The Tao was a very special golden retriever. He spent the majority of his life as a guide dog serving his blind owner. When he was about 3 years old he met his best friend, Sandy. Everyday Tao waited by the door of his blind owner's office for Sandy to come. She would walk him and feed him treats. They had made a fine connection - Sandy and the Tao.

As the years went by, Sandy became more involved with the Tao - she arranged all of Tao's visits to the vet and to the groomers. She hired dog walkers and took the Tao for long walks at the beach when he wasn't working. Tao may have lived and worked for the blind man but he truly belonged to Sandy.

Tao loved to visit Sandy at the culinary library where she worked. All of the chefs and students from the culinary department became very attached to the big guy. People from around campus would stop by the library just to see if Tao was visiting. Students taking a break from their classes would love to come in and pet him for a while. The chef instructors loved bringing down special Tao bones. Tao became the department mascot and on his fifth birthday, over fifty friends attended his party in the library. Students who graduated from the program would come back to the library years later to visit the very special dog.

When Tao was 10, the blind man received another Seeing Eye dog. Finally, Tao was able to live with Sandy. With Sandy, Tao had two glorious years of retirement. I'd say he forgot all about being a service dog and spent his last few years just being a dog. He received the best of care. A dog nanny came while Sandy was at work and took him around with her all day. He visited the acupuncturist for his arthritis - always feeling 110% when he left the office! Tao had loads of friends; I think he preferred humans to other dogs. He could always smell the doggie treats in your pocket! Tao was no ordinary eater either. He would eat just about anything including bananas, lettuce, and oh, he loved blueberries!

One of the places he loved the most was the library where he got to visit all of his old friends on campus. During his last few months, Tao was there everyday - lying by the front door greeting the library patrons. He loved all the attention. The week before his 13th birthday, Tao was diagnosed with bone cancer in his paw. Having already survived 3 operations, and in terrible pain, Tao was put to rest. The Tao was so very special and he touched so many people's lives. He will truly be missed.