Tanner's first year of life was good. Although he was born blind and had a slight seizure problem, he and his owner worked through his problems. And then his owner died. "Things got different in his world," explains Hospital Director Dr. Mike Jones of Woodland West Animal Hospital in Tulsa, OK, "and that stress led to his seizure disorder getting worst it seemed and being blind and panicky."
The Golden Retriever was placed with a rescue group and was sent to the home of a woman name Jill who described his issues. She explains that not only did he have seizures, he would lose control, urinate, defecate and roll in it. He wound up back at Woodland West where he seized every night and paced nervously in his pen. His future was bleak and it was suggested that Tanner be humanly euthanized.
That's when Blair entered the picture. The mixed breed dog is described as "just your average street dog" and had issues of her own. She had been shot and was now timid, nervous and needed work. One day, she ended up in the yard with Tanner and something incredible happened.
A friendship was formed between the two dogs and amazingly, both dogs were able to turn their lives around. Since having Blair as a companion, Tanner has had no seizures and Blair is now a friendly and outgoing dog. Blair loves to lead Tanner around by his leash, making Blair a "service dog for another dog."
The two dogs are always together, even at night when they wind down together in the same pen. Woodland West Hospital staff is searching for the perfect forever home that will be able to take both dogs together. "This is a relationship that's going to be ten plus years, hopefully," says Dr. Jones. "We're looking for that needle-in-a-haystack type owner that will be able to handle this (unique) situation."