“Why would you adopt a blind dog?” It is the first question we hear when people hear about our pug, Cassidy. The better question is; “Why not adopt a blind dog (or cat for that matter)?” They are just as loving and playful as any other pet.
Here is the short version of Cassidy’s story.
In the middle of September 2009 Twinkie (now Cassidy) was rescued from a puppy mill in Georgia were she was a brood bitch. This meant that she lived in a very tiny cage and produced puppies as often as she could. The wire grate flooring left her with splayed feet. While in the puppy mill Twinkie developed a condition know as Pigmentary Keratitis (PK). This went untreated and as a result she is now totally blind. When Twinkie could no longer produce puppies she was turned over to a rescue group in Georgia. She soon moved to New York state and a foster mom from Precious Pug Rescue and Adoption (PPRA). Here she was spayed, brought up to date on vaccinations and was ready for adoption.
My fiancée, Rachel, found Twinkie on the petfinder.com. We talked about the pros and cons of bringing a blind dog into our household. We read and researched how to live with a blind pet and decided that we could provide Twinkie with a good home and give her the love, care and support she needed and missed in life until now. Being a puppy mill rescue, we truly don’t know how old she is. But we decided that if she is with us for 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 or more years, she will be well loved and enjoy life.
A few years ago I had fostered and successfully placed a Pug in a forever home for PPRA. I contacted one of my friends who still works with PPRA and told her that we were interested in adopting Twinkie. We went through the adoption process, were approved and made arrangements meet Twinkie and her foster parents. Everything at the meeting went well and Twinkie came home with us. She was also renamed Cassidy.
When Cassidy came home, she was very timid and shy. She did not run or shun our affection. To our surprise, Cassidy quickly learned her way around her new home and most importantly she knew where her food and water bowls were kept. When Cassidy was living with her foster parents, they used key words to help navigate her way around and would use them to try to prevent her from bumping into things. The word they used the most was “wall” Needless to say, “wall” was the most used word in our home too. Before long, and without us really realizing it, Cassidy was barely bumping into walls and furniture
There were two things still missing. First, was we never heard her bark. Secondly, she didn’t seem interested in any of the toys we bought for her. About a month went by and one night as we were getting her dinner ready, she finally barked. It was at that time that we realized that Cassidy was finally comfortable in her forever home. Shortly thereafter she began to play with some squeaky toys. This made us very happy.
Some people might ask. “how can a blind dog play with toys”? Well, we keep all of her toys in one area. She knows where they are. She carries them around and will occasionally leave them laying on the floor. If she looses her toy, she will put her nose to the floor & she won’t stop searching for her toy until she finds it. She is very determined. One time without us realizing it, a squeaky ball rolled under the sofa. Cassidy would squat down and paw at the sofa. She would constantly pace back and forth too. She was trying to tell us that there was a toy under the sofa, but we didn’t listen. We tried repeatedly to get her to stop pawing at the sofa. Sometimes Cassidy would play with a different toy but she always went looking under the sofa. A few days later and out of our own curiosity we decided to look under the sofa. To our amazement, there was Cassidy’s squeaky ball. We felt silly for not listening to her. Cassidy definitely knows her toys and where she left them too.
We have had Cassidy for six months now. Cassidy has grown so much. She went from a shy and timid puppy mill survivor to a very confident, sweet loving and playful Pug. To be honest, we don’t even think about her being blind anymore. She gets around really well. Occasionally she’ll bump into things, especially if she is playing and chasing after her toys; but we don’t think anything of that, neither does Cassidy lol Nothing will stop her from chasing after and getting her toys lol
We have had the joy and privilege of being able to provide Cassidy with a warm, safe and loving forever home. Cassidy has taught us that blind dogs aren’t much different from dogs that are able to see. Although Cassidy she can’t see, the love and trust is unconditional. The saying is true, “Blind Dogs See With Their Heart”
Jeff Koltoff
Accounting Manager
Doggie Style
