Daily devotion

At work today a retirement collection came round for a man who has worked for 40 years as an audio-typist. He and his guide-dog Pasha have been a familiar part of life here.

More so than other retirement collections this one makes me sad. It seems to be ‘the end or an era’ in more ways than one. In today's world ‘the typist’ has become almost extinct. Sadly the caring nature of the world has also changed.

It's true that many people will still go out of their way to accommodate a blind person but today these vulnerable people are also more likely to be ridiculed or robbed. But that’s not the thing that makes me feel sad, it’s the total devotion of his dog Pasha, to her master. A guide-dog gives everything.

I recently walked to the far end of the building. Around the corner came Pasha lolloping towards me, tail wagging, happy to be able to roam and ‘play’ while her master was safely settled working, and that’s what makes me sad.

When he has retired we will no longer see that living example -the total devotion of dog to man.