Just a little advice please!
I have bred a litter of two pups ( small breed) and one of the puppies has recently been diagnosed as blind, presumably from birth .
They are now 6 weeks old and I wondered if any of you out there had any experience of owning and rearing a blind puppy.
She is very jolly in herself and plays happily with her sister ( who we intend to keep ) and her mum.
My problem being is that I have a very active family home with lots of people coming and going and I have large dogs also.
Is it fair of me to keep her in this type of environment, or would she be better off in a quiter home.
She is my responsibility, I bought her into this world and I dont want to dump her on the first person that " fancies" living with a blind dog, I am more than happy to keep her forever and ever but wonder if our household will be a little too much for her.
Any advice for me, we are desperatly attatched to her now.
I have looked all over the net for advice groups for people that own blind dogs, but have not found anything.

> My problem being is that I have a very active family home with lots of people coming and going and I have large dogs also.
> Is it fair of me to keep her in this type of environment, or would she be better off in a quiter home.
>

I have no experience of raising puppies nor of blind puppies, but I can't see it being cruel for her to grow up in a busy hosehold with other large dogs, afterall, as she has never been able to see, her other senses will be much better than seeing dogs and she knows no different.

Best of luck, I hope you get some replies from people who have experienced this.

I met a lady at a companion show last year who had an almost completly white border collie that was blind. I got chatting to her about life with a blind pup. She also had other dogs and felt the blind pup ran with the pack moving when the others did etc. She said the biggest issue was approaching her right and asked people to approach from the side whilst speaking and to touch the side of her neck as she had trained her that this is how people will approach rather than suddenly being at her face.. She said it was hard work but managed fine and she found it fullfilling. Good luck whatever you decide

Would this help?:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Blind-Dogs-Resource-Low-Vision/dp/0967225345/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255364922&sr=8-4

Strangely, if you type in Guide dogs for the blind, into Amazon (I was looking for something entirely different from 'blind dogs') there are lots of books written about dogs that cannot see.

I have a friend with a blind Shih tzu(excuse my spelling) and it does fine, she bought it and didn't realise it was blind (it followed the litter mates around when she went to view). Her vet advised the best thing would be to put it to sleep, she declined.  She has another dog a mongrel and the shih tzu now 4years old follows the other around, knows where food and water is as its always in the same place.  She wont allow anything on the floor that shouldn't be there and furniture is always in the same place.  She doesn't take it out for walks as this would be very stressful.  Mr Whippy as he is called does great.

my neighbour has a blind dog had it from birth it  lives with two other dogs, and relies on the others when they go out,
she finds that one dog will always stay with the blind one and she keeps the water in the same place , feeds the same place
does not move furniture around, does not have anything left on the floors that should not be there, and you would not know this
dog is blind when it is running with its mates around the garden, i did not know for months until we took all the dogs out together
and then i said funny how one dog stops with this one and nudges her around that is when she laughed and said she is blind so they
move her with their shoulders when they need her to move one way or the other.

> i said funny how one dog stops with this one and nudges her around that is when she laughed and said she is blind so they move her with their shoulders when they need her to move one way or the other.

Oh oh!  That should have had a soppy moment warning   Just lovely, and made me feel teary

To the OP - this information is very hopeful and if it were me, would make me think of keeping the puppy

Just a thought though, generally we would say do not keep littermates BUT would the mutual dependancy be a bonus in this case?

The thing is as a breeder unless you are prepared to keep her yourself she really ought to be put to sleep in my opinion.

There are plenty of healthy pups and older dogs put to sleep daily.

Unless I knew for certain what had caused the blindness and that it wasn't genetic I wouldn't be happy to breed from the littermate of a pup that was born blind, so maybe the easiest thing would be to keep the blind puppy and sell the other one ?

i agree with brainless, i wouldnt want to burden someone with a blind pup i think it should be pts sorry.

Thanks all for the advice and comments so far.
I was at a show recently and asked a broad section of people what they would do, I got a 50/50 on whether to keep alive or whether to PTS, so again was torn.
The longer we have her, the harder the decision.

