Friday 19 July 2013

Blind Dogs See with their Hearts!



Adopting any orphaned animal is always a good thing, but unfortunately it is the dogs who need the most love that are often overlooked. This is especially true in shelters that don't have a no-kill policy. Dogs that are sick, disabled, or old are the first to be put down. Sometimes, they don't even get a chance to be chosen for adoption.



But we all know that what really matters is what's in a dog's heart, not their appearance. Blind Dog Rescue Alliance (BDRA) certainly knows this well. BDRA is a group of volunteers spread out across Canada and the United States and they're committed to saving blind and visually impaired dogs.

BDRA also has a sanctuary. These dogs tend to either suffer from health problems, extreme shyness or are just simply senior citizens. 




Caring for blind rescue dogs certainly comes with special needs. Challenges include thinking of ways to keep them safe and ways to let them know where they are. For example, noisy tags are put on all the dogs so that the blind dogs can hear where the other dogs are. Dogs are also taught special commands, such as "watch" or "step" that can be used to prevent the dogs from bumping into things or to warn them about curbs, stairs, etc. 

While adopting out blind and visually impaired dogs can take a lot of effort and convincing, BDRA receives lots of support from volunteers and foster homes. Their adoption stories are full of happy endings. For example, an 8-year old beagle mix named Malcolm was in a shelter for 7 months before BDRA swooped in and scooped him up. He has cataracts in one eye, but that doesn't stop him from being a wonderful and loving companion. He's been in a foster home for a year and a half now and is a great companion to the two cats and three other dogs that share the home!





We can all agree that dogs offer a special kind of companionship, but there's something about blind dogs that particularly pull on our heart strings. Maybe it's because we know they need us as much as we need them. Or maybe it's because we know that even though they can't see with their eyes, they still see with their hearts.

Want to support Blind Dog Rescue Alliance? Visit their website: http://www.blinddogrescue.com/
And LIKE them on Facebook! 

Interested in becoming an Animal Wellness Ambassador? We donate 40% of subscription sales to a rescue organization whenever someone orders using their rescue code. Find out more: http://www.animalwellnessmagazine.com/aw-ambassadors/



3 comments:

  1. This is an awesome rescue!! Gotta love those who care for our blind dogs!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I live in the UK and have recently rescued a blind dog, he has brought so much joy into our lives, so thank you for helping these dogs x

    ReplyDelete
  3. How wonderful! I've worked with many special-needs dogs and am always inspired by their awesome attitudes.

    ReplyDelete