Robin Wagner, from Burlington, Vermont, and her boyfriend had been searching for the perfect dog for a long time without much success. But when Robin came across Blaze’s adoption profile online, she instantly knew he was the one. It was love at first sight.
However, it wasn’t until they brought Blaze home that they discovered a surprising detail about him.
Many Unexpected Surprises
the black dog is sleeping, his teeth are visible
“We didn’t even know about the teeth before he came home. That was a glorious surprise,” Robin shared with GeoBeats Animals.
But the surprise about his teeth was just the beginning of many unexpected revelations.
Blaze, a German Shepherd/Greyhound mix, was described as having sunken eyes, but his adoption profile didn’t mention any vision problems. However, after taking Blaze to a veterinary ophthalmologist, Robin learned that Blaze was completely blind in his right eye and would need surgery to try to save the vision in his left eye.
This news wasn’t what Robin had hoped for, but she and her boyfriend were determined not to give up on their precious boy.
“About two weeks post-surgery, I was on a walk with Blaze, and he just started to walk into everything. I rushed him back to the ophthalmologist, only to find that the surgery was not successful, and Blaze was now also blind in his left eye,” Robin explained.
black adopted dog lies on the sand at the beach
Blaze was now completely blind, but he handled this significant change with remarkable grace. He quickly adapted to his new circumstances, learning to navigate the world with minimal issues.
“We had his right eye surgically removed due to repeated infections. I think I was more affected by the change than he was,” Robin shared.
Blind Boy Blaze
portrait of a black dog sitting on a wooden board without one eye
Blaze faced many challenges, and it took a long time for him to become physically healthy. When they first adopted him, he weighed only 50 pounds, but with care and love, they helped him reach a healthy 80 pounds.
Once Blaze was physically healthy, they could focus on his behavior. “We’re working very closely with a trainer to help Blaze feel a little less apprehensive about the world,” Robin said.
Blaze’s blindness led to a significant regression in his confidence, causing him to become anxious and reactive. Since he couldn’t see what was happening around him, Robin and her boyfriend started communicating more with him to ease his anxiety.
The training process was challenging but also incredibly rewarding.
“Obviously, we didn’t anticipate the number of challenges we would face after we adopted Blaze. But given the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. He’s my very best friend, and I count my lucky stars every single day for him,” Robin said.
black dog and a cat are standing next to each other
Their cat, Satin, has even taken on the role of Blaze’s guide cat!
Satin uses meows and chirps to warn Blaze and stop him from colliding with her or the furniture.
“Every time he’d be walking towards her, she would meow. She would meow, and he would stop and redirect himself,” Robin told People.
While Satin isn’t the cuddliest cat, she certainly shows Blaze that she loves him. You can follow their daily adventures on Blaze’s Instagram profile.
