Dog are wonderful creatures that spread love and warmth in our lives. They are always so helpful, energetic, and loving. They never leave our side when something goes wrong even when humans do. It seems like dogs do not see the breed when they extend their love and care. Not just humans but they can be good healers for their fellow breed members as well.
Today, at Hiptoro we are going to introduce you to Tao and Oko, a dog duo of golden retrievers. Tao 12-years-old dog, who lost his eyes due to glaucoma has Oko as his companion who leads him everywhere.
Melanie Jackson, the loving owner of the dogs shared with us the story of how Tao has suddenly got blind one day. One evening he was moving his head too much and he instantly got blind in one eye. By January, his second eye also gave up and they got the eye removed surgically.
The dog duo is one in a million and you would fall in love with them instantly.
Tao got diagnosed with glaucoma and lost both of his eyes. Despite his blindness, he recovered quickly and was happy again
After the surgery, Tao just took 3 days to get active. He was able to walk up the stair cases on his own and even walk off-leash. But there was something missing. He needed a companion to play with.
But something was missing
“Tao’s health is really good now. He’s in no pain, and to say he’s nearly 12, he acts like a much younger dog! He does everything he used to do apart from jumping up hay bales and jumping over hedges—we walk around 8 miles a day and he still trains most days,” Melanie told Hiptoro.
The owner decided to look for a dog that could be a play pal for him
Oko, being only 8 weeks old, clicked with Tao and became his guide
Melanie, got about 8 weeks old golden retriever who was named Oko. The dog duo immediately clicked and since then are inseparable. They sleep together, Tao follows Oko when they are walking and have fun together. The owner is training Tao to follow Oko so that he won’t fall in any kind of trouble. “Oko is being trained by me—if not, he would lead Tao into mischief as he is a typical inquisitive puppy. Tao is being trained to follow Oko’s scent and Oko to listen and respond to my commands to ‘stop, wait, go right, go left.’”
They’re around each other all the time. They walk and sleep together
The owner is also training Tao to follow Oko’s lead
The new pup Oka,is now 17 weeks old and has adapted her responsibilities very cleverly. The owner of the two doggos, Mel has also raised a cause to spread the awareness of glaucoma in dogs. The Kennel Club has used Tao’s DNA to help identify other dogs’ proneness to glaucoma.
The duo has won the hearts of millions on the internet and have a solid 30K follower. Do follow them on Instagram and see their bond grow every single day.
She is also raising awareness for glaucoma in dogs
Oko, being about 17 weeks old at the moment, has gotten used to his new role
“Tao is a 100% mommy’s boy—he is always close by and he is like my little shadow. He loves to please and his favorite thing is scent work—he still scents out balls in the hedges and fields and loves finding his toys when l hide them either in the garden or in the house.
Oko was bred by a fantastic breeder from Cornwall—we had always planned to have another pup after Tao lost his brother Otis to cancer 3 years ago, but due to his sight loss and the training l needed to do with Tao, we had to focus on him until the time was right.
Tao is an amazing dog and is loved by everyone we meet—he is known locally and people often ask if they can have a selfie with him.”
Before and after
The doggy duo is exploding over social media, with a solid 30k followers
You don’t need to see to take in the sun
ROFLing at each other’s jokes
“You crack me up, pal”
Friendship at play
That’s all, folks!
