A much-loved pet who is virtually blind and wears special ‘doggles’ to protect her eyes has a canine best-friend to guide her around.

Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury:

Maisie and Hope have such a strong bond, with the seeing dog sensing exactly what Maisie needs.

“They are near enough inseparable,” said her owner John Bishop, of Ormesby St Margaret, near Great Yarmouth.

Mr Bishop said he and wife Christine were delighted to see Hope taking the lead, whereas it used to be Maisie before she lost her sight.

“When Hope first came she was just four months old and Maisie mothered her, she thought she was her little baby,” he said.

“Maisie is still the boss but Hope now waits for her and she will follow her around, which we are pleased about.

“They are always together and we think Hope senses there is something wrong.”

He said Maisie’s distinctive eye-wear was a talking point in the village with passers-by asking if she was wearing sunglasses or even going skiing.

Maisie has been a patient at Dick White Referrals on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border for four years ago.

In that time she has lost one eye and risks losing the other.

To prepare her for going completely blind her owners have arranged the house and a garden in a way they can put up with for the rest of Maisie’s life - helping her to navigate familiar surroundings.

They have also established a walking route they rarely vary.

Maisie, a Lancashire Heeler, who is now 11 years old, has proved a resilient patient coming through numerous procedures and coping well.

She submits with no fuss to having 16 eye drops a day.

Hospital spokesman Jan Wade said Maisie was a much-loved visitor to the clinic.

She hailed Mr and Mrs Bishop for their care and devotion and said Maisie was remarkable for tolerating so much, including the dog goggle, or doggles.

“For the moment, Maisie continues to have limited sight but, even though it is likely she will become totally blind in the future, her loving owners and canine friend are doing all they can to make her life as enjoyable as possible,” she added