What sweet faces they both have 
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Yes, must say I am smitten, even though Jules tests me at times. She, nearly 5 years older, is much calmer.
At the moment I am waiting for a very short video to…oh, it’s ready, here it is:
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Just brilliant David - and my, doesn’t she pay attention to you - they both do.
Thank you @David_Spardo ! Lovely eyes, like big black olives. Such eager expressions, they clearly love you loads
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Yes, but sadly in a certain light Opies eyes have a misty blue disc in, which we believe is cataracts. Nevertheless I hope they will see her out, you could see how far away she was when she looked up and saw me.
BTW
In the event it all worked fine, and so did the subsequent follow up on the terrasse afterwards, so I think I have got it cracked. Just as long as I remember to do all the preparation before anything else.
I remembered this evening, preparation, Opie’s bowl first Jules’ straight after, no problem. A couple more nights like that and I reckon Jules’ can go down first which is how it should be. 
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I am sorry for Opie and for you. When Agnes gave us a scare last year I did plenty of research. Hope this can be helpful:
“Blind dogs see with their hearts”. 
Wishing you and Opie all the best
I will read your links later @Susannah , thank you, but I suspect they will tell me little that I don’t know already, having already had a completely blind dog, Harper Grace, whose eyes had been removed in infancy and also my 16 and a half year old when she died, English Setter, Tosca,
Tosca was losing sight and also hearing in her last couple of years but in the field would stop and look all around searching for me. I would be doing star jumps and the expression on her face was a joy to see when she spotted me before beginning the rocking gallop, which Opie has, back to me.
Harper Grace, never really ever having any sight, did not really need it as she had supersonic hearing and was attuned to anything I said. Of course she needed me to be there watching for her but she would run like the wind in the field, quite free, while Jules of course was on his long line. If I saw her heading into a danger, a tree for instance, I only had to say, not shout, Harper, and she would turn on the instant towards me. But she had a very aware memory too, When I collected her she ran across a field towards a tree but, without any intervention from me, she swerved it at the last moment.
Back to Opie. If her eyes do not outlive her I am confident that by then she will be so closely attuned to me that she will hardly need them. 
As I say I will read them later but at the moment just racing through emails becuse Gill, the aide de toilette for Fran is due at 9. 
Sorry @David_Spardo , I should have guessed you already know more than I.
The happy thing is that for dogs sight is not the most important sense and Opie seems happily managing with those she has. I wonder if the loud noise fears aren’t part of that? Or perhaps that is something from her own history. I do notice that dogs never forget but they do quickly forgive.
No need for sorry @Susannah and I have now read the first 2 of your links, the third one produces a 502 error, and most of it is very good advice.
I was told by the lady for whom we fostered Harper Grace that it was a fallacy about not moving furniture though. There was no need for us to worry because we had no need to in our house although pulling a chair to the table at mealtimes might have been a problem, but it wasn’t, she managed as well as Jules. I think if it is a regular thing they will soon get used to it but if a major change perhaps a little guidance in the first couple of days would suffice.
I noticed that, though I had to make sure Harper didn’t run into fixed danger like trees, posts or roads, she never collided with Jules in the field so I assume that her hearing and scenting came into play so that she always knew where he was. He made no effort of course to accommodate her other than finding a way around her if she was in his way, but then that is his nature anyway. I was at first worried by Jules long line, as he runs this way and that, sometimes at speed, she could have been swept off her feet many times. But it didn’t happen, several times I saw her leap in the air to clear it or, if reacting a little too late, would high step to avoid entanglement. Thus it never seemed necessary to employ bells on Jules but I can see that it might be useful if a newly blind dog was involved.
Just to show you what I mean, this is a rather long video, almost 12 minutes, with Harper Grace and Jules in the field. The first few minutes will demonstrate her agility and confidence. Jules was not on the long line, but a 10 metre lunge
Down the river field yesterday. All fine, Opie dragging a short lead but otherwise free to roam, never far away but always came back. As usual it is Jules who is the trouble. 
. At one point he disappeared from view down a steep bank to the river, I was not worried because he doesn’t like water so Opie and I continued on our way. When I realised that I was nearing the end of his line and he still had not appeared I knew, because he ignored whistle and voice, that he had snagged himself. I called to Opie, who came back to me, and looped her lead over my wrist, then back to Jules who was stuck halfway up the bank having been down to the water’s edge and returned a different way tangling the line round a tree and 2 bushes. It wouldn’t pull free so I had to hold his collar, detach the line, and then pull it back bit by bit till it was recovered. Then re-attached he was off on his way again. Throughout this time Opie had crouched still on the slope patiently waiting till we were done. Then I let her go and we were off again.
Back at the car, the Berlingo not the Partner, so both dogs go in the side door onto the back seat. She waits for him and then scrambles over the sill and sits on the floor, regaining the seat with him after a few minutes.
Evening meal, perfect again, but I am still feeding her first because she is much slower but this evening or perhaps tomorrow, we will change to the natural way of things. As always, it is more training for him than her, and he is getting better.
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Lovely video! “I don’t want you eating that” I also frequently need to say myself. If I am not paying attention to my dogs, or chatting with someone in the street, I can look down within 60 seconds to spot one trying to scrape something off the pavement with her teeth. 
