Name: Heaven
Sex: Female
Breed: Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix
Age: 7 yrs old (approx. DOB: 12/03/2004)
Level of blindness: Complete
Cause of eye issues: She has cataracts which are the cause of her blindness.
Health issues: Heaven is in very good health. She has some arthritis in her right front elbow and an old bump above that. The vet thinks she was hit by a car or some other injury that wasn't treated properly. Because of that, Heaven does have a limp.
Weight: 47 pounds
Good with dogs: Yes
Good with cats: Yes
Good with kids: Yes
Currently being fostered in: Tennessee
*BDRA will transport the dog a reasonable distance, to an approved adopter, at no extra cost, even if out of state.
December 23, 2011: We picked up Heaven from the transport on 12/3/11. She had a long day of travel from the shelter to us and she arrived home around 8:30 pm. She ate, drank, explored a little and settled in for a good night's rest. She didn't pay too much attention to the other dogs when she first met them. I think she was just too tired to care. After a good night's sleep in a warm bed, she began to explore further. It didn't take her too long to map the house. After just two days she was ready to meet the other dogs again (even though they were only separated by a gate for two days). She quickly became the female in charge or at least thinks she is! The other dogs are males. Heaven will try to maintain order when "the boys" start wrestling or get too excited. She lets them know to calm down. She did raise her lip the first couple of days if the dogs got in her face too much or without warning, but hasn't done that since the first few days of being with "the boys". She's mapped out the house and knows where the door is to go outside, and will go to the door to let me know she needs to go out. If I'm not in the room with the door, she'll scratch at the door to let me know. She moves pretty quickly through the house now and walks ahead of me on our walks outside. Honestly, it's like she doesn't know she's blind. If she misses a step, bumps a wall or brushes by a tree, she just keeps going. Since she's just been spayed, she is on limited activity until 12/20. She is feeling good and when the other dogs go running by her outside, she wants to join in the fun and barks at them to slow down (or maintain order...not sure which yet)! Heaven is great with young kids. I find my 2 year old granddaughter and Heaven sitting in the dog beds having private conversations with each other. Heaven is also good with the cats (we have two). She just smells them and walks away. She doesn't have any food aggression. All the dogs eat at the same time with the bowls right next to each other. They all line up for treats too and she doesn't growl or show any aggressive behavior. They all take their individual treats, eat them and either wait for more or walk away. Heaven loves to lay on the couch and curl up next to you. She was very hesitant on getting up on the couch when she first came to us, but has learned quickly that it's ok and now that's one of her favorite spots. She's also starting to meet me at the door when I come in. It did not take her long at all to learn the routine of the house. She is such a loving dog with an awesome personality. I've taken two videos so far...one is of her first night with us and how she moved slowly around the living room. The second video is 2 weeks later and now she moves around the house great.
December 26, 2011 - Heaven is now all settled in at her new foster home. She always goes to the door to let me know she needs to potty. She doesn't sleep in any of the dog beds, she prefers the couch most of the time or curls up by my feet on the floor! She loves to play when I'm down on the floor with her and she's just starting to play with toys. She really enjoys Sunny, my Australian shepherd, but hasn't played with any of the dogs yet, but does love to lay close to them. Heaven is great with my 2 year old granddaughter too. Heaven likes to sit or lay by her when she is playing with her toys. If I'm in the kitchen, Heaven comes and lays nearby. She is such a sweet dog!
January 15, 2012 - Heaven is doing great. Her personality has come out
and she just gets sweeter. I walk Heaven and Apollo together (both are
my blind fosters) and they are so cute. Heaven matches her pace to
Apollo's and they always seem to check on each other during our
walks, they reach out and touch each other with their noses....just
making sure the other one is there. She is the best potty'er. She'll
sit at the door if she needs to go out. It seems within 30 seconds of
her going outside, she's done. She's familar with the sounds of our
property and house so the only time she barks is when the other dogs
start up. She can't see to know what's going on, so wherever she is,
she'll bark. All I have to do is touch her and she stops. I just put
my hand on her head or back and she knows all is ok. I tested her on a
flight of stairs and she did great. She went up them with no problem
. She uses her head to check where the next step is. Coming down, she
was hesitant on the first step, but after that one, she came down the
steps great too. We took our time coming down and going up. I wanted
her to be comfortable...no rush. My two year old granddaughter calls
her Kevin. I guess she can't say Heaven yet. Carlee is always giving
"Kevin" kisses. They sit on the floor together and Carlee puts her toys
all around Heaven. She has tripped over Heaven a few times too and
Heaven doesn't startle or jump away. She just lets Carlee do whatever
Carlee is doing to her. Heaven follows sounds to find me or "watch"
me. If we're outside, she listens to where I'm at and comes right over
when I call her and I could be a little distance from her. Her favorite
thing is to curl up next to me or my husband on the couch. We pet her
and give her love. It amazes me what love alone can do for these pups.
If you would like to donate Heaven's care, please send to:
BDRA
PO Box 63401
Philadelphia, PA 19114
Or donate via PayPal (below):
