Happy ending:Len Williams and his wife Anne with blind Lily and her guide dog Maddison.

Playful: Lily’s lack of sight has heightened her other senses

Inspiring dog tales...

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going

A blind friend’s ‘seeing eyes’:

Lily and Maddison are two massive great danes who share a strong bond of friendship.

When Lily was barely a puppy she had developed a weird medical disorder where her eyes were seriously damaged due to ingrowing eyelashes. Lily lost both her eyes but it did not mean the end of the world to her. Her good friend Maddison just a year older to her stepped in to become her 'eyes.' So, ever since Lilly now six, lost her precious sight Maddison has been her guide dog helping her to run, play and enjoy life the way any normal dog would. Lily's new eyes led her everywhere.

The two have now become inseparable.Lily follows Maddison, almost touching her as they walk so she knows where to go. But in July last year their owner could no longer cope with them and they were sent to the re-homing centre.

When the Daily Mail featured the heart-warming tale of the two great danes, who were looking for a new home, more than 2,000 dog lovers had responded by offering to take them.In October last year Lily and Maddison moved from the Dogs Trust Centre in Shrewsbury to live with the Williams family 35 miles away in Crewe, Cheshire.

Anne Williams, 52, and her husband Len, 53, a retired fireman, fell in love with the dogs when they read about them in the Mail and their offer was accepted by the Trust. Mrs Williams, a business manager for an insurance company, said, “We've always had two dogs together. I like them to have company and so taking on two of them wasn't a daunting prospect.

“My daughter moved out five months ago, taking her two English Setters with her. So, the house has felt a little quiet without them. We live in the countryside and I miss having a reason to go for a walk. We've also got a lovely big garden so it's the perfect setting for two huge dogs” The couple plan to take the great danes on holidays to France and the Lake District and ensure they both enjoy life with their new family.

Louise Campbell, manager of the Dogs Trust in Shrewsbury, said: “This is the happy ending we were all hoping for and everyone is delighted for Lily and Maddison. “The Williams family were the perfect match and we know they'll give the dogs all the love and fuss they so deserve”.

Many humans are easily discouraged to forge ahead in life when they have any kind of physical disability. Children especially feel they have been deprived of a chance to experience and enjoy the essence of life and virtually give up on reaching out for their dreams and goals.

A disability is a hindrance no doubt but most humans have the opportunity to overcome their disabilities due to the medical marvels of the hi-tec world, and also the love and support of their loved ones. However, in the animal world any form of disability, especially the lack of limbs or vision , is in most instances like a death sentence.

Those in the wild find such disabilities a great hindrance to their existence, simply because they cannot keep pace with the rest of their family members. Some manage to survive but many don’t. When it comes to domesticated animals, especially cats and dogs with deformities , their chances to overcome any such physical handicap and survive are generally higher than for those in the wild .

They somehow manage to survive since there is a possibility for human intervention with many animal lovers stepping in to assist such animals. Sometimes other animal friends too come to the aid of their handicapped friends.

Strong bonds of friendship also exist in the animal world and we can certainly learn a lesson from them .The resolute nature of some of these disabled animals to survive and live normal lives as far as possible is indeed incredible. In fact , many a differently- abled human can be inspired to take courage that ‘all is not lost’ just because he has lost a part of his physical self. Always keep in mind that the spirit is not handicapped in any way. It would be so only if you let the physical disability get the better of you. What matters is that you keep your spirits high and alive and forge ahead to achieve all that you dream of. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going... So, if any of you out there has been utterly shattered in spirit and virtually given up on life due to some form of disability, either from birth or as a result of some accident, here are two incredible stories from the canine world that would no doubt touch your hearts and even move you to tears.

These doggy tales prove that a little love, friendship and faith can go a long way to help someone, even an animal to do incredible things....

Miru

Faith on two legs

Born on Christmas Eve in 2002 with only two legs, the tiny dog (who later was named Faith) was rejected even by his mother! As he could not walk when he was born his first owner also did not think that he could survive and had nearly ‘put him to sleep’. But then, his present owner, Jude String fellow, met him and wanted to take care of him.

Here is the incredible tale from the present owner herself....

Faith is an incredible dog. She was born just before Christmas in 2002, and we were lucky enough to have her in our family just 3 short weeks later. She was born to a mother dog, believed to be nearly full blooded Chinese Chow Chow, along with several other siblings. Faith wasn’t the only puppy born with deformities, but because “Princess”, her mother, was not our dog, we are not sure of the exact number of puppies she gave birth to. It is certain, however, that Faith was the only puppy with deformities to live. Faith was rescued by my son Reuben on January 21, 2003, when he and his friend Johnny, the owner of Princess, jumped over the fence of the flea market area that Princess was raised to guard. Princess isn’t exactly the mothering kind. She was literally terminating Faith’s life because she knew instinctively that Faith was unable to battle the other puppies for a place to feed. Faith was weak, small, runtish, and mostly she was nearly dead. Reuben grabbed Faith out from under Princess and smuggled her under his jersey.

When Reuben brought Faith to us she had three actual legs, but the left front leg was badly deformed, placed backward, upside down, and it had more toes on it than normal dog legs. The leg was removed when she was seven months old when it began to atrophy. People ask me if it was easy to teach Faith to walk upright...the answer is NO! It was not easy, and it was not natural. It was SUPER natural. and therefore; we have to give all of the credit to Jesus. Of course, it took a little faith as well.

Determined to teach and train this little dog to walk by himself, she had put Faith on a surfboard to let him feel the movement.

Later she had used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him for standing up and jumping around. “Even the other dog at home encouraged him to walk.” Amazingly, only after six months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his hind legs and to jump to move forward. After further training in the snow, he could now walk like a human being.

“Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he attracts people to him. He is fast becoming famous on the international scene and has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is now a book entitled ‘With a Little Faith’ being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies, she says. Jude Stringfellow gave up her teaching post and takes him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul’. Faith is due to fficially retire at the Ft. Lewis - McChord Joint AFB on her birthday this year.

Faith’s book

The book tells the entire story of Faith’s life from an almost impossible beginning to her greatest and most wonderful achievements. She has stood on her own two legs for years demonstrating that faith in ones own self is so very powerful - - her message that you don’t have to LOOK perfect to be perfect is threaded throughout the book.