Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust [S0021]

2012 PB with some cover wear and nice clean text pages. Faith. Trust. Triumph. "I'm sorry," the doctor said. "He is permanently and totally blind. There is nothing we can do for him." George and Sarah Hingson looked at each other, devastated. Their six-month-old son, Michael, was a happy, strawberry blond baby boy, healthy and normal in every way except one. When the Hingsons switched on a light or made silly faces, Michael did not react. Ever. "My best suggestion is that you send him to a home for the blind," the doctor continued. "He will never be able to do anything for himself." Forty-seven years later, a yellow Labrador retriever puppy was born in the whelping unit of Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California. The puppy's name was Roselle. On September 11, 2001, she saved Michael's life. This is Roselle's story too. --From the Introduction: "Every moment in Michael Hingson's and Roselle's lives seemed to lead up to this day. When one of four hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center's north tower on September 11, 2001, Michael Hingson, a district sales manager for a data protection and network security systems company, was sitting down for a meeting. His guide dog, Roselle, was at his feet. Paired for twenty-one months, man and dog spent that time forging a bond of trust, much like police partners who trust their lives to each other. Michael couldn't see a thing, but he could hear the sounds of shattering glass, falling debris, and terrified people flooding around him and Roselle. However, Roselle sat calmly beside him. In that moment, Michael chose to trust Roselle's judgment and not to panic. They were a team. Thunder Dog is a story that will forever change your spirit and your perspective. It illuminates Hingson's lifelong determination to achieve parity in a sighted world and how the rare trust between a man and his guide dog can inspire an unshakable faith in each one of us.

From Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This was both tugging to my emotions and very heartwarming. It was so tragic to read that Michael and his Service dog Roselle (Thunder dog) had to go through September 11 but was happy they survived the attack and read about their incredible bravery. This is a memoir I won't forget anytime soon."; "It was really good. I don't want to say too much as to give away the highlights of the book...but essentially you're guided through Michael's experiences on 9/11 as well as some of his experiences throughout his life. Being that Michael is blind (and has been from birth), the book offers a lot of insight to the life of a blind person in North America; something I'd never thought to consider or wonder about, but found really fascinating. Michael talks about learning to get around as a kid as well as the thrill of getting a guide dog."; "Wow. This book flips between 9/11 and Michael's life. Not only is the story of how he survived 9/11 breathtaking (and almost tear-jerking), but it also highlights his faith in God and how he entrusted his life to God's care. This book takes you on a journey through Michael's life, how he overcame obstacles and lived his life just like everyone else. He focuses on how being blind didn't limit him and how the treatment of others toward his blindness either helped or hurt (though he has such an amazing attitude toward people who "just don't understand"). You just need to read this book. Because of the terror of 9/11 and a few minor references, I would recommend this to readers 14+."