. And yet, if I forget to put a treat on top of their kibble offerings, they will not eat 
.
As for constantly moving furniture around in the home, who does that? I agree with you that they quickly learn the way around, perhaps using their other senses. 
A slight humerous hitch on our walk today. In the first forest our route joins an ancien chemin rurale which is sunken below the surrounding ground level. Instead of following Jules straight on Opie turned left down the chemin which leads to a neighbour’s unfenced garden. Unheeding my calls while I fumbled unsuccessfully for the whistle she ploughed on at her dogged pace and, following her I was rapidly running out of the line to which Jules is attached. In the end I clipped that to a tree (it has a clip both ends) and hurried after Opie, climbing up to get around a thicket that she had nevertheless bulldozed her way though. Once I got her attention she couldn’t turn round easily because of the brambles she was in and set off again in the direction she was facing. Managed it eventually and got her turned and she was soon back on track but another lesson learned, I will go first next time as I know she will follow me. Won’t she? 
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As mentioned elsewhere, according to the vet’s estimate it is Opie’s 13th birthday today. I will be celebrating it by taking them both out again with my brand new hi-viz yellow glove (just one, on the left hand, I need a heavy duty on the other hand to protect it from the rapidly paying out of Jules’ 33m line) which I am hoping to train her to look on as an instant treat.
This is because, although she is still off lead, actually trailing a short one in case I need to tread on it in emergency (not in the river field which is large and wide and she can easily see me) she is gaining in confidence and does not look up to see where I am often enough, especially in the wooded areas.
The idea is that if I present it to her with a treat frequently, and wave that hand about alot while walking, she will be encouraged to keep a frequent eye on it. Till she gets that right, I have to keep a frequent eye on her instead, not easy with the big black and tan pulling in the opposite direction.
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Well, wearing one glove worked for Michael Jackson
I’m trying to attract one little girl, not little boys.
Just got back and it does seem to be working, at one point in the field she spotted an opening into the forest. I let her go through and she stopped and looked around, spotted me and returned, more glove waving, another treat ( a bit of Comte today. )
I did notice too that when she was walking ahead of me she keeps turning her head slightly, I hope to catch a glance of me in the corner of her eye and if I am still going her way.
BTW, the ‘black and tan’ took a long detour round a clump of trees while Opie carried straight on on the ‘approved’ route. I was so pleased, because previously she had taken that other route too, so took a chance and let go of Jules’ line. We both intercepted him in the field. 
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As mentioned in the Cheerful thread, Opie is one of the family now, officialy, the card came from I-Cad this morning. That is only the icing on the cake, she has been totally free of even the short lead, which I wasn’t holding anyway, for several days now and I have no worries of her wandering away out of sight. I do feel a bit of a wally though, walking along with a very vividly bright yellow hand flapping up and down behind my back so that she can spot me.
Seems to work though. I often turn to see her hurtling towards me with that awkward leg movement she displayed in the video.
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A joyous 8 months or so came to an end this morning. Not entirely unexpected as Opie has not eaten for the last 3 days and from time to time her breathing was coming in very rapid panting. This was not due to heat, she still appeared happy enough but took herself outside a little more often to lie down while looking from side to side at her surroundings. She would then move to another spot.
This morning I awoke at 7 and heard her rapid breathing from her usaul place on the mat by the side of my bed. At 7.30 I got up and she did the same, turned round to watch me slip my shorts on and then turned again to follow me with her eyes as I stepped over her to open the door for her to go out. But she didn’t follow, instead when I looked back I saw that she was lying down again and I knew the time had come.
I stroked her gently till the breathing stopped altogether, she was very relaxed the whole time and in no pain. Gill arrived an hour later and was clearly upset as she agreed to help get her to the car before she left. This we did after Fran’s needs had been met and, shortly before lunch, I drove her to the vet’s.
For the first time in my life I requested to receive her ashes. I have always refused to do this, prefering to bury my dogs myself or, simply leave them with the vet. I don’t trust that the real, or same, ashes, will be returned. But I have always had a tinge of guilt and regret that I left Boss, my dear old Rottie who gloomily stares out of my avatar, at the vet’s. And unreturned.
So that is that, her life before last August was completely unknown, her age was estimated at 13
when she was handed in to the SPA, so now, at 14, she has moved on after, I fondly think, may well have been the happiest 8 months of her life.
One thing that puzzles me is that the vet told me there would be a 2 or 3 week wait for the return of the ashes. Is this normal? I suppose it is a comfort to a doubter like me that you really do get the right rascal back again.
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Oh David, sorry to hear your news. It’s so tough to see them go. Good that she went in her own time. And lovely that you gave her a good life at the end.
2 weeks seem to be the normal time - we’ve got all our dogs’ ashes. It may be that the kiln is not fired up every day and it is holiday time. Everything is a bit slower at the moment.
I’m so happy and at the same time so sorry to read that. What a wonderful last 8 months and how lucky dogs are to live in the moment. All my condolences 
I am so sorry for your loss of Opie and hope that you and Jules can give each other warm consolation. It is truly sad when an animal we love must leave us but as you say, her life with you brought her happiness and that is still a gift.
Sorry for your loss. We lost our Max after 12 years last year. It rips a hole in one. We had him cremated and were in attendance so we could wish him farewell on his journey. We took his ashes with us home.