Emmy Lou the blind dog
Emmy Lou spent the first several years of her life locked up in a wire-mesh pen in North Carolina. Her owners never cleaned the pen, so Emmy Lou literally lived in dog poop. They threw food onto the filthy ground and filled a water bucket with a hose from outside the pen. They never touched – let alone petted – their blind dog.
When rescuers finally arrived, they had to cut open the pen to free her – it was wired shut. At first Emmy Lou was frightened of just about everything because of her lack of exposure to anything beyond her pen.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Images open in a pop-up window
The lady who initially fostered her wrote us to say:
“When she arrived she was understandably TERRIFIED. She wouldn't come out of her crate and was shaking like a leaf. She was so pathetic, she crawled around on her belly when she left the crate (not often.) I wanted to cry every time I saw her. Of course I am being as loving and calming as I can with her and she's licking my hands.
She is sweet as pie, so sweet she lets me pick her up when she is too scared to walk, and she licks my hands and burrows into my lap to be closer. Poor girl. I have been leading her around with the leash and my hand in front of her nose so she knows it's me.
I am trying to give her undivided attention, nurturing, confidence building, and love. After all for her, this is the biggest world ever. My biggest problem so far is getting her to walk. She will walk a few feet and then crawl into a full stop. Every time I take her outside it is a major production. I end up picking her up (she's heavy!) and carrying her, but only as a last resort. She needs to learn how to walk.... somehow... I will give her more time.”
Well, that was then, and this is now. Emmy Lou has not only overcome her fears, she has blossomed into a happy, joyful dog who loves to explore. She is a study in constant motion as she bounds her way across her expansive, 2-acre dog paddock here, happily barking. Emmy Lou does a modified bunny-hop as she bounds, with her feet straight out in front of her. .. she bows down, then springs forward.
By the way Emmy Lou leaps and barks, it looks like she's playing with an imaginary friend – but she's just relishing life.
And when she's not romping, she's rolling around on her back in the grass, a picture of contentment.
Thanks to some kind-hearted people in North Carolina who rescued her from an awful existence, and her foster mom who took her in and then flew her out to us, this blind girl has come a long, long way.
