Hi Malcolm it sounds as though you were very unlucky with the health of the guide dogs especially when you had one like Edwin I am on my third guide dog now I got my first one in 91 she was a retriever cross collie and she worked until she was 11 1/2 and then she had five years of good retirement with a friend of mine my second one was a retriever lab cross she worked at the age of 10 she is retired and living with a lady in Leeds I heard from her a couple of days ago she said that Xena is fit and very happy steel and join her walks the one I have got now is a curly coated retriever Black and very curly like a sheep they call her tina I think she must have been called after Tina Turner because she has got long black legs we go out every morning for about two hours down by the river in York where there is a very large area of grass where she enjoys her free running we meet up with other dog walkers you should think about writing a book as you are an excellent storyteller Best wishes Harold