True Friendship?

Have you ever heard about the story of Lily and Maddison - two Great Danes who formed a heart-warming friendship? If not, here's a quick summary: Lily has been blind since a bizarre medical condition required that she have both eyes removed. For the last 5 years, Maddison has been Lily's sight - helping her get around by leading her. The two are, of course, inseparable. Lily and Maddison made national news last fall because their owner became unable to continue caring for the two big dogs and a dog welfare organization (Dog Trust) was working to place the dogs with a new owner. Social media helped their story go viral.

Lily and Maddison

Well, I was going to write a nice warm and fuzzy post about how wonderful it is that dogs (and animals) can form unbreakable bonds and nurture and support each other. (I like to think that Tahoe and Ashley are friends for life and that they enjoy each others company.) Unfortunately, a little more research revealed that Lily and Maddison are no longer together.

Tahoe & Ashley = Best buddies

So what happened? Lily and Maddison were eventually placed with a new owner but the stress of the move and the change in environment caused Lily to attack Maddison. Animal behaviorists were brought in to evaluate the situation and they concluded that the two dogs were unable to reconcile and live together. So, Maddison stayed in the new home and Lily went back to the dog welfare organization and was eventually placed in a new home too.

I suppose the real moral of the story here is that change is difficult.... for everyone. It is not unusual for behaviors to change when the circumstances change. While Lily and Maddison didn't prove to be friends for life, the separation has allowed them to spread their doggy-joy to not just one but TWO loving families and in the end, that's a happy ending.