Cheeky Puppy Grows Up to Be Super Helpful Guide Dog

Szava and Cecilia pass traffic safety test

Cecilia Andrea Horvath and her guide dog Szava successfully passed the traffic safety test despite freezing condition in their home town of Gyor. Freezing rain and sleet presented far from ideal conditions for the test but the human-canine duo persevered, said Monika Kobli, Szava’s guide dog trainer.

Szava was an adorable puppy, she could charm anyone with her cute face and cheeky personality. ‘Once when she was 3 month old, she stole a plastic bottle full of pink cleaning liquid. Proudly running away with her prey, she pierced holes in the bottle with her sharp teeth and squirted liquid all over the sitting room’, remembers Edina Farkas, who was Szava’s puppy host. ‘There was a big mess everywhere: on the sofa, the carpet, even the puppy was covered with pink cleaning fluid. Szava’s fur – despite the quick clean – had a pink hue was weeks.’

‘As Szava grew up, she matured a lot’, Edina added. ‘She became a clever, fast learning dog, full of love and a desire to help. One wintry day, when sleet covered the steps outside, the postman dropped a parcel by our gate. We weren’t sure how to go and get it because of the icy, slippery surface. Szava suddenly seemed to have understood the problem and went outside to retrieve the package in her mouth. She
somehow knows what we want her to do even without words. I am sure she will be a very faithful companion to a blind person, loving and supporting her for years to come.’

We would like to thank members of the exam team: Edit Malyi Juhaszne, Zsoka Bernath and Maria Kovacs Nyirine.  We would also like to thank Erzsebet Takacs Jasztrabne and Viktoria Bolya who helped get Szava and Cecilia ready for their test.
We are also grateful for Edina Fazekas and her family for being Szava’s puppy host family.

We would like to wish Cecilia and Szava many happy years together!