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Friday, March 27, 2026

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Penny introduces her Guardian Angel

By Anne Davison

Troubadour was a surprising guest at Hamiota Community Hall on Sunday. His harness gave away his purpose and Penny’s cane completed the picture.

Troubadour is a Guide Dog for the Blind graduate who gives performing musician Penny Buhr a way to navigate this world since her visual impairment due to retinitis pigmentosa.

With deteriorating eyesight her life abruptly changed.

“About nine years ago I got hit by a car. I flew over three lanes – 15 – 20 feet. My life did not flash before my eyes… all I wondered was ‘how long I’m going to be in the air?’ It was quite a miracle,” she recounts. He daughter, a nurse, told her she must have had angels cushioning her fall. She didn’t break any bones except a cracked elbow.

Her daughter insisted that she needed a guide dog.

They found, Guide Dogs for the Blind school – GDB.com, the longest running school and the one with an exceptional reputation for dogs who do not get distracted and fail their person.

“It was a 16-year-old girl that raised Troubadour. First, they get chosen from the litter because they show confidence and caution.

From five weeks old they are watched to see what kind of inclinations they would have. They can’t be sneaky … lazy or aggressive,” Penny explains.

Troubadour and two of his siblings (out of litter of eight) made it through. At 12 months old the dogs take a final exam with two tries to pass. They are taken into traffic, restaurants, and many situations.

“He passed, everywhere, with flying colours,” says Penny proudly. “The process on my side took two years. At that time there were 200 people waiting for one dog that was ready. It was a great deal to be selected. You have to be walking a certain amount at a certain speed.”

How does the dog help?

“His communication is very subtle, but he tells me a lot,” says Penny.

On Sunday, Troubadour lay beside Penny as she performed on keys and vocals, rising for his kibble treat on cue – audience applause.

She encourages anyone looking for a charity to consider donating to the life changing guide dog project. “He’s changed my life and I’m not afraid to go anywhere, anytime. He’s my angel.”