Jilli is now 8 years old. She's in really good health so I hope to keep her for another 2 or 3 years yet. Yes, we do have a really good bond. I had to part with my last guide dog Bruce when he was 9 and a half because he started getting really agressive as he grew older, although he was over protective right from the start. He the very first (and probably last) Australian shepard guide dog. Originally meant to be a show dog as he had his tail docked which must have caused his agression but the guide dog association weren't responsible for that as he was a gift and had his tail docked before they got him. I didn't really want to give him up but there were children around at the time so I didn't have much choice. My dad looked after him after he retired until he died a few years ago.
Jilli's much calmer. She's really good with children and small animals. I should know as I have rescue rats and chinchillas and she lets them climb on her. I won't ever want to part from her.
You can see lots of pictures of her here: Very Dangerous Beans
