News from Tola, the Manhattan Beach guide dog
A couple of weeks ago, I ran a series of stories about Tola, a seeing-eye dog that was raised in Manhattan Beach.
Actually, the stories were more about the woman who raised her -- Pat Whitehead. Tola was one of nearly 20 dogs that Pat took home and helped nurture before sending her off to guide-dog school.
Part I introduced Tola and Pat.
Part II saw Tola heading off to college.
And in Part III, Tola graduated and headed off to her new life as a seeing eye dog with Courtney Maddocks, who, as you'll see in a moment, is absolutely delightful.
After I posted the stories, I got a nice e-mail from Pat, who, I might add, is the nicest person in the South Bay.
And then I heard from Courtney, who I hadn't seen since I visited the Guide Dog for the Blind Facility in San Rafael. She made a little video of her and Tola.
So here you go. Enjoy
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
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