Lona has worked every day since she was 2 years old. Now, at age 101/2, she's retiring.

The golden retriever is a guide dog for the blind. She has acted as the eyes for Mary Lou Groom for more than eight years.

Groom, 62, has retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive hereditary eye disease. "I've got enough eyesight to get myself in trouble. It depends on how much light there is. If it's too sunny, it's like a big whiteout. Actually, overcast days are best for me," she said.

"When you get in a situation where you just can't see, you have to learn to trust your dog," said Groom.

Groom received Lona from Guide Dogs for the Blind, a charitable organization that was established in 1942 to serve blind World War II veterans. The school now provides guide dogs for visually impaired people throughout the United State and Canada.

It operates two training facilities - one in San Rafael, Calif. and one in Boring, Ore.

According to Groom, Guide Dogs for the Blind provides the trained dog, harness, leashes and brushes, everything you need to take care of your dog, all for free.