Retiring any much-loved pet is difficult, but when that animal has been a highly-trained, working companion who has given faithful service and devotion, it is doubly hard for its owner to loosen the special bond and rapport which they have built together over the years.

Yet sightless Jean Howes always knew it was something she would have to do. Her beloved golden labrador, Walnut, was ten years old and approaching the traditional end of a guide dog's working life, and the Guiding Eyes for the Blind organisation, from which her dogs have come, believes that age nine to ten is about the right time to bond with a new dog.

Fully trained guide dogs and new owners are like any "couple" - they need time to get to know each other and work as a team. In the case of the Guiding Eyes for the Blind school in New York, the normal process is for clients to attend a 26-day intensive training course to learn to work with and care for their designated dog - something Mrs. Howes had always done with her previous guide dogs, but this time she asked for the trainer to bring the dog to Bermuda.

"I have been through the training course three times before, and there are a lot of things you learn which are not applicable here, such as getting on and off trains and subways, and traffic travelling on the opposite sides of the road, so I thought it made more sense for the trainer to come to Bermuda and see where I live, where I go, how I travel, and so forth," Mrs. Howes says. "Besides, Janice and I are old friends, and I thought it would be nice for her to see our beautiful Island."

Thus it was that Ms Abbott stepped off the plane on a typically bright sunny day recently with Quana, a beautiful black labrador bitch, in tow. There to meet them were Mrs. Howes and Walnut.

"I was a little bit worried as to how the dogs would react, but they ignored each other," Mrs. Howes says. "When Walnut first saw Quana she hid behind me, but coming back from the airport she looked straight ahead as if to say, 'I don't know who you are and I don't really care'."

Which is perhaps just as well, because Walnut is not facing eviction. Rather, her retirement will be spent where she has always lived - at least, that is the plan if Mrs. Howes can persuade Quana to respect such things as Walnut's favourite chair, which she has adopted already. Meanwhile, Walnut stayed with a family who adore her while the new dog was settling in. This was so that Quana would not be distracted or taught any tricks by Walnut, who has a fun-loving, energetic nature.

"Of all three of my guide dogs, Walnut has stayed the liveliest," Mrs. Howes says. "She is still a lovely, excitable, beautiful dog."

Quana, on the other hand, is a very placid, low-key dog.

Her local training began right after her arrival when she began learning the layout of her new home and neighbourhood. For the first few weeks of transition, even while indoors, the guide dog is kept on a leash as a form of control so that it understands it must stay next to its owner at all times, which of course also helps with the bonding process. From the very first night Quana has slept beside Mrs. Howes' bed, often receiving loving pats in the darkness.

So far the duo have been doing well as a team. Under Ms Abbott's watchful eye, they have walked everywhere Mrs. Howes normally goes, and have also been to Hamilton and St. George's. They have ridden the buses, and even visited a nightclub to see the Bacardi Bermuda Calypso Island Review.

"It's a wondeful show although Quana found it a bit loud," Mrs. Howes laughs.

One thing she is particularly pleased about is the slower pace at which her new dog walks.

"Walnut can't understand that. We were walking really fast around the block one day and I fell and bruised my leg. She is a big dog and I would have to say, 'Slow down, slow down,' but even though she is young, little Quana is doing well," she says.

As its owner's eyes, a guide dog must always be alert to obstacles and lead the person safely around them; another is halting appropriately at crossings. Through holding the rigid handle attached to Quana's harness, Mrs. Howes is learning to "read" her dog's body language, and of course Quana is having to learn a different traffic flow pattern. So far, there is a problem which the duo are working to correct: the dog tends not to recognise the gate leading to Mrs. Howes' home, which can be disorienting.

As with her other guide dogs - Moon, Mandy, and Walnut - Mrs. Howes is having second thoughts about the animal's name. She is not over-enthusiastic about 'Quana,' which was given to the dog in puppyhood. Like any "parent," she prefers to name the dog herself, but the rule is that a name-change must be something which sounds very similar so that the dog does not become confused.

"I am thinking about Alana," Mrs. Howes says.

As with all recipients, the guide dogs are provided free to their sightless owners. Through fund-raising, the Guiding Eyes for the Blind organisation and Lions Clubs worldwide underwrite the total cost of breeding, raising and training them.