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Julie's Corner
04-24-2006
JOEY BRIGHT EYES
THE CONTINUING
SAGA OF THE
LITTLE BLIND DOG
Photo Courtesy
of: Microsoft
 One
day, our neighbor showed up at our house with a little black
and white Boston Terrier. His name was Gizmo. Since we
already had another dog named Gizmo, we changed his name to
Joey. We never change pet names when a new one comes in the
home. We have always thought that with all the changes, a
name change was one that they DIDN’T need to go through. I
should have known at that point, he would turn our lives
topsy-turvy!Joey was so funny and so different from our other dogs. He would charge at flashes of light, chase laser lights on the floor, play ball until he fell over, and attack every dog he thought he could whip. The first part of that sentence was things that were funny and fun but the second part-where he attacks other dogs-was not so much fun. We broke up multiple fights. Every time, someone would get hurt. It could involve taking a dog to the vet for staples or sutures or one of us having to go to the doctor for a tetanus shot. We cracked down on him, but he continued to be a little turkey when it came to fighting. Joey was severely injured in one of the fights. He was blinded. That was something that was so hard for us to accept emotionally and mentally. We went through all the stages of grief. He actually dealt with it better than his “people”. It was such a difficult thing to accept. Now, I have began to notice something special. Since he was hurt, we have emotionally gotten closer to this little dog. He was so busy chasing things, playing with things, fighting with the other dogs that we were not able to bond with him to the degree that we have bonded with our other dogs. We didn’t even catch on to it. It was just how our relationship with him evolved. Now, this little dog seeks us out for comfort. He seeks us out when he feels insecure. We are more protective of him, we cherish him more. The changes of emotion have been nearly overwhelming at times. I have always tried to look for the bright side of things. I never had a clue that I could find a bright side in the blinding of a little dog. Happy about it? No. Never will be. Glad that it could change things for the better? You bet! We now have a fuller relationship with Joey. I have always thought that the best thing a person could do was to would be to adopt a handicapped pet. I thought that the rewards that would come from loving and caring for an animal with special needs would be so rewarding. I never had a clue that we would end up with a blind dog, let alone one that we had before it was blinded. I can now say, through personal experience, that having a handicapped pet is a wonderful thing. Joey has opened up aspects of his personality to us that we would have never been allowed to see if he had not been injured so tragically. He has shown us a gentle dog that loves hugs and cuddles. He has a forever home. He always did. Now, he has a “new” home that he built in our hearts, forever. Seek pets out that NEED homes. Look to those that are not what this world considers perfect. Hunt for those that have the greater need for a forever home. They are waiting on you. .Julie
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