blind dogs

Special Needs Pet Feature: Gus

Posted by Barbara Techel


What is your pet’s name?  

Gus

How old is your pet? 

 14

Where did you get your pet?  

I was there the day he was born. Friends of mine had both of the parents on their ranch. The sire was a papered heeler and the bitch was not but she was a heeler as well. So I call Gus a pure-bred but not well-bred heeler.  All my animals are rescues so I don’t care whether he is a pure-bred or not. The dogs were bred for herding purposes but he was really shy and only liked me so I was the lucky one to get him.

What is your pet’s physical challenge? 

He went blind at age 11 from cataracts so I had surgery done on one eye which brought his sight back. Then two years later when he was 13 he got glaucoma in his good eye and went blind again. There wasn’t anything further we could do surgically due to his age so we control pain management with four eye drops twice a day.

What is your pet’s favorite thing to do? 

Hang out with me; go to the park and car rides.  He would play tennis ball for hours until he went blind.

What is your pet’s favorite thing to eat? 

He loves his premium dog food and biscuit snacks and the occasional meat scraps. Of course, we would eat most anything tasty if I would let him.

What do you love most about your pet? 

He is loyal and smart and has put all his trust in me since he went blind.  He never questions my voice commands and will even step off a curb without hesitation when we are walking.  He has no idea whether it’s a 100 foot drop or just a few inches. He doesn’t fear the unknown because he trusts me so much. I am his “seeing-eye person”.

What has your pet most taught you?

Un-conditional love.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I cherish every day that I have with Gus because at 14 I know I probably don’t have a lot of time left with him.  I love the breed and will go to a local heeler rescue organization to adopt when Gus crosses the rainbow bridge.

 ***If you care for a special needs pet and would like your pet featured, please email me through my website contact. Send a photo and I will forward the questionnaire for your pet to be featured in an upcoming post.***

Why I Love Featuring Special Needs Pets on My Blog

My life changed for the better and my heart grew ten times it size when my dog, Frankie ruptured a disk and ended up in a doggie wheelchair.  That may sound odd, but it lead me to a calling that has brought me so much joy.

I love being an advocate for pets with special neeeds educating others that disabled pets are just as lovable as any other pet. I also feel so blessed to help kids of all ages see their challenges in a positive way through Frankie’s example. Frankie is an incredbile gift not only in my life, but she has helped thousands of children through the book series about her, as well as the visits we do to schools in WI and schools across the US and Canada via Skype.

Sharing other pets with special needs expands on the message that all animals deserve a chance. Sharing these pets helps to spread a positive message and every time I meet a new special needs pet I feel my heart grow even bigger.  I hope it does the same for you and you pass on the love.

Learn more about Barbara and her love of special needs pets

Learn more about Barbara’s special needs pet, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog

Special Needs Pet Feature: Lilly Anna

Posted by Barbara Techel


What is your pet’s name?

Lilly Anna Story

How old is your pet?

2

Where did you get your pet?

Odessa Humane Society, Texas

What is your pet’s physical challenge?

Deaf, visually impaired, mentally challenged, dysplasia in her back knees.  Does spoiled rotten count!?

What is your pet’s favorite thing to do?

Snuggle with mommy, chase around her older brothers and sisters


What is your pet’s favorite thing to eat?

Anything she can get!

What do you love most about your pet?

Her sweet innocence and adorable personality

What has your pet most taught you? 

She has taught me that the rewards of adopting a special needs pet are far greater than the difficulties.  And their ability to love is not affected.

Anything else you’d like to share? 

All my pets are adopted and they have been so good to “teach” Lilly.  They are so patient with her and they don’t seem to mind her following them around.  The vet said she needed her own hearing/seeing dogs to teach her and that has been so helpful.


 ***If you care for a special needs pet and would like your pet featured, please email me through my website contact. Send a photo and I will forward the questionnaire for your pet to be featured in an upcoming post.***

My life changed for the better and my heart grew ten times it size when my dog, Frankie ruptured a disk and ended up in a doggie wheelchair.  That may sound odd, but it lead me to a calling that has brought me so much joy.

I love being an advocate for pets with special neeeds educating others that disabled pets are just as lovable as any other pet. I also feel so blessed to help kids of all ages see their challenges in a positive way through Frankie’s example. Frankie is an incredbile gift not only in my life, but she has helped thousands of children through the book series about her, as well as the visits we do to schools in WI and schools across the US and Canada via Skype.

Sharing other pets with special needs expands on the message that all animals deserve a chance. Sharing these pets helps to spread a positive message and every time I meet a new special needs pet I feel my heart grow even bigger.  I hope it does the same for you and you pass on the love.

Learn more about Barbara and her love of special needs pets

Learn more about Barbara’s special needs pet, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog

Special Needs Pet Feature: Shoshone

Posted by Barbara Techel


What is your pet’s name? 

Shoshone.

How old is your pet? 

One year old.

Where did you get your pet? 

A breeder.

What is your pet’s physical challenge? 

Born with multiple eye deformities that can cause glaucoma.  At the age of 4 months old, she got glaucoma in her left eye and it had to be removed to eliminate the pain she was having due to high eye pressure.  No eye pressure eye drops would bring down the eye pressure so the eye had to be removed.  She has the same problem in the right eye and at 6 months old she had a retinaplexy surgery done the the right eye to try to keep her retina from detaching.  She will probably lose the right eye in the future.  I am so devastated about this.

What is your pet’s favorite thing to do? 

She loves to play with her sisters, play with her toys and take long naps on her daddy or my recliner.

What is your pet’s favorite thing to eat? 

She loves her Benefil Chicken and Rice dog food, Milk Bone and chicken jerky treats.

What do you love most about your pet? 

She is precious, with a wonderful zest for life and is so gentle and loving toward people and other animals.

What has your pet most taught you? 

With all she has gone through, she is happy and full of life.  She has taught me that even though she has disabilities she makes the most out of life and enjoy it to the fullest.

Anything else you’d like to share? 

I just want to say that I love her with all my heart and will do anything I can for her to have a normal life, with some sight, for as long as I can.

 ***If you care for a special needs pet and would like your pet featured, please email me through my website contact. Send a photo and I will forward the questionnaire for your pet to be featured in an upcoming post.***

My life changed for the better and my heart grew ten times it size when my dog, Frankie ruptured a disk and ended up in a doggie wheelchair.  That may sound odd, but it lead me to a calling that has brought me so much joy.

I love being an advocate for pets with special neeeds educating others that disabled pets are just as lovable as any other pet. I also feel so blessed to help kids of all ages see their challenges in a positive way through Frankie’s example. Frankie is an incredbile gift not only in my life, but she has helped thousands of children through the book series about her, as well as the visits we do to schools in WI and schools across the US and Canada via Skype.

Sharing other pets with special needs expands on the message that all animals deserve a chance. Sharing these pets helps to spread a positive message and every time I meet a new special needs pet I feel my heart grow even bigger.  I hope it does the same for you and you pass on the love.

Learn more about Barbara and her love of special needs pets

Learn more about Barbara’s special needs pet, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog