A four legged friend, a four legged friend

[Gob]

he'll never...

A search is under way for a dog that slipped the lead of its blind owner before possibly boarding a train.



Toffee, a Labrador retriever, was last seen at Oxford railway station on Monday evening.
Missing dog service DogLost said there had been thousands of shares online, including one by Graham Norton.

Owner Ian Francis, who believes the dog is still in the Oxford area, said: "It's a great response, but there's still no sign of Toffee."
DogLost described the outpouring of concern from the general public as "stunning".


A spokesman said Toffee, who is microchipped, had either got on a train or was still in the area of the station.

Mr Francis, who is registered blind and also has heart problems, said Toffee, who is being trained as a cardiac alert dog, is normally always with him when he goes out.
Oxford railway station

The assistance dog slipped his lead at Oxford railway station
He said: "I was going through a depression, I wasn't going out enough... and Toffee, ever since I had him, absolutely comes everywhere with me.

"When you bond with a dog, and you rely on a dog so much, you get this bond and it's unbreakable. The dog trusts you, you trust the dog.
"It's unfortunate, but no-one seems to have seen him, though Twitter has gone crazy, Facebook has gone crazy."

Mr Francis believes if Toffee did not get on a train, then the dog could be in nearby Botley.
"Something must have spooked him, we think, because it's just not like Toffee - he's very, very shy," he said.

"I'm pretty sure he would've found somewhere quiet, he will back away from people. He's out there somewhere."

[MajGenl.Meade]

He's out there pulling the communication cord just before the train arrives at a station platform. Then he can watch all the blind people falling out.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I think Toffee just flunked out of companion dog school.

Hope he's found.

[Big RR]

From the BBC:
A dog that slipped the lead of its blind owner, sparking a search, has found his own way home.

Labrador retriever Toffee was spotted waiting under a hedge near his owner's house on Wednesday evening about two miles from where he went missing.

He was last seen at Oxford railway station on Monday and missing dog service DogLost launched an appeal.

Owner Ian Francis said: "I am over the moon. He walked in through the door as if nothing had happened."

It was thought Toffee, who is being trained as a cardiac alert dog for Mr Francis, had either got on a train or was still in the area of the station.




Mr Francis, who is registered blind and also has heart problems, said: "I just put some food out for him and left the front door open and in he came.

"He looked at me, wagged his tail and lay down on his bed."

[Sue U]

"He looked at me, wagged his tail and lay down on his bed."

Pretty good description for a blind man.

[Big RR]

Maybe he was a carpenter who picked up his hammer and saw?

[BoSoxGal]

Silly people registered blind means legally blind but that doesn't require total loss of sight.

[Lord Jim]

And it says Toffee was being trained as a "cardiac alert dog", (not sure exactly how that's supposed to work; the dog senses that their master is having a heart attack and then they administer CPR? Or do they call 911?) not as a guide dog for a blind person...

[rubato]

Just training for the lab work.


yrs,
rubato

[Sue U]

Now that was funny.