Dear Dinka,

Dear Dinka,


Let me introduce myself. I am Bracha. You don't know me yet, but I know that we are going to get to know each other very well. You see, you are going to be my guide dog and I am going to be your person!

Perhaps you remember me; Rafi took you to do a test walk with me in Rehovot. You probably sensed that I was confidently holding your harness and already knew how to walk with a guide dog, because soon Rafi unclipped his extra leash and let us walk alone. You did everything splendidly – leading me confidently down the sidewalk, pulling assertively on the harness, stopping at each corner, and then halting at the opposite side of the street with your front paws neatly placed on the curb, ready for the next command. But you may have sensed a certain sadness about me, a desire to have you and to love you, but not being quite ready to do that yet. I cried when Noach came to watch us walk, but that was not because of you at all.

So I think it is only fair that I explain what made me so sad when I was actually so delighted with you. There is something very important you need to know before we begin our partnership. I had a guide dog, Suki, whom I loved dearly. I did my best to give her a wonderful life of fun, play, and affection alongside hard work, and she gave me endless love and happiness and did her job with dedication and skill. She was also very beautiful: a large white golden retriever who captured everyone's heart with her dark soft eyes and fluffy white fur. Suki and I were inseparable for the past two years and nine months. But Suki is gone now, and I mourn her deeply. That is why I felt so sad when I was walking with you.

I know that from the moment we begin our partnership some of that sadness will disappear and be replaced with a new love for you. That is part of the healing process I must undergo, and together with time, my pain and sorrow at losing Suki will heal.

There will be a lot of things I will want to teach you, Dinka, but I promise to take things slowly and let you get used to things at your own pace. We will get to know each other and learn to work together and build our relationship. I promise to be patient and understanding. In my mind I might compare you to Suki, but I promise that I will love you for who you are. I will come to know all the exciting things that make you special, because I know that like Suki, you will be special, too! From my short acquaintance with you I sense that you are sweet, mischievous, and lovely.

Everything is waiting for you here, Dinka; a big soft bed, toys, and even shoes to keep your feet from getting burned on the hot pavements in summer. And I have a lot of things planned for us. You'll have to work hard, but there will be lots of fun too; running on the beach, swimming in the river, lying on the lawn at music festivals, lots of traveling, and maybe even trips abroad. We'll do all these things together, and I promise to take good care of you, to love you dearly, and to give you a happy life with me.

Suki was the dog who changed my life and introduced me to the wonderful world of being independent and working with a guide dog. You will be the dog who will bring me back into that world that I lost so suddenly and that I miss so much. I will always have a place in my heart for Suki, but you can be certain that there will be plenty of love for you as well. That love will grow and grow as time goes by, until I love you in the same total and unconditional way that I loved Suki. And I hope that our time together will be long, wonderful, and joyous for both of us. I'm looking forward to it.

So just be yourself, Dinka! I know we'll be fine.