the complaint stated.

The Baileys’ attorney, Tim Guth, said Scott Bailey thought the smell of the antifreeze would discourage the animal from intruding.

Sadie had removed the same bowl, filled with food scraps, from the garbage in the backyard, Guth said.

The poisoning was unintentional, the Baileys told police.

For seven years there has been an ongoing dispute between the neighbors.  The Baileys claim that Sadie was always getting into their backyard and stealing things, which the Blanks adamantly deny. The attorney for the Baileys stated that his client put out the antifreeze  because he thought the smell would discourage the animal from intruding.

The Blanks remembered Sadie as loving and loyal, a dog that made friends with special-needs students at La Crescent Elementary School and enjoyed camping.

“She was always happy to see you,” Rod Blank said.

While it is the responsibility of the pet owner to keep their dog secured in the yard I realize escapes happen. We’ve dealt with our own Hairy Houdini for many years, luckily we can outrun him now. That being said, it doesn’t give someone the right to knowingly put out a poison that will kill an animal. While the Baileys told police they thought the smell would keep Sadie away I have to believe everyone knows antifreeze has a sweet smell which attracts animals, making it that much more dangerous. Couple that with the fact it was in a bowl with food scraps makes it hard to believe what happened was “unintentional.”

No one has the right to kill someone’s pet because it has become an annoyance. I hope the Houston County Attorney takes this crime seriously and gives it the proper attention it deserves.

Our condolences go out to the Blank family.

* Photo courtesy LaCrosseTribune.com

I don’t know if anyone else out there watches A Christmas Story, but if you do you’ll know the scene when Flick’s tongue gets stuck to the flagpole.  The fire department comes and pours hot water on it to get it unstuck. When I read the following story that was the first thing that came to mind.

A dog in Sheboygan, WI was left outside overnight where it froze to the sidewalk.  Luckily, the dog was a little on the heavy side and this protected him from freezing to death.

The Sheboygan County Humane Society says the “morbidly obese” dog, an aging border collie mix named Jiffy, froze to the sidewalk when he was left out overnight Wednesday. Shelter manager Carey Payne says few dogs could survive the single-digit temperatures, and it was probably the fat that made the difference.

Jiffy’s 59-year-old owner was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of animal neglect, Sheboygan Police Lt. Tim Eirich said. She told police she tried to get the dog inside but couldn’t, and instead checked on him every few hours.

I’m thinking Jiffy needs a new home, and an exercise regimen.

* Pictured above is beauty Abbi, she’s a prize winning agility dog.  She can really move, check out her video.

I know I thought Bo and I were worthy after watching the first few episodes of the show, but this audition tape of Teresa and Leroy makes me think otherwise.

After watching this, it’s no wonder they’re still in the competition.

If you can’t see the video, click here to view it.

The Olympics are a time when childhood dreams turn into reality for thousands of athletes, and a chance for a few of them to have their faces on a Wheaties box.  I know I’ll be watching, along with the ‘kids’, as the drama unfolds.

Since we’re dog lovers here, I’ll take this opportunity to highlight some Olympic caliber records you aren’t likely to see challenged during the 3,600 hours of NBC’s coverage.

-  In 2004, citizens of St. Joseph, Illinois witnessed Olympian hopeful Tigger recording the largest ear wingspan (27.25″ not counting the head) ever documented.  He thanks Bugs Bunny for inspiring him to forgo social norms and grow his ears so long.

- On the night of October 7th, 2006, Cinderella May broke the canine high jump record with a leap of 5′ 8″ (172.7cm).  It has yet to be determined where the greyhound learned to do the Fosbury Flop.

- Quebec City, Canada was the sight of one of the  most amazing achievements in canine and automobile history. Here, on September 1st 2004, a border-collie named Striker managed to record the fastest time ever in the ‘rolling down a non-electric car window’ category. His 11.34 second performance broke the mythical 11.5 barrier most experts thought would never be broken.

- Jimmy Connors never did it, neither did Andre Agassi or even Chris Evert, but a golden retriever named Augie didn’t have any problem achieving it. What was it? The world record for the most tennis balls held in the mouth. On July 6th in 2003, in Dallas, TX Augie managed to open two cans of tennis balls and stick five of the six balls into his mouth all at one time. Now that’s a dog that could use a DogPause Bowl.

Although those records are impressive, I know there must be some fuzzy muzzle record holders in this audience.  For instance, Copper holds the ten second record for most tail wags across a person’s face. I have the red lashes on my noggin’ to prove it.

So tell me, do you have a record holder who shares your house with you? If so, what’s the record?