Muslim Woman Leans on Guide Horse

Muslims consider canines unclean, which was a problem for a blind Muslim woman who wanted a guide dog. So she got a guide horse. Mona Ramouni of suburban Detroit is getting used to 3-year-old miniature horse Cali—“this is a really awesome little horse,” she told the AP—but it’s not a relationship to be taken lightly. “Taking on a horse as a guide is a huge commitment,” Cali’s trainer said.

“It is not a novelty. It is a real working animal,” the trainer said, adding that Ramouni, 28, is handling it well: “I've never met a young woman with so much dedication.” For her part, Ramouni is in it for the long haul. “I want a horse that will be a partner for the next 30 or so years,” she said. “What I really want is to be able to take her places and go places with her that neither of us ever would have been able to do without each other.” (More blindness stories.)