Guide dog goodbye difficult for owners

Saying goodbye to a faithful guide dog is an emotional time for their masters. 

Randy Quinn is preparing himself for the day he will let Lucy go to a new home to enjoy her retirement harness free. 

Lucy is a 13-year-old black Labrador that was trained as a service dog. She has worked and lived with Quinn for 11 years. 

But Lucy is showing her age. Her muzzle is grey and she has a touch of arthritis in her hind legs. 

"She's more company now than a worker. But she still works. If I say I'm going to the bank, or I'm going to pay the light bill, she knows where to go and knows how to get back home."

Quinn is getting a new guide dog in a few weeks. He has made the decision to retire Lucy to another home when he receives his new service dog. 

"It can be tough on a working dog like Lucy to retire in the same home when a new dog moves in," said Quinn. 

"One of them has to stay home, and she'd be jealous."

But knowing Lucy will go to a good home is making saying goodbye a little easier for Quinn. 

"It's going to be hard to say goodbye after 11 years. She's been a great companion. Better than great. Yeah, better than most friends," said Quinn. 

Marcia Carroll is executive director of P.E.I. Council of People With Disabilities. She said most owners do give up their retired guide dogs in order to allow for a smoother transition with their new service animal. 

But Frank Larkin made a different decision when his service dog, Leroy retired after being with him for 11 years. He kept the dog in his home when he welcomed and trained a new guide dog. 

"I'd had him so long, you know. I just, I couldn't give him up. He was my buddy. He'd done an amazing job keeping me safe over the years. I just didn't have the heart to give him up," said Larkin. 

Leroy and Larkin's new dog, West did get along and lived in the same home until Leroy died in January. 

"Before he passed, he sat up and looked me in the eye and gave me a wink and he laid down. I cried all day. [I] still miss him," said Larkin. 

Larkin continues to work with West but says the three-year-old dog has needed more work than Leroy did. 

"Leroy was an amazing service dog," said Larkin adding his bond with the dog was instant. "We had our issues, but I think Leroy was just one of those service dogs that come along once in a lifetime."