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

Faith. Trust. Triumph.

ôIÆm sorry,ö the doctor said. ôHe is permanently and totally blind. There is nothing we can do for him.ö

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. ôMy best suggestion is that you send him to a home for the blind,ö the doctor continued. ôHe will never be able to do anything for himself.ö

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 puppyÆs name was Roselle. On September 11, 2001, she saved MichaelÆs life. This is RoselleÆs story too.

ùFrom the Introduction

Every moment in Michael HingsonÆs and RoselleÆs lives seemed to lead up to this day. When one of four hijacked planes flew into the World Trade CenterÆs 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 couldnÆt 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 RoselleÆs 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 HingsonÆs lifelong determination to achieve parity in a sighted world and how the rare trust