For 14 years Panda the pony has assisted her blind owner, Ann Edie.
Now Edie is returning the service.
Crushed by the loss of her first seeing eye dog, Edie sought a longer-lived companion. She settled on Panda, a rare seeing-eye pony.
Panda could live more than 30 years—as long as her 69-year-old owner.
However, Panda got colic, a potentially fatal condition.
Edie and her husband paid $30,000 to get Panda the necessary treatment. They spent their retirement fund, and raised money online.
“Of course I wanted to do everything I could to save her because she’s very special,” Edie explained. “She’s very important.”
Thanks to the care, Panda is back to leading Edie through the streets of the Albany, New Yor,k suburb where they both live.
Edie plans for a long future working together with Panda.
“If she doesn’t have another major colic event she can certainly live another 20 years or more,” Ann Edie said of her beloved—and helpful—companion.
