The Leading Lady—Dinah's Story

After sixty years in show business, Betty White has earned her reputation as an American icon. She may be a bona fide television pioneer, but throughout Betty’s life, her heart has always been with the animals. But one of the most enriching episodes in her career as an animal-rights advocate arrived with actor Tom Sullivan. Blind since birth, Tom was one of Betty’s closest friends and professional partners. Their dearest collaboration was a mutual devotion to a golden retriever named Dinah. This first-class guide dog was more than Tom's best friend, she was a source of unqualified loyalty and love. Most important, she enabled Tom to be truly independent for the first time in his life. However as Dinah got older, as her faculties weakened and her confidence faltered, Tom had little choice but to get a new dog. The effect of losing her purpose was devastating to the once-gallant Dinah.

Then Betty gladly stepped in to give this great Lady a new lease on life.

What would transpire is a heartening and inspiring story of a dog who made a difference and who, in Betty White’s words, “helped Tom grow up as she has helped me grow older.” It is for all animal lovers, for all Betty White lovers, and everyone who can relate to the unconditional devotion of dogs and the people who love them.

Betty White is an award-winning actress who has appeared in such iconic television classics as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. Her most recent appearance, as Elka in Hot in Cleveland, has garnered her two consecutive Emmy Awards and a Life Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild. She also just won her first Grammy Award. She celebrated her 90th birthday in January 2012 and lives in Los Angeles, California with her dog, Pontiac.

Tom Sullivan is both a performer and a bestselling author. Blind since birth, he wrote the national bestseller If You Could See What I Hear (which was made into a movie), has appeared over 60 times on the Tonight Show, served for over five years as special correspondent for Good Morning America, sung the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, and received the Books for a Better Life Award for Seeing Lessons. He's also appeared as a guest star in many television hits, including Designing Women, Highway to Heaven, Fame, M.A.S.H, Mork & Mindy, and WKRP in Cincinnati, and has been twice nominated for an Emmy Award. He also competes in golf tournaments, marathons, and triathlons. He lives in Los Angeles, California.