I have a lot of respect for seeing-eye dogs and other types of service animals. They’re such sweet, gentle, yet strong critters who are heavily dedicated to their job duties. They really do help make their human companion’s life easier. It’s such a beautiful thing, really, that animals are able to help humans, and we’re able to help them too. That’s the kind of harmony we should strive for.
Although, it’s not just humans with disabilities that animals assist. Apparently, there’s such a thing as dogs providing aid to other, less fortunate animals in their community. Three-month-old terrier blend puppy, Denver, is an example of that. The little guy may be young, but he’s been acting as a guide for Star, his deaf and blind sister, nearly since she was born!
Star and Denver are currently residing at the Helen Woodward Animal Shelter in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. The pups originally came from another shelter in Lousiana after their mother, who was homeless, gave birth to them and their six other brothers and sisters.
“Star is deaf and almost completely blind,” Jessica Gercke of Helen Woodward said. “Animals are amazing because they really learn how to make their way in the world. Her sense of smell is 40 times stronger than ours. Star uses her nose quite a bit.”
While Star does her best to navigate her environment independently, her brother Denver has been a big help, which Gercke noticed.
“Her brother Denver really stuck by her side. Even though there were eight of them Denver was really sticking near her, guiding her around. She was depending on him.” she said. “The thing that was rare for us to see is how completely bonded these two were.”
Others across the Internet are able to see the canines’ strong bond too and instantly fell in love with their friendship.
“These puppies have gone beyond anything we’ve seen so far,” said Gercke. “We got a call the other day, someone asked if they could ship them overseas, which of course we won’t.”
Both Star and Denver were supposed to be adopted out later last month. However, Denver needed time to heal after experiencing a bee sting.
Now that the little guy is better, both he and his sister are now officially up for adoption. You can learn more about potentially adopting them here!
Regardless of their next phase in life, Gercke knows that one thing’s for sure: the duo belongs together.
“We’re going to keep them as long as we need to, to make sure they’re together.”
Fingers crossed that they get adopted into the same home.
Star and Denver are absolutely inseparable. Watch them play together in the following video!
