Amos was born blind at a dog’s home.
Despite life serving the adorable Staffordshire bull terrier cross a cruel hand, his luck turned when he met Jess Martin.
The 27-year-old, who works in HR for Cheshire Fire and Rescue service, volunteers at the rescue centre in her spare time and that’s where she fell in love with Amos.
She realised that it would be difficult to rehome a blind dog, and so decided to adopt Amos with her partner Billy Howe, 27, in August last year.
However, she was wary of how her border terrier, nine-year-old Toby, would react when he met his new brother.
It turns out she needn’t have worried.
The pair quickly became best buds and Toby is now Amos’ unofficial guide dog. He defends Amos from other dogs, helps him find his water bowl and protects him.
‘Toby was the best present I ever got,’ said Jess.
‘He is very independent, and he likes his own space so we were a bit concerned to see how accepting he would be of Amos.
‘I thought it would be very difficult to find an owner and while Amos was on medical care for four months, we decided to foster him in February last year but after a while we realised we would never give him back.
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‘At the beginning Toby growled at him a few times and then ignored him – Amos came from a kennel so doesn’t know how to socialise with other dogs.
‘After a couple of days, I saw that Amos couldn’t find his water bowl and Toby nudged him and helped him out.’
Amos had to undergo an eye operation to have his eyes removed, and now takes comfort in having his best friend by his side.
The two like to go out on adventures together and if Amos needs help, he’ll simply nudge Toby for assistance.
‘When we went out on walks Amos was very scared, especially of the noises and Toby quickly picked up that he needed help – so every time Amos was stopping, Toby would go and lie next to him till he would be ready.
‘They have developed a nice communication between them, and they know each other’s boundaries.
‘Amos’s main problem is that other dogs don’t like him when they approach him, obviously because he cannot communicate the same way, so he doesn’t have other friends.
‘Amos is still a bit worried when he is outside in busy areas – that’s why we all go on adventures so he can get used to the great outdoors in a more quiet setting.
Instead of buying special Kong stuffing, stuff a Kong with cheese cubes and place in the microwave for five seconds.
‘Toby is always there to protect him – we call him his “bodyguard”.’
We’re not crying, you are.