Your story also reminded me of this old couple my parents made us visit as kids – they had THREE toy poodles that were all blind. It really freaked us kids out how these dogs were able to find us no matter how quiet we thought we were….

dogs just think something along the lines of “It’s nighttime always now. Huh. How about that.” and they get on with it.

Except that they really don’t have an inner monologue like we do, so it’s just “they get on with it”.

He handled this latest infirmity with the same nonchalance he’d handled any previous one. He adapted, quickly, and still remained vibrant and happy to “see” me. He loved a good tug-of-war and remembered where he’d left his rope and would bound over to it and bring it to me when he wanted to play.

I hope I can keep that in mind as I get older. Accept. Adapt. Keep a sense of humor and make the best out of any situation.

Dogs are wonderful teachers.

I, too, had the same feelings: “they don’t understand, it’s my dog and she’s going blind. How can she adjust to that?”

But over time, with a little bit of research on the internet, I was comforted by stories – many of them similar to Jason’s well-written experience – who helped me believe that this condition was not the end of the world, for me or for Senka.

By the way, the articles on this website http://www.blinddoginfo.com were some of the first pages that helped me see this condition in a new way, I hope it can help others.

Thanks for a great article (and artwork!) Jason, it made my day!

I have a 12 yr old blind and deaf (from birth) Australian shepherd (she’s white – and no pigment in eyes or ears for aussies = some degree of blind/deaf).

Over the years it’s been absolutely cool to watch her cope/deal/manage so impressively with her environment on smell/feel alone. And it’s not s/thing she had to adapt to like sighted-dogs who lost their vision – she’s never known anything different.

give your Virginia a pat on the head for me :).

At least, I think I saw someone collecting money for “Blind dogs for the Guides”….

And, thanks to all of you that contributed your own stories… and good for you for the love you’ve expressed…

I’ll give my sighted pup and extra hug tonight…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPbCi7eY5TM

He’s in the twilight of his years now, and sleeps most of the time. Still, the sound of food being poured in his bowl gets the ol’ tail waggin’ every time.

And on a side-note … even though I am totally crazy for *any* dog, Virginia seems particularly sweet !

we think he escaped from a traveling russian circus, where he was a Performing Dog, jumping thru hoops, etc. covered with burrs and filled with heartworms, he was a project from day one. the trainers at the circus must have been great huge russians with beards, because he was afraid of and aggressive towards large, blustery men. only dog that ever bit me.

dear old Fig, we still love and honor him.

Once she had it removed it was like nothing was wrong. I just saw her today and she is RUNNING on it after 2 or 3 weeks. The vet told my mom that animals adapt to changes really well (much like Virginia), and that the dog had no emotional attachment to the toe like a human would. Animals really are pretty amazing :P

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?CUTE_PICTURE_ALERT:_Guide_dog_leads_blind_pooch_-_two_are_inseparable&in_article_id=708400&in_page_id=34

The pets teach a valuable lesson. They don’t need to be pittied they need to learn by doing. The skills it takes to be a “good blind person” are a more complex and benefit from education. But in the long run it’s the same concept.

Seems as if it’s quite possible:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/8168311.stm

She was due to be euthanized as unadoptable but the people at the vet’s office casually asked if I wanted to see her — and I knew she was my dog and belonged with me. The optic nerves in both eyes are totally destroyed and we call her our Frankendog because you can see that her skull was cracked and put together oddly.

She is one of a pack of a dozen dogs here and she functions amazingly well. Several of the dogs will run and play, zooming around, and there she is, running behind them. She has memorized the house and the yard and copes really well when things change — if a chair is moved, for instance. She seems to use her front legs sometimes to feel her way if she senses something in front of her.

There have been times when she bumps into our oldest dog when he’s snoozing in a doorway. He snarls at her and she has learned for the most part to be very careful around the places he likes to be.

I named her Joyful — because she is. She walks on a leash just fine. I’ve taught her that when I say “Step” it means something is going to change — a curb, a change from gravel to grass, a ramp. She is just a happy girl. There is no reason to think she spends any energy or thought at all to the concept that once the world was light and now it isn’t.

Sometimes she will be running with the other dogs and they will have moved on and I look out the window to see Joyful doing a deep play bow with nobody there — and I get a lump in my throat. The important thing about that, though, is that it doesn’t bother her a bit. She just changes direction and finds the others and carries on.

My brother sent me the link to this post. I loved it and every one of the comments. And — if somebody wants to contact me directly, I have the book “Living With Blind Dogs” which has a lot of good information. I’ll be happy to pass it along.

Regards and tummy rubs to Virginia.