Last weekend, animals shelters here in the Bay Area had sponsored adoptions. All costs were covered!
We went to look for a new friend for daughter. We’ve already got 2 dogs, and 3 cats. I heard that the shelter has a hard time homing small animals, like rabbits and guinea pigs, so that’s what we went to look for. Really.
By the time we got there almost everything was gone except a few Chihuahuas who were of the opinion that people were likely to drop kick them at any minute, approximately 40 million kittens, and Star.
No small animals, but it was irrelevant at that point anyway. My daughter and I sat down on the ground in the outdoor pen for the scared pups, and out walks Star. All 10 pounds of fur of her. She looks like a fox. Straight over to us, wedges in between us, and waits for scratches. She’s amazingly soft. I think we melted right there.
Star is blind. It’s the only reason she was still there. She’s also a big ball of fluffy love. She thinks our cats are awesome. Our cats are not so sure about her, but they all sit on the bed or the couch together.
The only time Star has made any noise was when she yipped once at each of my dogs. My Newfie sort of blinked at her and kept right on making friends. My Swiss-lab cross is properly terrified but also wants to make friends. They take naps next to each other. Kona just won’t meet her eyes in proper beta behavior.
She sleeps in my daughter’s room. Best guinea pig-fox we ever got!
You get a HUGE “Good for you.” Adopting a rescue is one thing, adopting a special needs rescue is triple points in the karma bank. Not sure I could do it. A Chihuahua’s chutzpah goes a looonng way. Good luck to your furry family.
Are there any challenges with taking care of a blind dog? You said she came over to you right away, so she sounds pretty capable, but do you have to supervise her more or anything?
Star hasn’t really been any trouble. We’re a family of indoor pets, and she’s too small to have a “job”. I need to put a bell on her, so we don’t accidentally lose track of her, and trip over her, but so far she’s been very good about sticking close to my daughter.
Lots of time on laps. She’s a cuddle bug.
She wanders around the yard with her big brothers, who have been very gentle, but she doesn’t seem too eager to spend the day out there. I think she’s a lap dog.
She really reminds me of one those domesticated foxes you see in Russia. I’ll have to try the pictures again tomorrow. My second (AKA real) guess is something like corgi/Pomeranian cross.
I just mentioned wanting to put a bell on her, like I do with my cats, so she doesn’t get tangled up in feet without warning.
We’re gradually expanding the area she has access to, so she can get familiar with a slightly bigger area every day.
We try not to move the big things around on her, so we’re not messing up her mental map. She moves slowly and checks her surroundings constantly with her nose.
When we call her, we keep speaking so she she can follow a voice, especially outside.
If she were bigger, I’d try getting her to buddy up with one of the big dogs, like you might do with horses. Since she’s so much smaller, I think we’ll try it this way for awhile.
She’s got a “home base” that we always take her back to (my daughter’s room). Bed, food, water. It’s the first space she learned. She feels very safe and happy there at this point. She actually spins in circles when she gets excited when she’s in there! Very cute.
We try not to leave her alone, and she’s been a great little buddy.
She’s wonderful, as are you and your daughter. There is a version of The Rainbow Bridge which tells how all the animals stop and bow whenever a rescuer crosses over. Goosebumps.
she’s lovely!