To live in a puppy farm is an experience no decent person would ever wish on a dog. It is an existence devoid of even basic kindness. To live in a puppy farm and to be blind is unimaginably hard. Confusion, fear and loneliness dominate.
This was Teddy’s life until recently. He was a breeding dog in a puppy farm and now he is not. Life took a turn for the better for Teddy in the last weeks of 2020 and he had the good luck to be fostered, then adopted into a loving, understanding home. He is a dog who is cherished, respected and loved for the first time in his life. But he is still blind, or at the most, has only limited sight in one eye.
His first few days in his new home were scary for Teddy, so much change needed to be understood by this brave boy, but throughout it all his new family have been by his side, gently, patiently settling him in. This picture was taken as his new sister sat reading to him. It truly is a whole new, wonderful world that is his to enjoy, in time, as his fears and worries and bad memories fade.
Arrangements are in place for him to take the next stage of his journey - Teddy will see an ophthalmologist later this month and all going well, will have surgery on the one eye that is suitable for this specialist treatment. There are risks with no guarantees it will work, but, Teddy deserves, and will get, this chance at living a life with at least some vision restored.
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MARCH 2021
In February Teddy underwent cataract surgery to restore sight in the one eye that was treatable. It went well and he was soon back at home recovering. The change in him was swift - from being too worried to move far from his bed, he was soon pootling in and out of the house unaided, tail up, confidence growing.
For a dog leaving a puppy farm, everything is new, and often terrifying. They have had no normal experiences. For some, adjustments are fairly easy to make, for others, it's a major upheaval and it can take years for recovery to be reliably good. Add to that, blindness and it is easy to appreciate just how amazingly brave Teddy is to make such good progress so fast. His determination is helping him to embrace every change that he's experiencing.
Giving Teddy some sight is a major step in his journey towards a happy, confident life.
Three weeks on from his surgery and Teddy is a different dog. Running in and out of the house, tail wagging, where just weeks ago he had to be gently helped from room to room, let alone out into his garden.
“Teddy getting back his sight has given him the start of his confidence”
FEBRUARY 2022
It’s been a while since we updated Teddy’s story, but Fiona stays in touch regularly and he is loving his sighted life. They have moved house and Teddy coped brilliantly with the change. He is confident and loves to say hello to all his new friends when he is out on walks. He especially loves the beach.
By restoring his sight, Teddy was given the very best chance at having a wonderful life after one spent in a breeding shed. It is wonderful to know that with Fiona, he is absolutely having that life. A wonderful one where he is deeply loved.