More: Lilly was born deaf and blind. She was found abandoned at age three in central California. I adopted her at age 3 1/2 from a shelter rescue group. Lilly was my field partner for my last seven years with animal control in Palo Alto, California. She knew how to herd stray cattle and helped many lost pets find their way home. We're both retired now, but Lilly still loves patrolling her old trail assignment in the San Francisco Peninsula Foothills.