Robin Wagner, from Burlington, Vermont, and her boyfriend had been searching for the perfect dog for a long time with little success.
However, when Robin came across Blaze’s adoption profile online, she immediately knew he was the one – it was love at first sight.
Many Unexpected Surprises
“We didn’t even know about the teeth before he came home. That was a glorious surprise,” Robin told GeoBeats Animals.
But the teeth were just the beginning of many unexpected surprises.
When they adopted Blaze, a German Shepherd/Greyhound mix, they were informed that although his eyes were sunken in, Blaze didn’t seem to have vision issues.
However, after taking Blaze to a veterinary ophthalmologist, they discovered he was completely blind in his right eye and needed surgery to save any remaining vision in his left eye.
This wasn’t a pleasant surprise at all, but they weren’t giving up on their precious boy.
“About two weeks post-surgery, I was on a walk with Blaze and he just started to walk into everything. I rushed him back to the ophthalmologist only to find surgery was not successful, and Blaze was now also blind in his left eye,” Robin said.
Blaze’s Resilience
Blaze was now completely blind, but he handled this significant change with grace. He learned to navigate the world with minimal issues.
“We had his right eye surgically removed due to repeated infections. And I think I was more put off by the change than he was,” Robin said.
Blind Boy Blaze
Due to various issues that kept arising, it took a long time to get Blaze healthy.
When they first adopted him, Blaze was only 50 pounds, but they managed to get him to a healthy 80 pounds.
After he was finally physically healthy, they could focus on his behavior. “We’re working very closely with a trainer to help Blaze feel a little less apprehensive about the world,” Robin said.
Blaze’s blindness caused a significant regression in his confidence, making him very anxious and reactive.
Since Blaze couldn’t see what was happening around him, they started communicating more with him to alleviate his anxiety.
The training process was challenging but rewarding.
“Obviously, we didn’t anticipate the number of challenges we would face after we adopted Blaze. But given the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. He’s my very best friend, and I count my lucky stars every single day for him,” Robin said.
A Special Guide
Their cat, Satin, also serves as Blaze’s guide cat!
Satin uses meows and chirps to warn Blaze and prevent him from colliding with her and the furniture.
“Every time he’d be walking towards her, she would meow. She would meow, and he would stop and redirect himself,” Robin told People.
While Satin is not the cuddliest cat ever, she shows Blaze that she loves him. You can follow their daily adventures on Blaze’s Instagram profile.
