Dogs have the power to stay endlessly positive through any hardship, so long as they have love on their side. And there’s no further proof of that than a two-year-old blind golden retriever named Jake, who has a golden retriever sibling named Addie, who essentially acts as his eyes.
“We got Jake after our previous golden Molly passed away and Addie came into our lives after our golden Wrigley died,” Kim, their owner, told Bored Panda.
“Jake was very sad after his buddy was gone and we knew he needed a sibling.” But what Kim didn’t know was how pivotal Addie would become in Jake’s life.
Jake began having seizures when he was still a puppy, but his real problems began when he turned two.
“We noticed an issue with his eyes,” Kim said. “Over the subsequent months, in spite of trying every medication recommended by our vet’s eye specialist as well as multiple surgeries, his eyes steadily deteriorated. We were faced with a painful decision: have Jake’s eyes removed or have him put to sleep.”
Kim said that both options seemed “cruel,” especially given that Jake had already suffered so much. But after speaking with the vet and other dog owners, she became convinced that Jake could still lead a good life in spite of the loss of his vision.
“Our vet also counseled us that, to a dog, sight is actually number three on their list of senses, as both smell and hearing are more important to them,” Kim said.
In fact, it didn’t even take Jake very long to bounce back from having his eyes removed.
“Immediately after waking up from surgery, our vet said that Jake began wagging his tail,” she said. “His months of pain were over, and he was letting us know!”
While it did take him a little time to physically adjust, Jake made the whole ordeal seem pretty easy, all things considered.
“He still bumps into things now and then, but he also navigates the house and our neighborhood walks with surprising ease. And thankfully, his playful nature has returned!” Kim said.
In addition to the support of his humans, Jake’s also got the most loyal of friends in Addie.
“Jake follows Addie’s sound and smell,” Kim said. “After Jake’s surgery, Addie wore a little bell on her collar for a while until he got used to tracking her on his own.”
The two of them do everything together, go on walks and adventures, eat breakfast, play outside, nap, and chase squirrels.
“She loves being everywhere we are and is always ready to share kisses,” Kim said of Addie.
Seeing how happy Jake is, Kim knows they made the right decision.
“We’re so happy we made the choice we did, and so grateful for the many people who encouraged us to do so,” she told Bored Panda. “Jake reminds us every day that his life still holds great purpose and value in spite of all his challenges.”
9 thoughts on “This Blind Golden Retriever and His Guide Dog Will Put a Smile On Your Face”
Our Pekenise / ShiTzu had puppies and we kept one — around 2 years “Elizabeth” the younger one had infections in her eyes and one was removed then a year later the other had to go also. From that time one, Bitsy, the mother took care of her for almost 10 years. She licked her clean every day and never left her alone. When people commented on how cute they were and asked about her eyes we would say they had to be removed and often the person asking would say — “oh, is she blind?” People can be sort of stupid sometimes!
when any(one or thing) loses their sense, there is always another sense to fill in. are the animals more inteligent than humans??? think about that one for more than a second…
What a great story. My Golden Retriever and I are Therapy Partners and visit various places for comfort.
This would be a great pair to do visits to rehab centers for encouraging those that are facing
difficult challenges ahead.
There is nothing like the love of a dog the best pet in the world!
When you love an animal as much as they apparently love Jake they wanted to give him every chance he deserved and so they did. An animal is as loved as a child to many of us and so every consideration is given as it was to Jake. With the addition of Addie the love is doubled and Jake has a life partner that leads him everywhere. What more could you ask for? What wonderful parents Jake and Addie have. Hooray for them all!!
this is true love. it should melt the coldest of hearts.
It melted my heart. It even put tears in my eyes.
What a great story. Loved it. <3
Loved the story. So glad everything worked out Very moving. LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS.
we had a golden for 13 years. she had a bad accident when she was very young and had a metal plate in her hip. the vet never expected her to live so long. she was smart and sweet and i still miss her. this story of the 2 goldens is so lovely. it brought tears to my eyes.