A good friend of mine used to have a completely blind Spaniel who competed (very successfully) in working trials.  You would never have guessed she had no sight, and she led a very full and active life.  There's some great books available to advise in the training of blind dogs, and I don't believe there's any need to PTS.

> I don't believe there's any need to PTS.

That is fair enough if the breeder can keep the pup themselves.

Hi Hettimayzi,

Your going to have a lot of thinking to do here, and a lot of assessing about the characters and dynamics of your pack of dogs.

I'm not even going to address the main issue of caring for a blind pup yet, my inital worry is the fact that you are keeping two bitch puppies, absolutely a big no, no, without the blindness even being taken into account, two pups need an awful lot of one to one time to make them well rounded 'domestic' dogs and not two wild things running around with no care for your authority, there is also the chance that once reaching adolescence the two characters may be similar and cause clashes leading from minor fights to all out war.

Just because one of the pups is blind does not mean she will not have a strong will, she may turn out to be bossy and fearless, she will adapt to her strengths, she will not be able to read body language only by sound so she could swing either way and become aggressive towards her sister or submissive.

There is the chance that they could be loving sisters, but it's impossible for you to ever know how each character will develope, bitches playing happily, sleeping together and play fighting can easily grow up to think nothing of wiping out the other, it is usually best avoided as none of us know. In a wild pack a blind pup may well be wiped out by it's litter mates, bitches are mercenary in their behaviour.

If you keep the blind pup then I would suggest you passing on the other bitch, I really would not keep both, the trouble is we man make our packs of dogs we buy a pup from here, one from there and put them all together, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, often the alpha male or female, isn't really a true alpha just the best of the bunch and so they are not natural leaders with a true air of authority, who will stamp on any discord in the pack.

If you know your pack well and the characters in it, you will know if the Dam or one of your larger breed would eventually keep the two young bitches in order or not. So think seriously about this.

One of my mothers dogs is going blind it has caused no problems but obviously she is a solid member of the pack, she enjoys her life as always and one of the lower ranking bitches stays with her, waits for her etc, just an idea but my mother has clicker trained her to help with directions etc so that she knows those commands are just for her, so you'll need to give a blind pup a lot of one to one and special training to help her.

If she were mine, I would keep her and pass on the other bitch, she will still have her mum, (these things happen and we have to suffer the consequences sometimes) I would then work hard to make her life as easy as possible.

Of course the option as suggested already of having her pts may also need considering, it's a sensitive subject and a breeders call only on whether that happens, there is no right or wrong here.

I'm very sorry this has happened, but bet she is a darling and will be a wonderful characer if you keep her.

I have helped train a greyhound that was born blind! He came to our puppy classes from 10 weeks old and then moved up the classes. He is doing very well! He runs free in the park and has an amazing sense of direction, he is guided quite easily via voice control and people are amazed when they see him run around as you would never know he was blind.

Although I fully agree that I would not consider breeding from a litter mate of a blind pup (or from that mother and/or father), I really can't see any reason why a blind pup should be put to sleep! They have an excellent quality of life just like any other dogs.

I bred a litter last year with a cold puppy.I worked for ages on him and he finally came round.When he was about 6 weeks old I noticed he did,nt play like the others,only when they came up to him.So when the vet checked him over she told me he had detached retinas and nothing could be done for him.He was healthy in every other way so I decided he would stay with me for ever.I had lots of offers from people who felt sorry for him but thought that was the wrong reason.
Well he is such a character, he plays and runs with my other dogs as if there is nothing wrong with him.The only time he bumps into furniture is if he runs in too quick cutting corners.He goes out for walks with the others and is let off lead to run with them.His sense of smell and hearing are very accute and he is such a joy to live with.My garden goes up in steps but he just runs up them like nothing.He,s never had his sight so has never missed it.I do feel so sorry for him but he snuggles up to me as if he,s saying " I,m ok".I love him to bits and would never part with him. I feel it has been easier for him to have my others as leaders.I did have him castrated early though(at 10months) so that he did,nt get sexually mature and he is in with the girls when they are in season all the time and have had no problems.
PM me if you want any advice.

