Kathy Dodd was one of the original members of our group and was an inspiration to all of us. Sadly she lost her short battle with Cancer this past Valentine's day. She shared her life with a wonderful little blind rescue dog named Oscar whom we all adored too. I thought I should share some blog posts she wrote about him.
Blind but not Defeated by Kathy Dodd:
I decided to start a blog about Oscar so that people can start learning about this amazing little dog. I am calling it, "Blind but not Defeated" after a devotional that was written about him by my pastor. Oscar was born with undeveloped eye tissues and is completely blind. The landlord of our church (after who Oscar is named) got him from some people giving puppies away out of a box. Nobody took Oscar, and Oscar (the landlord) was afraid the people would harm him if they had to take him back home. So Oscar took the pup home but couldn't keep him. He entrusted me with the puppy, who I later named Oscar in honor of our landlord who saved him.
Gracey and Jess accepted Oscar immediately. I was amazed at how quickly he learned his way around the house and the back yard. He follows Gracey and Jess around as he listens to their tags, and has been completely confident, loving, and very playful since his first day here. He hops and jumps like a pogo stick, and often gets so excited that he just takes off running, hopping, jumping, and skipping with abandonment and no fear. He still bumps into things now and then, but is never slowed down or upset. In fact, sometimes he'll turn around a emit a serious bark to whatever he just bumped into as if to scold it for being in his way when he had someplace to go.
I have had Oscar for three months now, and have done quite a lot of travelling during this time. I feel it very important for dogs to be well socialized, so took Oscar to Petsmart between my trips. To my dismay, he had developed what seems to be a fear of other dogs, and often barks uncontrollably when he senses they are near. I feel responsible for this, knowing that if I had not travelled so much I could have been consistent with his socialization - which is so much more important since he is blind. Also, he escaped from the yard while I was gone, and ended up at the animal shelter! He found a small place where the wood had separated, and squeezed through (I have since nailed so much wood around that area, that I don't think a mouse - or a horse - could get through). My friend who cares for my pets when I travel found out that Animal Control had picked him up. The blessing is that it all happened so fast that she actually got to the shelter to retrieve him even before the truck arrived which had him. But still, the time he had to ride around in that truck must have been awful for him.
I have been taking Oscar to Petsmart nearly every day to work on his socialization, and am seeing a slow but sure change in his reactions to other dogs. He has always loved people, and has become a favorite visitor to the store. I was actually afraid they might have to ask us to stay away awhile, because Oscar was so disruptive at first with his barking at other dogs. But everyone was so gracious and patient, and welcomed us warmly every time we went. We have become such regulars now that all of the employees know Oscar, and they love on him as if he is their own. A couple of the employees often comment about how he makes their day because he is so joyful.
I decided to enroll Oscar in training classes at Petsmart to work on socialization, and to learn how to handle some of the training that might be unique to him. We had our first class last Wednesday, and I must say I think he was the star of the class! He did bark a lot, but actually calmed down more than some of the other young dogs. A couple of times he really focused on where all the other dogs were, and he was wagging his little tail really fast. I have worked with him so much with clicker training since my travels ended, and he has come along amazingly well. I think this has helped a lot in what could be a very stressful time for him during class.
There is something about Oscar that I think is going to touch many people. He loves everyone he meets, and faces the world with joy, courage, and tenacity despite not being able to see. My pastor writes daily devotionals, and even wrote one about Oscar. I have copied it below.
May 17, 2009
BLIND BUT NOT DEFEATED
John 9:1-3 "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."
Recently the talk of the church has been Oscar. Oscar happens to be a little puppy a few weeks old. At first sight, he looks like any normal puppy. He loves to wag his tail. He loves to play. He loves to wrestle with his older dog companions. He's an active, happy puppy. For all practical purposes, Oscar is just your normal puppy. But he is slightly different. Oscar was born blind, with no eyeballs. As one person was talking about Oscar they said, "Poor puppy." But there is nothing poor about Oscar because for Oscar, being blind is normal. He doesn't know any other life. He doesn't feel sorry for himself. He moves around like any other hyperactive little dog.
As I went to visit Oscar for the first time, I noticed something about him. While in his short life, he has never had eyes to see, but I noticed he was using his nose. He was sniffing and smelling and feeling everything before him. I noticed he was using his ears. Every once in a while he would stop for a brief second and listen for his owner's voice and my voice, and would turn in the direction of the sound. I noticed that his front feet seemed to be extended farther out in front of him so as to use them to
feel the floor and obstacles in front of him. For Oscar, being blind is as normal as having eyes to see. All he knows is being blind. But as I saw the puppy I could not help but wonder why he was allowed to be born blind. I could only think of one passage about a man who was born blind. When the disciples asked "...who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." As I
watched Oscar playing, I could not help but notice the words of God displayed in a puppy's life. He has no eyes, but he still has the other four senses. I can't wait to continue to see the works of God the Creator in the life of this puppy as he grows up to be an adult dog.
Thoughts from Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:
McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church
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