Book excerpt: Rejecting the standard method of obtaining a guide dog, Julie, a blind woman, sets out on a quest to train her own dog as a guide. With a deep desire to combine her joy of dogs and her soul's need to come to terms with the most secret, never confessed, doubts about her capabilities as a blind person, Julie chooses Monty, a stray, who tries hard to become a respectable guide dog. Together they set out on a year long journey to find trust in each other and in themselves. The pair struggle to find their way, delighting in the triumphs and trying not to be overcome with doubts they experience in the year leading up to the day Monty accompanies Julie to work for the first time.