Blind Dog & Her Guide Dog Need A New Home

MEXIA (CBS 11 NEWS) - Tinker, a 3-year-old Chihuahua-Dachshund mix, was unwanted at birth. She was born blind.

"The eyeballs really aren't there," said Eva Reynolds with LARAS House animal shelter in Mexia, who has taken care of Tinker in recent months. "It's just pink orbs instead of eyeballs. Her original breeder took her to the vet and told him to put her down because they wanted -- and she was just barely 2 weeks old -- because they wanted puppies to sell and they didn't figure she would sell."

But he didn't euthanize the dog. Instead, he called an elderly woman who would care for Tinker. The same woman also adopted Gigi, a mixed breed dog slightly younger and slightly bigger than the diminutive Tinker. Or, perhaps it's more accurate to say, Gigi adopted Tinker.

"From the time she was a tiny puppy, Gigi started being a guide dog for Tinker," Reynolds said. "And she would pick a toy and go touch Tinker's face with it and they would play with the toy together. When they were out in the yard, if Tinker got lost, she would stick her nose up in the air and yip. And Gigi would come get her, touch her shoulder and guide her back to the house. Tinker is pretty bossy to Gigi. But Gigi loves it! To train herself to be a guide dog and be totally devoted? It's amazing."

But now, the elderly woman who adopted Tinker and Gigi is in a nursing home. The pair have lived in a shelter for a year, waiting for a person who can understand their special relationship and give them both a new home. Tinker, the dog unwanted at birth, now needs someone who not only wants her, but her inseparable buddy Gigi, too.

"They have to go together!" Reynolds said firmly. "They're a definite pair."

Find out more about Tinker and Gigi, and the shelter's other animals, at the LARAS House website or call 254-292-9552.

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