Bobby Sue

From A Blind Dog

I cannot see you Mommy,
when you cuddle me so near.
And yet I know you love me.
It's in the words I hear.

I cannot see you Daddy,
when you hold me by your side.
But still I know I'm special
when you tell me so with pride.

I cannot see to run and play
out in the sun so bright.
For here inside my tiny head
it's always dark as night.

I cannot see the treats you give
when I am extra good.
But I can wag my tail in thanks,
just like a good dog should.

"She cannot see. The dog's no good."
Is what some folks might say.
"She can't be trained, she'll never learn.
She must be put away."

But not you, Mom and Daddy.
You know that I'm alright.
Because I love you just as much
as any dog with sight.

You took me in.
You gave me love
and we will never part.
For I am blind with just my eyes.
I see you with my heart.

Sherrill Wardrip
Rev. 3-14-99

She was a singleton ( an only puppy ) ,and her mother ran a high fever during the pregnancy. The vet decided that this was going on about the time the eye organs should have formed. But due to the fever, it never happened. Of course when she was born her eyes were closed so it wasn't obvious to her breeder that there was a problem.

When they did realize that she was blind, they couldn't bring themselves to put her down, so they found a young couple that said they wanted her.

The problem there was that they both worked, so Bobby spent her days confined to an ex-pen. They would take her out in the evening and show her some attention, but they soon realized it wasn't fair to Bobby, so they returned her to the breeder.

Julia raises show dogs and both Bobby's parents are champions. Julia also knew she couldn't give Bobby the attention she deserved and she also treated Bob like she was handicapped. I mean, she was kept in the house away from the other dogs and in an ex-pen so she wouldn't wander around and possibly get hurt. Since Julia shows she travels a lot and felt that Bobby needed a home where she could get more attention or she would have to euthanize her. None of her show friends wanted her or knew anyone that did. After the death of Carlotta I found the Chihuahua list and posted that I was looking for another dog, possibly one that no one else wanted. I was put in touch with Julia and when I drove out to meet her and Bobby I knew I was a goner! I got down on the floor and called her to me. She found her way to me, licked me on the nose and that was that. She came home with me last May and this will be her lifelong palace.

As to training.....It took her one day to figure out where the food and water dishes are and how to find them and about 3 days to learn her way around the house. Every time Bessie would go out to potty I would put Bobby in the yard and she would go, too. We had a few accidents until I learned to understand what she was trying to tell me when she would come to me like she wanted to be held then run away. We built special steps for her off the deck and now I just open the sliding door and she goes out, makes a sharp left, goes down the stairs out into the yard, takes care of business and comes back up the stairs and into the house. When the weather is nice and she wants to run and play in the yard she knows that the yard is fenced and bordered with flower beds. So when she is running and hits beauty bark she stops because 2 feet away is the fence. Other than the steps we make no concessions to her and do not treat her as if she is handicapped in any way. Being as tiny as she is we do pick her up onto the bed and lift her down but that's it. If she wants to be held when I am in my recliner she lets me know and I pick her up. If I leave her there and she wants down she turns around and backs to the edge and then lays down and slides off onto the floor.

She knows the basic commands like sit, stay, down, stop and come. I snap my fingers when I say come so she can home in on the sound to find me. I taught her the same way I taught Bessie. I put her in the desired position and repeated the command a few times. Then I would give the command and if she did the right thing she was praised and skritched. If not I would put her in the position and....repeated as necessary. She also knows when we come to a step and I say 'step up' that she needs to stop, find out how high the step is and then go up it. She does a two part trick, too. When I tell her to dance she spins really fast and then I say 'dance up' and she stands up on her hind feet and hops. She also knows the sound of the zip baggie the cookies are in and will start spinning when she hears it open. In fact she will spin when I open any zip bag .

Being born blind she thinks that this is how the world is and she does just fine. Also her sense of hearing and smell are extra sharp and she uses them in place of eyes. When we go for walks she is slow because each step is deliberate as she feels for changes in the surface. But once she has been some where and feels comfortable she explores and snoops and plays around like any other dog. Most people when meeting her for the first time cannot believe she is blind. She is so confident and friendly.

Many people say that she is lucky to have me but I beg to differ. I am the lucky one. She has given me so much love and taught me so much about dealing with life and the rotten tricks it plays. And she and Bessie are the best of friends. In fact they are curled up together sleeping off the effects of a lunch of rib steak bones with lots of meat left on them. Nope, they're not spoiled.

Sorry this got so long but when I start talking about the kids I just can't stop. I don't even talk about my Grandkids this much!!

Sher & The Grrrlz Bessie & Bobby Sue Fall City, WA