Bailey’s Irish Cream~Adopted

1/18/13 Update: Today, Baileys has all of the self-confidence a good dog needs! He has learned a lot of social skills with Mary, and his time in foster care has been time well spent. He is a love bug, and is incredibly smart. Mary, and her dog Gidget (Jalo) are enjoying his company, and he is getting used to Mary’s cat!

 

 

11/19/12:  Mary Burns was very interested in adopting Baileys.  She brought him home for a few days to see if he would get along with her pack. Unfortunately, the pack was too much for him and made him nervous.  The cat added to his nervousness as well.  Bailey’s is now available for adoption again but we’ve learned a lot more about him in just one week.  Baileys needs a structured environment and a routine to increase his sense of security.  I just love this dog, and I’m anxious to foster him again.

11/16/12 Foster Update:  Running a rescue is hard work, but what I love about it the most is I learn something new every single day.  I visited Dr. Dario Pinzon, an eye specialist for Val-U-Vet.  Bailey underwent a thorough examination.  He is losing his sight in both of his eyes, his left eye being worse than the right.

It’s called the Collie Eye Anomaly

I felt very sad for Bailey’s family, that they had to give him up after seven years.  I was surprised that they were not aware that he was blind.  If they would’ve known he was blind, a lot of incidents could’ve been avoided.

I  had a blind Sheltie many years ago.  I too didn’t know she was blind… it was my Aunt Gerry that told me!  I denied it, took the pup to the vet, and it was confirmed that my little Sheltie was blind.  She was only three years old.  She never missed a beat, and didn’t need her sight.

Blind dogs do need a special home, and here’s what Dr. Pinzon shared with me:

Install outdoor lighting.  When your dog wants to go outside at night, his vision will be even worse.  He will need lighting or he will be afraid to go outside.

Install nightlights and leave them on in the home, this will help the dog get around.

Do not allow strangers to approach the dog from behind, it will spook the dog.  Allow the dog time to use his ears and nose when meeting strangers.

The good news for Baileys is that by the time his sight is gone completely, he will be established in his new home, will have developed his new routine, and will have met a lot of new people!

I don’t feel sorry for Baileys.  He is the most intelligent dog I have ever rescued… and I’m serious.  Baileys is a brainiac and a real problem solver.  He could easily be certified Canine Good Citizen… he’s that good.  I also don’t feel sorry for Baileys because I think I know whoever adopts him, they will be awesome!  Stay tuned!

 

11/13/12 Foster Update:  It took a few days for Bailey to decompress.  All he knows is his home and his family.  He was scared, and didn’t know if he could trust us.  He first started with me, then the kids… to seek attention.  But today, he wanted to play, and he played with the entire pack!  I had my phone fully charged… and caught some video!  Woo Hoo!

 

This gorgeous boy is here with me, in Deltona.  He is 7 years old, very quiet, and very shy.  He’s getting used to live at the Border Collie Boot Camp, and it won’t be long before he finds his joy.  It’s hard to say where he’ll be best suited, so for now, I’ll just guess that a quiet home with an older couple would be awesome!

Bailey’s has a doctor’s appointment this Friday.  When I met him, I immediately suspected that his left eye was blind.  After watching him closely, I know I’m right.  You can see all of his photos on Facebook.

If you are interested in meeting him, please email TheDogLiberator@gmail.com and share such information as:

where you live,

your household composition,

your yard/fence/exercise plan,

pets you have and/or had,

your normal work schedule,

how much time the dog will be alone,

what you are looking for in a dog,

do you have a pool

what contingency plans do you have in place should you no longer be able to care for your dog,

if you rent, do you have landlord approval,

and are you prepared to bring your new dog home if you are approved during your meet?

have you or anyone in your family ever been bitten or traumatized by a dog in the past?

also, provide us with your phone number, home address, including county and zip code, and then we’ll go from there! The more you share the better!