Partially blind dog and her seeing eye dog need a home
Nina and Charlie have a lot in common. They’re both 3-year-old Malteses who hail from the same Cape Cod household, and they’re both looking for a new home — together.
What sets them apart is that Charlie acts as the eyes for both of them.
Nina suffers from vision impairment and relies on Charlie to help her get around (yes, Charlie is Nina’s seeing eye dog), leading the MSPCA to insist the pair remain together. Their owner recently moved and could no longer care for the duo, leaving them in the care of the MSPCA on Cape Cod until the right family can take them in.
“They’re best buds,’’ Mary Sarah Fairweather, the director of MSPCA-Cape Cod, told Boston.com. “Charlie really provides a lot of visiual guidance for Nina. She really relies on him to help navigate her in the yard and when they’re walking.’’
While Nina and Charlie have grown up together, they aren’t related. The close bond the two developed during their early years isn’t something the MSPCA sees often, Fairweather said. Only about five pairs of bonded dogs come through their doors each year, and none have had the same special relationship as Nina and Charlie.
Fairweather has yet to see either dog on its own. They walk together, play together, and sleep together. If Nina wanders too far and begins to lose her way, Charlie comes to nudge her back to familiar terriority.
Charlie’s a spunky character, while Nina tends to be more quiet and subdued. Fairweather said they would probably do the best as the only pets in the house, due to the close-knit nature of their relationship.
“They are two of the sweetest and cutest little snowflakes that flurry around together and have very kind dispositions and personalities,’’ Fairweather said. “Whoever gets them will be very lucky.’’
Related gallery: Dogs on Cape Cod
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