One of my customers does not know what to do with one of their dog's puppies that was born blind, (an oops breeding between a Pug and a Shih Tzu. She had the spay scheduled, but the vet refused to do it if the dog was in heat. The Pug next door dug under the fence, and well.....).

Everyone told them to put the puppy down, (she's already 8 weeks old and doing fine), but I told them I thought it was possible for a blind pup to have a good life, that it would just take a little more training. They said they didn't really want to deal with it, with 4 small kids it would be very difficult and no one seems to want her.

She asked me if I would want her. My daughter, 12 years old, wants to get her and help train her, (she ADORES Pugs). Caitlyn is VERY responsible, and of course, I work from home so the pup will never be alone with Chance and Savanah. Have any of you known anyone to raise a blind puppy, and if so, how did they go about it?

I did a quick search on the internet and read that you can use scent marking, which sounds pretty easy. Maybe if anyone knows of a good book that my daughter and I could read together. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

Karen, Chance and Savanah

Karen, here's the link to the Land of Pure Gold website that gives the titles of some books on training blind dogs.

http://landofpuregold.com/bs-blinddeaf.htm

That would be a heck of a challenge for your daughter, but what a sweet kiddo to want to take it on!

A Pug/Shih Tzu mix... I bet the little babies are ADORABLE.

I think Molly is right that it will be a challenge, but, ya know, if the alternative is putting the poor little thing down, then I think I would go for the challenge.

Between you and Caitlyn, it sounds likt this little girl, in spite of her challenges, would have a great place to grow up. As far as Chance and Savanah go... ya never know, they might both help serve as her "assistant" dogs and help this little one adjust.

Check out Molly's link.... grab some books... ya know, everything happens for a reason...

Take care, and if you do take this little one in, be sure to post some pictures. I bet she is cutie pie.

Karen & Caitlyn:
My hats off to you ladies for even being willing to consider taking on this challenge. Raising a sighted puppy can be a chore! I hope that a way can be found to save this little baby.
If you do go ahead, I would be happy to post any pictures you want to share.
Bill
Denver

It breaks my heart to think that no one else wants that poor pup. If you and Caitlyn do take her, I bet you would find many source of helpful info. It would be such a huge job, but also so rewarding. Either way, I commend you for even considering it. Perhaps if you decide not to adopt the blind pup, you could get some local media interested in the story. I'd think with some publicity, a great home could be found. Good luck and please keep us posted.

Karen, my landlady's partner in Hawaii had a little blind dog. As I recall, a shih tzu type named Bea. She also had a large lab who was very protective and considerate of Bea. Anyway, she got along just fine in her own home and yard and just needed a little time to acclimate when she came to our house. She bumped into the walls a few times, but learned really, really quickly and was pretty fearless. I think that with a large dog, it might be more difficult, but with a little one, maybe not so much. Wouldn't think more training would be necessary, just a different form of training.

Heartbreaking that they wouldn't want to keep her because of this... I would definitely consider bringing her into your family if you and your daughter are up for it.