A Register pets columnist spends time with a trained golden retriever, telling the ins and outs of a relationship few will experience.
By MARYANNE DELL
The Orange County Register

I found myself walking around Seal Beach, blindfolded and relying on a guide dog to be my eyes, after receiving a call from the folks at Natural Balance, the pet-food company headed by actor Dick Van Patten.

I slip a satiny blindfold over my head, covering my eyes.

Padding at the bottom prevents me from peeking at the ground, as I could if this was a normal mask, and I have no other visual access to the world.

"Definitely dark," I say.

I haven't moved, but being plunged into darkness, I subconsciously try to find the parameters of my world using my remaining senses.

Touch must be my next security blanket, because I instinctively reach out feeling in front of and above me. Nothing; which is not surprising, as I'm standing in the middle of a sidewalk.


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