Pepper the blind dog
Pepper's
owner had threatened to take her to a dog pound to be put
down, so a family member picked her up and took her to a rescue
group in Seeley Lake, Montana. They asked if we could provide
a home for her at the ranch.
Pepper spent her whole 5 years of life as an outdoor dog, kept in a small yard off the garage. Her coat was filthy and matted, her toenails so long they curved under. She is blind from pigmentary keratitis, which was never treated. Our vets say it is too late to do anything to restore vision.
Despite her age, she still has a puppy look about her. It may be from her sometimes-up, sometimes-down ears. Because of her dark features, it's hard to get good photos, and these do not do her justice. She is a very pretty dog with a wonderful personality.
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She paces a lot, which might be the result of being cooped up in a small yard her entire life. When she first arrived at the ranch she was very nervous - about us, about the other dogs, about all the new space around her. It took a couple of weeks for her to develop confidence in herself and to feel secure in her new surroundings.
Now she enjoys roughhousing with the other dogs, and loves to explore the 5-acre dog paddock by herself. She clearly relishes her freedom, even in the darkness she lives in.
Pepper does not seem like she had much human contact or attention before, but she loves to be petted and held. She always acts surprised at first when we wrap our arms around her, pet her and tell her how much we love her. She stiffens for a moment, then relaxes and starts to melt … she presses her body against us as if to say, 'please don't stop.'
Pepper can't see where she is, but she does know it's very different than where she was. And she seems so grateful for that.