Well Hettimayzi

Having read all these posts,  i know what I would be doing in  your shoes - and your blind pup wouldn't be going anywhere!!!  I hope you decide to keep him as if you didn't his future may not be clear.

Good luck to all of you.

Snowflake

I wouldn't be letting her go anywhere, but she certainly wouldn't be pts, unless of course the blindness was a symptom of another underlying condition and she was suffering.

Nicki xx

I also would be keeping her myself, and loving/nurturing her for the rest of her life.  IMO i just wouldn't have the heart to PTS and i would never forgive myself, she deserves better.  A friend has a blind girlie, along with 2 other dogs and she copes really, really well.  She has just as a good quality of life as the others. x

> with her sister ( who we intend to keep )

You do realise the implications of bringing up littermates?? Regardless of any problems either of the puppies may have??

Me again.
Thanks for all your advice, I am still 50/50 on the decision whether to keep or PTS.
I have reared litter mates before and have not had a problem, but they were not terriers as in this instance.
I have contacted the breed welfare group who also gave  advice, namely to PTS due to the long term implications and cost of keeping such a puppy.
I thought I had made my mind up this morning and was due to phone the vet, when she went racing into her bed, dragged out an enormous teddy bear and happily played with it .
Everytime I come downstairs in the morning  she is so pleased to "see" me wiggling her little tail and licking.
Dog breeding is so cruel sometimes.

Personally, I would keep her and not have her PTS - if she is healthy in every other way ,why should you consider ending her life ? Not easy to care for a blind dog though, so you have to be fully committed.
As for rearing two litter sisters, not something I would actually recommend - ie I would never sell two pups from the same litter to anyone, but I did keep two bitches (the only pups in the litter as their brother died shortly after birth) from my first cav litter, and have had no problems whatsoever. I guess it does depend on the breed, but the important thing is to ensure that both pups are more bonded to you than to each other. That said, your blind pup will probably be quite dependant on her sister and their closeness could be beneficial in the long run.
Best of luck whatever you decide.

> I have contacted the breed welfare group who also gave  advice, namely to PTS due to the long term implications and cost of keeping such a puppy.
>

What did they say the long-term implications are that would be so great for it to be better for the dog to be dead, or are they thinking of the fact it will require greater comitment from the owner so it's in the owners best long-term interests for the dog to be dead? And why is it more expensive to keep a blind dog than a seeing dog?

I personally could not have any dog PTS to save ME any trouble or money, it really would have to be 100% for the dogs best interests.

Looking after a blind dog for the rest of its life is a huge committment. 
Rather than pass it on, if the breeder is honest enough to accept that they can't make that committment for the next 15 years, then I think it would be a very responsible decision to have the pup put to sleep.  The pup would know no different whether it was put to sleep or given an injection to be spayed, so the emotional arguments are irrelevant if the breeder can come to terms with their own emotions.

> The pup would know no different whether it was put to sleep or given an injection to be spayed, so the emotional arguments are irrelevant if the breeder can come to terms with their own emotions.

Very true, it just seems rather frustrating.
Maybe it's different for pet owners than it is for breeders?  As a pet owner I take on a dog and expect to do all I can for that dog as it was my choice to get the dog in the first place, nomatter how much work that is as long as I am physically capable of doing so, breeders on the other hand seem to plan a litter, have a litter and be able to get rid of the ones that will be hard work with no emotional problems.
Of course the pup wont know it's dead, but the only way to ensure that living beings are never thought of as disposable IS to have an emotioanal side to thinking.

>breeders on the other hand seem to plan a litter, have a litter and be able to get rid of the ones that will be hard work with no emotional problems

Because a breeder plans a litter, they are accountable for the future well-being of those puppies. A handicapped puppy is a unusual situation, and most responsible breeders will keep them themselves rather than pass them on to someone else. If they feel they can't keep them, then the wisest course of action is usually to put them to sleep rather than risk their future.

but the only way to ensure that living beings are never thought of as disposable IS to have an emotioanal side to thinking.

I agree but there's emotion and emotion.   The type of thinking that you're talking about is great but you have to think about the practicalities too.  Just keeping a dog alive is not providing everything a dog needs for a good quality of life.  I feel the same about pet dogs taken from homes and put into rescue kennels for months on end!   I don't think that is in the dogs' best interest either.

My point is that we don't know the breeders domestic situation and family set up.  What can be a good quality of life for 'normal' dogs may well not be a good enough situation for rearing and keeping a blind puppy for 15 years. 

And so all these emotional posts are VERY unfair if she is seriously soul searching (which she is because she's already decided not to pass it on) to make the right decision...........

> And so all these emotional posts are VERY unfair if she is seriously soul searching

I'm sorry, I am not being deliberately unfair. The OP asked in the first post, would it be fair on the DOG to be kept in a busy household, not will it be easier for HER to have it PTS. She has said that a charity has advised being PTS due to the 'implications', I asked what are those implications that would make it better for the DOG to be dead.

There has been no response as to how being blind would negatively effect a dog. To a dog, being blind is not the same as it is for humans. Thier eyes work differently to ours, they are geared up to detect movement rather than detail to aid them in hunting. Pet dogs do not need to hunt, thier meals are placed before them ready prepared in a bowl (allthough even a blind dog would be perfectly capeable of finding it's own way to a bowl of food) and while out on walks in new places a long-line can be kept on to ensure the dog doesn't have to evade dangers that it can't hear, the biggest issue will be interaction with strange dogs as obviously reading body language visually will be impossible.
Basic training will be no different than with a seeing dog.
What 'issues' does a dog being blind, raise for the owner?

You are right, it doesn't help by being emotional, but it also doesn't help by simply saying 'yes, have the pup PTS because it's responsible thing to do/to avoid 'potential issues''. I'm sure the OP would benefit from hearing WHY it would be responsible to have the dog PTS from a practical POV and what these 'potential issues' are, ie, the dog will struggle with XYZ, so then the OP can decide weather she wants to put the dog through that or not and can have it clear in her mind WHY she should have this pup PTS despite it appearing to be happy and loving at the moment.

What 'issues' does a dog being blind, raise for the owner?

Many.  A blind dog will manage just fine in a home that has no changes.  If you don't move furniture, it will remember where everything is and cope on a daily basis very well.  But as young families grow (and I've no idea what sort of environment we are talking about in this instance) then changes have to be made - that's the way life is - but not suitable for a blind dog.

It would be unfair to consider putting a blind dog into kennels for another example.  I've had a blind dog in boarding and it was so confused that I gave it it's own member of staff for the fortnight but told the owner that I wouldn't be able to do that again and so the owner couldn't have a holiday anymore.

You can't ask just anyone to dog sit if necessary.  You can't ask anyone else to walk your dogs because the blind one needs extra attention, which the owner would have no problem with.

So if the breeder was at home, maybe retired with a very routine life that had little change, few visitors and didn't want holidays, then it could work very well.  Otherwise ..............

Only the breeder knows what their life is like and possibly what the future holds but being kind and fair to a blind dog (as opposed to making it fit in with what's going on around it) is not easy and a huge committment.

I too would like to know what the implications and longterm issues were of keeping a blind puppy! Yes, the training needs to be adapted and yes, you shouldn't move your furniture round every day, but other than that, there really isn't any other problems I can see ahead for this pup! And also, why it seems to impossible to find a good responsible home for a blind puppy seems strange to me too! If a potential home is vetted properly (as they should be for a normal puppy too), perhaps even looking for an owner that has experience with blind dogs, and if a new owner is given the full story, then I really can't see the problem! If I had the right set up, I would take on a blind puppy without a further thought! Having seen how blind puppies/dogs go about their lives, I have absolutely no worries for this puppy if in the right home and cannot understand how anyone could even contemplate PTS of a perfectly healthy puppy without eyesight. 

If a blind puppy is brought up exactely the same way as a seeing puppy - e.g. socialisation, going out and about, meeting lots of other dogs and people, going away with owners, staying with friends a day or two (or kennels if that is an option in the future) etc. - then they can adapt to this just as well as a normal dog. If however a blind puppy is brought up differently keeping the environment as unchanged as possible and tend to their every whim, then yes, a blind dog would have problems and would get stressed if circumstances etc. change! But I think this is simply down to how the pup is brought up rather than an actual problem of being blind.

I once went to an award ceremony with the owners of a blind greyhound (born blind) and the dog himself! Until we actually told the story of the greyhound, people didn't even realise he was blind as he walked up and down the stairs without problems, ran off lead on the field without problems, and said hello to people and dogs without problems - despite being in a totally new and unknown environment to him! Dogs compensate with their other senses, just like people do - and their eyesight is much less important to them than it is to humans.

If I had the right set up, I would take on a blind puppy without a further thought!
I have absolutely no worries for this puppy if in the right home

Absolutely and that's my point.  It needs to be an unchanging right home for the next 15 years, and not many of us can say that we'll have that, unless we have reached a stage of great stability in our lives.

Staying with friends, going on holiday, put in kennels just isn't an option without causing confusion to most blind dogs.

But that's the same for any dog! None of us can guarantee that our circumstances don't change for the worse - whether we have blind dogs or not. I don't feel that blind dogs (particularly if they are blind from birth) need any more stability than any other dog! I have two dogs - with excellent eyesight - that would struggle greatly if they had to be rehomed! I can do my best for them now and today, but I don't know what my life holds for me tomorrow! We're probably ok, but there's no guarantees! If a blind puppy is fully integrated in a household, gets the training any puppy needs and is well socialised with not just people and dogs, but also lots of different situations, then I can't see the problem other than it might be slightly more difficult to rehome (should it ever come to this) due to his disability - but then the same can be said for bullbreeds etc. that are hard to rehome too.

Staying with friends, going on holiday, put in kennels just isn't an option without causing confusion to most blind dogs.
But why should it confuse them more than any other dog? Most dogs are confused if they are kenneled etc if they are not used to it (I sure know my dogs were, and they can see perfectly well). The only thing I can see is that an owner mollycuddles a blind puppy, tries to keep as much stress away from them as possible... and with that creates a dog that is not adaptable - it would be no different if the dog could see. Dogs don't rely on eyesight as much as we do, I think it is more a problem that we have than the actual dog.

The blind greyhound I am talking about above: his owners also have a sailing boat where they often go for week-ends and holidays, their blind dog has no problem with it and loves it! I can't see why the owners of a blind dog shouldn't be able to go on  holiday.

I once went to an award ceremony with the owners of a blind greyhound (born blind) and the dog himself!
I don't feel that blind dogs (particularly if they are blind from birth) need any more stability than any other dog!
Making a decision based on meeting one blind dog wouldn't be wise.  And again that is not a fair comment to make to this OP who is struggling to make the right decision for the pup.

Most dogs are confused if they are kenneled etc if they are not used to it (I sure know my dogs were, and they can see perfectly well).
Then add to that the complication of not being able to see and you should be able to understand that it's not fair to put a blind dog into kennels.

Staying with friends, going on holiday, put in kennels just isn't an option without causing confusion to most blind dogs.
But why should it confuse them more than any other dog?
Because they're blind and can't see where they're walking!  They can't smell steps, walls, shut doors.  I bet the owner of your blind greyhound didn't let it loose at the award ceremony or when it was on the boat?  They need constant supervision is strange surroundings.  A 15 year committment.

I have worked with many blind dogs, and yes, in the right stable home, with a totally committed owner they can be absolutlely fine.  But that is not the sort of life that most people lead.

I bet the owner of your blind greyhound didn't let it loose at the award ceremony or when it was on the boat?
Yes, they did let him run free (and people couldn't believe that he was blind) and yes, he is free on the boat too!

I have worked with many blind dogs, and yes, in the right stable home, with a totally committed owner they can be absolutlely fine.  But that is not the sort of life that most people lead.
I agree that they are special needs, but then certain breeds are also with their special requirements and certain dogs are too with their special characters (aggression, particularly nervous etc). I am for example very much limited what I can do and where I can go with my dog aggressive pyrenees, but he's my responsibility and I make those adjustments happily! And of course they need totally committed owners, but they are out there just like there are owners out there for specialist breeds for example! I feel that if a breeder "produces" a puppy with special needs like being blind, that breeder should also be fully prepared to either keep the puppy themselves or find that home where the special needs dog can have a good quality of life. PTS is in my opinion the easy way out.

At the end of the day, doesn't a dog rely more heavily on its senses of smell and hearing than it does sight ?
Surely so long as someone is fully prepared to give this pup a good life, I don't see a problem. I should think a blind dog can live perfectly happily in a loving, caring committed home - just as a seeing dog can !

That said, only the OP knows what her gut feelings are and ultimately must make the right decision.

If a blind puppy is brought up exactely the same way as a seeing puppy - e.g. socialisation, going out and about, meeting lots of other dogs and people, going away with owners, staying with friends a day or two (or kennels if that is an option in the future) etc. - then they can adapt to this just as well as a normal dog. If however a blind puppy is brought up differently keeping the environment as unchanged as possible and tend to their every whim, then yes, a blind dog would have problems and would get stressed if circumstances etc. change! But I think this is simply down to how the pup is brought up rather than an actual problem of being blind.[/i

Spot on there LurcherGirl.My blind boy was socialised(Only not early enough so that when meeting new people he does bark a bit until he gets used to them).He goes out with my others and runs and plays.He is full of life and is very bold. I move things around quite often,that keeps him on his toes so he knows to go steady.His senses are ultra as I only have to stretch my foot out and he jumps up well before my other dogs.Anyone seeing him for the first time have no idea that he is totally blind until I tell them.I too don,t know what the long term issues would be but I suppose I would cross that bridge when I came to it.He is only blind not ill so I cannot understand why the OP was told to have it PTS.

"My problem being is that I have a very active family home with lots of people coming and going and I have large dogs also."

I think this is one of the sentences that tells a lot. The OP has said that this is a small breed pup and one of only two pups born.  There is an active family home, lots of people, and other larger dogs.

"Is it fair of me to keep her in this type of environment, or would she be better off in a quieter home"

To answer the question asked, I think just from reading what other people have said, and in my own experience with a friend that had a blind dog (although not from birth) that they needed a lot of extra attention, the OP has said that she has a very busy home.  They need a very stable home (as in comings and goings, furniture and especially routine as they cant pick up visual clues) the OP has said that there are lots of different people coming and going. As their hearing was more acute to enable them to navigate, a noisy environment would just stress them to the point of noise overload and the OP has said that shes got other dogs as well as the mum of the pups, so not exactly a quiet house.  The OP is already hinting at the fact that her household may not be the best for this particular pup especially with larger dogs already in it, so she already has doubts as to how she is going to care for her needs in the way that she is going to need for the next 15 years.

However I dont think the pup should be pts, I think a home should be found by someone that fits the above, and maybe as a part of a household that has another smaller breed dog that is a bit older already in it. So she has some sort of leader herself.

Im not sure it would be a good idea to have two bitches from same litter, the blind one will have enough on their plate and wont be able to pick up any of the signals that the other pup might display, and certainly wont be able to defend herself very well should the sighted one, decide to challenge the blind one in any way.

Also if the pup is blind, did the vet suggest why that might have happened, or what the problem could be?  Is the blindness secondary to anything else?

I dont envy your postion, but I do believe the right home could be found.

if you look at your pup now, is she getting stressed at all?
or is she happy and playing, if your household was to much for her, then the pup would be getting stressed would it not.

i own a blind dog, shes been blind for the last 10 years, shes just as easy if not more so as the other dogs,
altogether i have 10 dogs, she go's off lead - she plays ball, she knows when theres food around,
not that long ago i got a deerhound, whos now a year old, they get on fine together, even though laylas bouncy
shrimp isnt bothered when she gets jumped on, i regulary move things and not once has shrimp bumped in to anything,
as she does use her nose to navagate, she even uses her nose to find a place on the couch and will go round checking to make sure she doesnt lie on one of the other dogs, my other dogs do look after her to make sure nothing happens to her
being born blind is different from them going blind, the pup will know no different, as far as the pups concerned it dosent know what sight is,
so will actualy be better than a dog that has been able to see, training is a bit different, but not difficult at all,

you will find the pup will cope better than you think, being blind isnt the end of the world,
just treat her like any other pup, even though shes blind you will probably find yourself sometimes thinking is she realy blind,
our shrimp does anything she wants, she even took to sleeping on top of the crate at one stage, getting up on her own and back down,
its a 48inch crate, i wouldnt pts just because of blindness - not unless theres other problems assocated with it.

