Althouse: Sunny.

November 9, 2013

Sunny.

A very sweet Lab, seen here with Meade:

Here's Meade's video clip:

Sunny is blind:

12 comments:

YoungHegelian said...: Poor ole pooch!

It's amazing how blind dogs can live long & decent lives with the right owner.

When I was a kid a friend's family had a border collie that was so inbred it was born without eyes. The dog managed quite well, even running around inside the house as long as no one re-arranged the furniture.; 11/9/13, 11:54 AM
rehajm said...: Canine cataracts are treatable, but things like PRA are not. Either way blind dogs are very high functioning. They can memorize the floor plan at home and are fine until the get tripped up in shoes or something you left on the floor. The family pup acquired PRA and was fine with it. We never proved it, but I think in addition to smell she used echolocation- just caught on too quickly to unfamiliar places...; 11/9/13, 12:42 PM
Wince said...: Does she have a Seeing Eye Human?; 11/9/13, 1:08 PM
Bob Ellison said...: That's a snout even a cat person could love.; 11/9/13, 1:20 PM
Heartless Aztec said...: Had a half Basset half Lab 40 years ago. Looked like a Basset hound on giant legs. That dog was amazing. Swim underwater, do half gainers off the high dive and hang ten off the front of my surfboard.; 11/9/13, 2:24 PM
Sorun said...: I've always had dogs and cats that got along well, but I wonder if a cat wouldn't take advantage of a blind dog -- like lying in wait to smack the dog just because it can get away with it.; 11/9/13, 2:25 PM
traditionalguy said...: That touches my heart mor than I can tell. Life is good.; 11/9/13, 2:27 PM
lemondog said...: Sunny

Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
The dark days are gone and the bright days are here
My sunny one shines so sincere, sunny one so true, I love you; 11/9/13, 2:35 PM
Ann Althouse said...: The dog wasn't born blind but had a defect of the retina that emerges later in life.

She didn't seem bothered by it, but who knows how the dog thinks about it? The ears and nose are oriented in the same direction as the eyes, so the behavior of the dog made it seem as through it could see.; 11/9/13, 2:58 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: The dog wasn't born blind but had a defect of the retina that emerges later in life

The dog's eyes look cloudy so I doubt the retina is the problem. Probably cataracts. A fairly simple operation should restore some some sight if the owner isn't too cheap to do it.; 11/9/13, 5:51 PM
Alex said...: Dogs use their nose more than eyes anyways. What a nice dog.; 11/9/13, 8:27 PM
Irene said...: The dog is blind, but he sees.; 11/9/13, 10:40 PM