GUIDE PONY TAKES UP RESIDENCEThe first guide pony for the blind has taken up her job with a 45-year-old man.Cuddles is helping Dan Shaw from Ellsworth, Maine, after he decided not to opt for a guide dog. Cuddles was trained at the Guide Horse Foundation in North Carolina. The miniature pony has a lifespan of about 30 years and understands 23 commands. Cuddles' trainer Janet Burleson said some people are allergic to dogs, or need an animal with more stamina. Shaw told the Daily Mail, "I feel blessed. That's how happy I am with Cuddles. I knew that I would get very close to a dog and I just couldn't stand the pain of it dying in eight to 10 years." Cuddles is house-trained, Burleson said. She added, "She will absolutely let you know when she needs to go."
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