A Blind Dog Changes My Perspective

Every single day, at some point, my heart breaks for Rita, our blind chihuahua. Our vet, as well as numerous people who have or have encountered blind dogs, have told me that dogs use their sight way less than humans and that the senses of smell and hearing are dominant, especially once a dog loses their eyesight.

There will never be a day when, at least once a day, I don’t say to Rita “I’m so sorry you’re blind”. Having Rita, has in so many ways shown me just a glimpse of what it must feel like to have a child with a handicap, a serious injury or disease. I’ve never thought much about it. In no way am I comparing a child with a disease to a blind dog but simply stating that Rita’s blindness has brought me so much more awareness of the pain and hurt that I feel as a dog owner and I cannot even imagine what it must be like for a parent to see their child go through something like this.

Even through her blindness, Rita is such an amazing little dog. She never gives up. She still jumps on the sofa, she still learns her way around new places and she has such a “can do” attitude that she enriches my life so much.

I’ve mentioned on here before that she knows when I go take my shower, the next step is that I’ll go to bed. The minute I turn the shower on, Rita goes and parks herself in the bedroom. No one is going to bed til Rita is tucked away into her little doggie bed right next to our bed.

When we were at Chad and Nicole’s, Rita had never been there. None of us had been to that house. The living room is sunken. Rita figured out where to step up but she’d run through the kitchen and when she came back to the living room, she never quite learned where to step down and would take a tumble every time.

When we were in the hotel, I watched her as she explored her way around. It’s like she has a sense that something is in the way and she would cautiously walk up to it. She does sometimes bump into things but she has done a great job of compensating. There was a foot stool in the hotel. Rita walked up to it . . almost as close as she could get. She nudged it with her nose like was just judging how far away it was. The she stood on her back legs and reached out with her front paws to judge the height of the stool and then she jumped up on the stool. It’s amazing to watch her.

Let me leave a shoe or my purse in the floor and she’ll run right over it but she really is surprising to watch.

I’ll always be sad that she’s blind but she’s just a joy to have around and it’s so inspiring to watch her, just a 7 pound little dog, as she figures out how to get around and does quite well with it. I’ll always be thankful that she showed up at our house and we’ve been able to give her a good home, with good veterinary care, and that daily she teaches me to have a better attitude, more joy for life and to never give up.