A throng of children surrounded Ron Henry and his golden retriever, Kehotay, at Werner Park. Many of the kids wondered aloud what adults seemed too polite to ask: Are Henry and his 11-year-old guide dog both blind?
Yes, they are.
Kehotay has served as Henry's guide dog since 2006, helping him avoid obstacles, stop at curbs and steps, and negotiate traffic. But pigmentary uveitis, a glaucoma-like illness common to the breed, caused Kehotay great suffering from pressure on his eyes, and he lost his vision.
Even though Kehotay couldn't perform his guide-dog duties anymore, Henry said he never considered euthanizing his dog, although some people urged him to do so.
"He's my partner and my best friend," Henry said. "I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't give him away, either, because he'd be lost without me. I'd be lost without him."
Dr. Mike Hord, a veterinarian with Val Verde Animal Hospital, began attempting to treat Kehotay with powerful eyedrops. It soon became evident that he would need to remove the dog's eyes. They came out in May.
"Kehotay lost vision in one eye, and then in a pretty short amount of time, he lost vision in the other, so we knew where this was headed," Hord said. "When we saw him after the surgery, it was like he was a new dog. The pain was gone."
Henry said Hearts United for Animals paid for the surgery.
Henry's own journey into darkness began when he was born with Usher syndrome, a condition that affects both hearing and vision. He has been hearing-impaired since birth and is now legally deaf.
His vision slowly deteriorated until he was diagnosed as blind 10 years ago. As Henry's vision failed, he had a number of accidents and was hit while walking three times by cars, resulting in a number of injuries to his teeth.
His fortunes began to "really improve" nine years ago when he was paired with Kehotay, he said. Now, Henry's the one trying to make things better for his old friend.
Earlier this week, Henry went to Werner Park to interpret the national anthem for hearing-impaired fans through sign language with the help of his friend Liz Polinski-Smith. She and her husband, Ricky Smith, who is deaf, helped Henry and Kehotay down to the infield.
Standing on the Storm Chasers logo behind home plate, Henry said he was "very, very nervous" while waiting for the anthem - sung by 16-year-old Alex Petrigash of Gretna - to start. Kehotay, a jaunty red handkerchief around his neck, happily squeezed between Henry and Polinski-Smith.
"Kehotay is doing great," she said afterward. "He is just learning to change jobs from being Ron's guide dog to being a therapy dog. Today is a big test for them both."
The plan now is for Henry to get another guide dog, and he's applying for one from Leader Dogs in Detroit. He hesitated to apply until he learned that he would not have to give up Kehotay, who will appear with Henry during a variety of public appearances such as at assisted living facilities.
Since his surgery in May, Kehotay has been learning to find his way around the house and backyard.
His training began with a visit to a Colorado Springs organization that works with blind animals.
"They were very impressed with the way Ron and Kehotay already work together," said Polinski-Smith, who with her husband drove the pair to Colorado Springs.
"Kehotay was so well-trained before, and he's already Ron's best friend. The thing now is for them to practice getting around."
Kehotay's hearing and sense of smell help him track down his master at home when the doorbell rings or nature calls. Wind chimes were placed near the stairs in the backyard; a warning track of bark along the fence and rug remnants in front of each doorway help Kehotay keep his bearings.
On walks, Henry's foot taps tell Kehotay about stairs he detects with his cane. Henry is also experimenting with a phone app for the blind that - connected by Bluetooth to his hearing aids - tells him how many steps to take and when to turn.
The pair are regulars at Blue Moon Fitness and already have returned to their neighborhood grocery store. Henry said he's convinced that he soon can find his way to other nearby shops they used to frequent.
Henry works five nights a week at Outlook Nebraska, which provides job opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.
He also does housework, mows the lawn and even shovels the walk. He values his independence, but he said the help he has received from friends, neighbors and church groups has been unbelievable.
Over the past six weeks, Henry and Kehotay have been traveling to assisted living homes so that the golden retriever can learn it's all right to accept attention. As a guide dog, he was trained to focus only on his master.
"It was wonderful to have all those kids come up to him at the (baseball) game because he loves kids, and he's learning that now it's OK to get close," said Polinski-Smith. "He's still a working dog, but he's just changed jobs."
Right after the surgery, Henry said, he and Kehotay would "lose each other" in the house. Now, Henry just has to start tapping and Kehotay comes running - unless the dog wants to have a little fun.
"Sometimes he gets right behind me just to trick me, especially in the morning," Henry said. "Then I put out my hand, and he's sort of shaking, it's like he's laughing at me."
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'I'd be lost without him': After going blind, guide dog adjusts to new role alongside longtime owner
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