If you want more advice or info, then try this place,
http://www.blinddogs.com/

read some of the accounts of people who own blind dogs, what some of them do is amazing
even one that a sled dog.
http://www.blinddogs.com/inspire.htm

Thank you jane-f for posting such a positive, informative view. 

I feel so strongly that the puppy shouldn't be PTS, and hope with all my heart this will help the OP make the right decision. xx

I know this sounds cold and harsh,and it's easier for me to say as i don't live with the wee tike,but i would pts. Only because i would spend the rest of my life constantly feeling sorry for the dog,it would be like a constant squeezing in my gut,she will never live a normal life,and i just feel she will constantly be missing out on the life a healthy dog would live.She will always have to rely on you or her pack for most things,it just sounds like a very confusing life for her filled with obstacles

Raising a normal healthy dog is hard enough,a disabled one would require so much more work.Yes,i know this is a selfish view,but personally i couldn't do it.

I would hate to be in your position,your heart must be breaking in all directions

Brilliant post from Jane-f. Especially as she is someone with first hand experience of raising a blind dog.

> I know this sounds cold and harsh,and it's easier for me to say as i don't live with the wee tike,but i would pts.

It doesn't sound cold and harsh, it sounds as if you are not thinkng of the dog as a dog, a different species to humans. Dogs don't think like we do and they don't use thier senses the same way we do, infact it's impossible to comprehend how differnet a dogs mind is to ours. This little pup, if allowed to live, wil not even know that she is any different to every other dog she meets, she is not capable of understanding this, even if was explained to her. She is what she is and that is all she knows and all she is capable of knowing. If she has the mental & physical stimulation she needs, along the with company she needs, there is no reason why she would not feel fulfilled and happy, she is not capable of thinking 'I wish I could see'.

> Raising a normal healthy dog is hard enough,a disabled one would require so much more work.

The dog is only visually disabled, so I guesse anything to do with sight is going to be a struggle, such as catching a ball, reading other dogs body language....ummm I'm struggling here to think of anythign else the dog is going to be 'disabled' to do...........It won't be able to read - oh dogs can't read anyway ... Opperate machinery...nope seeing dogs can't do that either!.....Drive a car (I'm sure it's going to be full of self-pity over that one!!)......Watch TV...Surf the net...Sniff out it's favorite wee-patch in the garden (oh, they use thier nose for that), recognise visitors, again scent is the deciding factor (how else would your dog recognise you in fancy dress?).

I can't think of anything my dog does that he would not be able to do if her had been born blind.

so I guesse anything to do with sight is going to be a struggle, such as catching a ball

Ah, but use a ball with a bell in it, and your blind dog can go catch it quite easily.

> Ah, but use a ball with a bell in it, and your blind dog can go catch it quite easily.

Good point!

I know this sounds cold and harsh,and it's easier for me to say as i don't live with the wee tike,but i would pts. Only because i would spend the rest of my life constantly feeling sorry for the dog,it would be like a constant squeezing in my gut,she will never live a normal life,and i just feel she will constantly be missing out on the life a healthy dog would live.She will always have to rely on you or her pack for most things,it just sounds like a very confusing life for her filled with obstacles

You would PTS because YOU feel sorry for the dog! The dog sure doesn't feel sorry for himself, all he knows is that he is living a perfectly normal life, he has never known any different!

