I was sitting in my armchair, practising the Braille Font when a doorbell rang loudly.

'Who is it?' I asked Judy, my daughter.

'My friend! We are going to visit the cafe, mom,' she replied.

I went downstairs using a cane and heard Lily the spitz making a tiny bark. A tender smile crossed my face until my ears captured another sound - it was a loud and massive bark of an adult dog. And we had one in our house. But it was Charlotte, my guide angel, who never whoofed. The noise kept reaching me and I felt soothing fur at a height precisely replicating Charlotte's one. The bark repeated, and a wet nose bumped into my hand, constantly sniffing.
'Aw, Charlotte, is it your voice?' I exclaimed.
'Whoof!' she responded with excitement.
My Charlotte finally found her bark.

***

It was a sunny Friday, 2009, a cabinet 125 in a hospital was full of people. A young couple, Mark and Betsy, was sitting on a couch, looking with hope at a doctor.

'We have analyzed your situation and concluded that the recovery operation is impossible,' an elderly man sighed heavily. 'Both optic nerves are the subject of disintegration in a decently short term. To my regret, we can offer a ceasing procedure only.'

The woman breathed in suddenly to withhold the tears and reached for the man's hand, squeezing it desperately, 'Does this mean I will never be able to see again?'

'We cannot predict how the medicine is going to progress later on, so there is always a chance of getting your sight back, do not worry,' the doctor replied with a smile in his voice. 'Let us sign you in for the surgery.'

Mark swallowed, thinking about his family going through such difficult times. He whispered into Betsy's ear, 'We will overcome everything, together. You hear me?'

Three months later the family gathered in a backyard of their house, little blonde girl was building a "sand mall", according to her own words, while the parents we sitting down on a blanket. A white piece of paper looked too shiny in the sunlight if only it had not contained so much unwanted information for both. "Guide Dogs for the Blind" was written on the top with the following inscription: "A match application form".

'So, honey, now we have to fill in our application for your first guide dog, isn't it great?' Mark said, tenderly holding his wife's hand.

'I feel so?' Betsy replied with some hesitation. It was impossible for her to imagine independent trips with a dog. The dog which will be meant to work as her eyes. She could barely navigate at home for now. Just add here all the housework the woman had to do when her husband was at work and her child - in the kindergarten; it was already overwhelming a lot. How could she keep the dog in addition?

'So, what kind of the guide angel you want? Loud, silent, affectionate? Light, dark?' the man kept asking her.

'Just loving, I don't know, to be honest, probabl...' the little girl intervened Betsy. 'Mommy, can we get a dog with a prince or princess name, please? I really want to have a real royal family here!'

***

Another few months passed by, our beloved ones were at the moment in a training centre for Guide Dogs, confusingly looking around. The yard was filled by distinct dogs; small, big, active and calm species of all colours and ages. However, none of them seemed to pay attention to the guests - they have been raised and trained to be partners and helpers for people, which included bravely serving no matter what would happen around.
The girl could not believe her own eyes! It must have been the Santa's early present because puppies (she loved them as much as parents) were all over the place. Betsy, on the contrary, was struggling to relax here. With this variety of sensations - noises and smells - she felt lost.

'Oh, good morning there!' Betsy turned immediately to a voice. The woman continued, 'We've been waiting for you. We know that looking for your first guide partner is a real challenge. But we're extremely happy to introduce you to Theresa, your guide dog!'

Betsy bent her arm to touch the dog and met her halfway. A wet tongue licked the backside of women's hand and was changed by a curious nose. The little girl giggled in happiness; Mark breathed out as his wife sat on her knees to carefully hug the dog. Everything was alright.
With days flying Theresa and Betsy got to know the other one better. They have come through a course of training and successfully started their own journey. Theresa would always follow the owner regardless of time and place. When not working as Betsy's guide, she would sleep on the woman's lap. She tried to help with everything - from bringing the cane to barking at birds in the yard being assured they could annoy her owner.
When the two would go out for a walk or doing shopping every stranger could say that the dog loved Betsy with her whole heart. If the woman stopped, Theresa would immediately sit and stare at Betsy with patience until given another command. They have had many engaging routes: the park one, the cafe one and, Theresa's favourite, the river one.
Soon Theresa got her middle name - Hope.

***

However, it could not all be so fine. By the end of a 5 year period, Theresa got ill. A vet in the nearest pet clinic would simply shrug as a reply for family's pleadings - the situation was hopeless.

'They said we have to choose another dog, Mark,' sobbed Betsy, petting heavily breathing Theresa in the living room one evening. 'But I can't replace my angel with anyone, how is that even possible?' she could not hold her tears and buried her face in Theresa's soft fur.

Next week became a mess; parents were dealing with another match, which happened to be found quite rapidly.

On Wednesday morning Betsy received a call: 'Hello, we've got another matching candidate for you! When would you like to come and take the dog?'

'Oh, I know, it's not along with your rules, but could I get a test meeting beforehand, please? It is hard for me to get used to a new dog,' asked Betsy.

'Okay we've known you for years, no problem. Let me just write down the date...' the woman replied.

'And is she affectionate? I highlighted this on the application form as well as the colour,' added Betsy.

'About the colour... that's the only issue here, her fur is black, but she is extremely loving!' the operator said.

Later on that day Betsy was lying in bed being nervous about the next day, 'If only she had a princess name too!'

***

Thus, the most important day started. The whole family was preparing well to meet with their potential member for the first time. As soon as car tires squealed in the yard, Judy, the daughter, glued herself to a window. Her mom went out with dad by her side and sat on the grass in anticipation.

'God, let me know if she is the one I need,' a thought was spinning in Betsy's mind.

She heard tiny steps and got knocked down by a big something. The something kissed her cheek once, then twice, and everyone sighed out. The dog was the right one.
When the family came for dog's documents, they found out she was not a princess at all. Her name was Cagney. Betsy decided to change it to Charlotte.
Charlotte and Theresa surprisingly liked each other and seemed to be sharing their own working secrets frequently, causing Lily, little spitz, bark desperately at latters. Betsy could only cherish such moments since Theresa began spending less and less time on her feet. It was obvious that she might not have lived until Christmas.
What surprised the whole house was the lack of Charlotte's barking. During her work as a guide dog, those could be useful signals for Betsy.
That was the reason why the woman on Theresa's last day asked her sole thing, 'I hope you will guide Charlotte from up there as you did to me and will help her to find her bark one day.'

***

As it is set in the Guide Dogs for the Blind, a new dog can get the same name as one of the other pets only if the last dies. On December 25, a long-haired puppy was named Theresa.
In a neighbouring district, another dog received a new name too.

Betsy called her second life angel Charlotte Faith.

She has now had Hope and Faith.