When Stevie joined us in December, we thought he was blind and deaf. He was not responsive to people around him and was lethargic in his kennel. At 10 years old, this Skye terrier still had many good years in him, and we wanted to make sure he enjoyed them, so we moved him to one of our VIP suites (AKA staff offices) to see how he did.
The change was amazing. After Stevie befriended our Director of Community Programs Stella and her trusty sidekick pup Rupert, he was a new dog. He loved to take trips outside and greeted everyone who walked by. We realized he had only partial hearing loss, but he still had issues with his vision. It turns out that before Stevie came to us, he had not been groomed regularly, and his fur had grown into his eyes, causing an infection. Our staff veterinarian found that this infection had rendered one eye completely non-visual and the other several damaged; it was determined that the best course for Stevie was to remove both eyes so the infection couldn’t spread. He had also been experiencing periodontal disease, so we removed several of his teeth to prevent further damage.
Stevie responded to all of these changes with good spirit and his typical (if somewhat less toothy) Stevie smile. He spent some time recovering with an “Awesome Foster,” but he’s feeling so much better, and now he’s back to his VIP suite with his best friends Stella and Rupert, seeking a family of his own.
In the meantime, our sweet senior is having all kinds of adventures. He had his first professional photo shoot with one of our volunteer photographers, Alison Lane Photography, and made friends with another pup named Trudy who photobombed his big session.
He’s learning to find his way around the yard and his office, making friends with everyone he meets. After our recent wintry weekend, he got to try out his brand new jacket (he and Stella were “twinsies!”) and shortly after, did battle with the Dreaded Bath; ultimately, we think everyone was a winner in that fight.
Because of his lack of vision, Stevie can sometimes be easily startled, so he’d prefer a home without young children, but he’d love to have a dog buddy and he’s even open to cats. Since Stevie is once again staying in his favorite staff member’s office, but if you’d like to meet him, please ask our Adoptions staff. In the meantime, hear more about our terrific terrier from his friend Stella.
We see so many animals like Stevie, who join us with medical or behavioral issues that we want to address with so they can find their future families. If you’d like to help us be prepared to aid animals like Stevie in the future, please consider making a donation today.