Lessons I learned from my blind dog
Margaret Skeel, 67, is a disability support worker who grew up with an enduring love of wildlife and wilderness. In her spare time she gardens, takes long walks with her blind dog and writes about her life experiences.
Over the next few weeks Buddy became my constant companion. He slept on the porch outside my flat and went for walks with me each day. I fed him and wormed him and even enticed him into the shower with some food in order to give him a much needed bath. He hung his head like I was punishing him but I think even he would agree he smelled much better when it was over!
His right eye was sightless, but what about his left? There was a big cataract covering that and I surmised that he must have very little, if any sight in that one too. And yet, he didn’t act blind. He pranced the streets with his tail held high and bossed the other dogs around in an area that was clearly his territory. I watched him to see how he managed. It wasn’t just smell and hearing. I began to see that he had a great memory and used it to know where there were grids, creeks, holes in the ground and other traps for the blind and unwary.
He also trusted his paws. When he could feel pavement or mowed grass under his feet, he moved forward quickly and without caution. If the ground became uneven or rough, he put his head down and proceeded more cautiously, sniffing as he went. When our walks took him out of his known territory, he tended to stay by my side rather than ranging forward, trusting me to know where we were going.
When I left town, he came with me. Each time I opened the car door after a long day’s drive, we were someplace new. I think he expected each time that he would be back home, but he never was. One night he walked over to the corner of the dog-friendly hotel room, put his head down and let out a big sigh. That was as close as he came to regret. Each day in brand new territory, he set out on our walks with total confidence, running into unexpected trees and parked cars, but just backing off and heading out again. Luckily he has a hard head and a low centre of gravity.
He still does that now even though we have a more or less permanent home. His memory is still good and he is learning the routes that we take. I keep him on a leash, not to guide him, but just to keep him from wandering off too far because he has no fear. And that is his secret. It’s his attitude. He doesn’t know he is blind. He just thinks this is normal. He doesn’t sit around feeling sorry for himself the way we humans tend to do when things go wrong. He just gets on with his life even though it means he will run into things.
That is what I have learned from my blind dog. No matter what the world throws at you, it’s your attitude that matters most. Most of us will lose some of our sight and hearing as we grow older. We can choose to sit and bemoan the fact. I know myself, I regretted losing my 20/20 vision and resented having to wear glasses to read. Now I just look at my big, happy blind dog prancing along without a care and realise how lucky I am to have him as a role model.
Because Buddy is a dog, he doesn’t have language for abstract thoughts. This has some disadvantages, for sure, but it also means that he does not have regrets about the past or spend time worrying about the future. A lot of us humans can and do both, even though we cannot change the past. And worrying about the future is pretty useless unless there is something positive we can do to prevent the possible event we are worrying about.
Buddy isn’t out there getting angry or sad about losing his eyesight and he certainly isn’t worrying about whether or not he is going to run into a barn door or fall off a cliff. He is totally in the here and now, ready to back off the barn door or the cliff if they eventuate. It’s not a bad way to live.
If you have a story to share, please get in touch at melody@oversixty.com.au
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