Daisy

@daisy_the_blind_snowflake

This is Daisy, the eight year old Basset Hound from Anaheim, USA. ​Daisy is completely blind. She had glaucoma is both of her eyes and had to have a double enucleation. This is fairly common in Bassets. She had her surgery in April of 2017.

Daisy is a Bassethound Rescue of Southern California Alumni that Alex fostered initially and eventually realised they'd both found their new family. BHRSC brought Daisy to CA in a hound haul. A hound haul is where the rescue goes to other states and pulls bassets from over-crowed shelters where there are too many hounds and not enough adopters. They took her in, knowing the amount of medical attention she would need, brought her out to California and had the surgery done. The rescue spent thousands on her care and now Alex uses Daisy's Instagram page to bring awareness for blind dogs and the work the rescue does. Alex continues to foster and on her page you will see her, their rescue bully Dooney and various other foster dogs. 

Could you describe a regular day with Daisy?

​Our weekday routines are fairly simple. Daisy is handicapable and is fairly independent. We wake up at around 6am, sometimes she gets out of bed, other times she sleeps in. We have stairs by the bed that she has learned to go up and down.

Once she decides to wake up the morning routine is always the same. She gets off the bed, she shakes, Basset crawls, stretches, gets a drink of water and then heads down stairs. We have a morning potty break, she enjoys sniffing around the yard and if it’s warm enough so she might try to sneak in some sunbathing. Due to Daisys coat color she is a candidate for sunburns so we have to limit her outside time. After she comes back in she walks herself back up stairs, stops to eat her breakfast and then crawls back into bed.

​I work from home, so Daisy and her furbrother Dooney are with me all day. Usually around 9am Daisy will get out of bed and will move her napping to the couch. Our living room fills with sunlight in the morning so she can lay on the couch and do some approved sunbathing. Daisy is a big napper so most of her time is spent on the couch. She has several more potty breaks thru out the day and enjoys a afternoon meat stick. Bedtime and dinner is usually around 10pm. Daisy knows the term “go to bed” so she will walk her way back up stairs, eats her dinner, and then crawls back into bed.

How do you spend your weekends?
​Our weekends activities vary. We have taken Daisy out to restaurants, she enjoys all the smells. We have also brought her to the beach, where she enjoyed the laying in the warm sand, but not so much the water. We also use the weekend for napping and hanging out around the house.

What products, tips or tricks would you recommend for life with a blind dog?
The main recommendation I have when people ask about how to care for a blind dog is to not move things around your house. Leave your furniture where it is and don’t leave things on the floor. Daisy has learned the house layout and hat keeps her from running into things or getting tripped up.

​Also have patience! Remember they are walk-in around in the dark. This makes her slow. Walking is slow, going up the stairs she slow. Lastly, work on commands. Daisy knows what “stop” means, and “be careful”.

Glaucoma is fairly common in dogs and eye removals are not as scary as they seems. Its harder on us then it is on them. Just be patient and follow the doctors advice.

Follow Daisy's latest adventures and see who her latest foster pup mate is on Instagram @daisy_the_blind_snowflake.

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