Duff the blind/deaf dog
Duff's
family turned him over to the Humane Society in Bozeman, Montana,
and walked out. A couple of weeks later, a shelter volunteer
drove this blind and deaf young Lab to the sanctuary.
It's easy to feel sorry for a dog who can't see or hear, but Duff's disabilities don't slow him down a bit. Now, if we were blind and deaf, we'd move slowly and carefully through life. Not this fellow. He cruises about so fast, nose pressed to the ground, that it would wear us out if we tried to keep up. When he does run into an unmovable object – say, a building or fencepost – he dusts himself off, adjusts course, and keeps going.
We learned early on that Duff doesn't care he's blind and deaf. With a Lab nose, who needs other senses?
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Duff is a purebred black Lab in all respects except for very short legs. Our vets say there is a recessive gene in Labs for dwarfism, and this may explain his stubby legs. It also keeps him low to the ground as he moves at 50 mph through a dark and silent world. That's one reason we call him an “unguided munition.”
When Duff gets excited, or wants to intimidate the other dogs, he does a whirling dervish routine: He jumps straight up and down in the air, barking and snapping at the air, then spins around sideways doing the same thing. It works. The other dogs run for cover.
Duff is one happy boy who loves nothing more than to be hugged and have his tummy rubbed. This is a dog who wasn't dealt a decent set of cards in life, but that's okay with him. He sure thinks he has a winning hand.
Photo Credits: Lincoln Anderson and Niki Payton