There is very little that a blind dog has to miss out on, the main thing is reading other dogs' body language and training has to be adjusted as the dog obviously can't rely on visual cues, but that's all! ALL dogs rely on us owners and ALL dogs rely on the other dogs if they live in a pack! It's not different for a blind dog. A blind puppy that has grown up like a normal dog will live a virtually normal life - there is no reason why they should be less happy and fullfilled than a seeing dog, there is no reason why he should be confused! The blind greyhound that we had in our class joined in with ALL the exercises we did including retrieve, send away and agility! Yes, some were slightly adapted as they needed to be taught in a different way at times (using the dog's other senses when teaching), but he did well with everything.

due to the long term implications and cost of keeping such a puppy.


Just picking up on this point from a different perspective, those of us who breed know that as breeders the KC, Petplan or any other insurance company no longer give us the breeder the 6 weeks free insurance that our new puppy owners get.  I honestly do not know whether an insurance company would cover the intital tests for a blind pup from the breeder, so there could be considerable cost here to the breeder.

No vet is just going to say I think your pup is blind, the pup will need tests, will need to assess why it is blind, what is causing it, can it be rectified? So I hate to throw a spanner in the works as I too would be keeping this pup, but financially I could, not everyone can, a blind pup would otherwise cost no more than any other pup, but can we just also think about the initial veterniary costs to this breeder, hettimayzi you need to speak to your vet to find out the estimated costs for all this, and also to contact insurance companies and dog charities to see if they may cover the costs, many of us have had dogs go blind, but not from birth and not as the breeder.

Those who have bred and raised a blind pup would be better to help in what the veterinary testing costs were, whether an insurance company would cover a breeder, and also if it can be rectified the approx costs it may be, if anyone can help here it may give hettimayzi another avenue to explore and one that can't just be ignored............. unfortunately.

I honestly do not know whether an insurance company would cover the intital tests for a blind pup from the breeder, so there could be considerable cost here to the breeder.

I am not a breeder, but surely a responsible breeder would want to do these tests anyway to find out WHY the puppy is blind and what is causing it as it would affect the decision whether to breed from those parents again... So the costs are there regardless as getting rid of the evidence (PTS blind puppy) will not make the underlying problem go away. Well, at least I HOPE that a breeder would do those test and not just breed from those parents again without further investigation!

Just picking up on this point from a different perspective, those of us who breed know that as breeders the KC, Petplan or any other insurance company no longer give us the breeder the 6 weeks free insurance that our new puppy owners get.

Yes but they give four weeks. (Just adding this so nobody thinks there no longer is ANY free puppy insurance.)

>I honestly do not know whether an insurance company would cover the intital tests for a blind pup from the breeder, so there could be considerable cost here to the breeder.

No insurance company would now cover any condition affecting the pup's eyes, whoever owned it, now that it's been diagnosed as being blind.

I have just registered on the forum so I can post a message to the owner of the blind puppy.
My husband and I own the blind Greyhound mentioned by Lurcher Girl. He was born to a racing greyhound Mum who had been given some drugs during her pregnancy. The trainer decided to give him the chance of a loving home and we brought him home when he was seven weeks;he is now two.
As soon as we got him we took advice from a qualified dog trainer who visited us at home before he could start puppy classes. We thought he would always have to be on the lead but the trainer advised not.Elliot went to training class from the puppy through to senior class and could do EVERYTHING his sighted peers could do. He loved agility and did everything by voice command. His trainer was simply marvellous and adapted lessons to suit his disability. Disability - I said that word but Elliot does not consider him to have any problems! At first I had some little bells attached to my jacket so he knew where to find me when he was off the lead but now he doesn't even need that. We have one other Greyhound and a Dachshund but Elliot would not dream of relying on them - he is big and bold and usually knows well before them what is happening around us! Teach the little puppy some basic safety commands, Elliot's main one is 'careful'. When we say that he stops or moves to the side. This prevents him getting into any danger but of course whenever we are out we have to be his eyes and view everything from where he is. Last year he came second in the Tails of Achievment Awards sponsored by James Wellbeloved and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers - and yes - he was off the lead running on Newbury Racecourse and behaving impeccably as he learned in his classes. He loves our boat - has his own lifejacket but like our home he knows every inch of it.
Please do not put the puppy to sleep and please do not feel sorry for her - treat her exactly as any other dog whilst teaching some safety words, ideally with the help of a fantastic trainer as Elliot had. Good Luck!