Dusty's story
Dusty, a black German Shepherd, was unable to continue with guide dog training due to a genetic eye health condition. Now, she's enjoying adventures with her new family.
Dusty was diagnosed with the genetic eye condition, Immune-Mediated Keratitis, which affects the cornea or clear part of the eye. This condition may require future eye treatment or surgery, which would have a significant impact on her potential career as a guide dog.
Despite hitting all her targets in her training, Dusty was unable to continue her education as a guide dog due to the risk of her eye condition deteriorating and affecting her vision.
Happily, at two and a half years old she was rehomed as a family pet with a wonderful couple. Dusty now lives with first-time dog owners, who were looking for an active dog to travel and work with, and they soon discovered that Dusty was their perfect companion.
We were straight away taken by her temperament – she seemed so playful yet calm and self-assured. We instantly knew we wanted her in our lives – it just felt right.
Thankfully, her eye condition hasn’t affected her day-to-day life thus far and she's enjoying exciting adventures with her new family every day.
Due to the high energy level of the German Shepherd dog breed, she's loving her daily exercise and active lifestyle spending her days wild sea swimming, fishing, gardening, and chasing balls on the moors.
She's a happy, loyal, and playful character who enjoys socialisation with other dogs, especially when it involves playing tag with her favourite Whippet friend. Dusty has also discovered she has an excellent talent for being a chief bat whisperer when accompanying one of her family members on nightly ecological bat surveys.
We're so proud of Dusty and feel honoured to share our lives with her. Thanks so much to Daniella, who's been utterly brilliant, and to all Guide Dogs staff for the wonderful work you do.
Dusty’s eye condition may never have a big impact on her life or develop into other health problems, but we're thrilled she's been paired with a family in a loving home who's prepared to help her manage whatever the future may bring.
We're not sure why, but we don’t seem to receive as many applications to rehome our lovely German Shepherds when compared to our Labradors, Golden Retrievers, and other guide dog breeds. If like us, you're a fan of the German Shepherd dog, we'd love to hear from you.