Barnaby says ADOPT ME!!

BARNABY

Barnaby is a purebred male Soft Coated
Wheaten Terrier. His DOB is 8/5/07

Barnaby was turned over to rescue by
his breeder after it became apparent he
had some vision problems.

We don't know what the issue is but will
get Barnaby into a eye specialist as soon
as possible to find out what the issue is
and if it can be surgically corrected.

In the meantime we will have him on
specially made eye drops containing
FlexGel to help his eyes.

Barnaby could use some Angels to help
defray his specialist costs - you can
donate by clicking on the link in the red
box at the top of the page.

Update

Today Barnaby saw the eye specialist.
The good news is that he does not have
PRA and will not go totally blind. The 'bad'
is that there is nothing that can be done
to improve the vision he has.

Barnaby's optic nerves are small and
underdeveloped, he was born this way.
The specialist said she was amazed that
he has any vision at all but he clearly
does as he can avoid running into
objects, etc. His left eye is worse than
the right.

The specialist said he should have the
fall trimmed back so it does not interfere
with the limited vision he has but other
than that he should live a normal, happy
life like any other Wheaten.

We are working with Barnaby on 'cue
words'. For example, when we are going
to pick him up we say UP! and when we
put him down we say DOWN! The 'down'
has really done wonders for him as
before he would get very anxious and
scared and would struggle when you
went to put him down. We make sure we
say his name before reaching down to
touch him to avoid startling him. "MEET"
for when a new person is coming up to
him. We tell new people the must hold
out their hand and let him sniff prior to
touching him. "STOP" is also an
important word for a visually impaired
dog so they don't run into the path of
danger. For instance, Barnaby loves to
run at full speed around the yard but
cannot see the chain link fence so STOP
warns him there is danger and he is
learning to change his path so he does
not run head on into the fence.

Cue words help the visually impaired
dogs move around their world with more
confidence and ease.

Barnaby is an extremely intelligent puppy
and is picking up on everything very
quickly. He comes immediately when you
call him and is very good at finding you
using sound only. He is extremely
outgoing and sweet. You just could not
ask for a nicer little guy and he is going
to make a lucky family extremely happy.

Other than some minor adjustments due
to his vision he should not be treated or
raised any differently than any other dog,
obedience classes, etc. are important.
He would do well with clicker training as
he is very sound orientated.

Due to his limited vision a fenced yard
will be required. It will be important for
him to be able to get a map of his yard in
his head so he is able to run and play
freely. Dog parks and such would not be
a good place for a dog such as Barnaby
as strange dogs he cannot see running
up to him, jumping on him, etc. could
cause fear and aggression to develop.

Barnaby is ready to move on to his
forever home. Placing him as soon as
possible while he is still so young will be
helpful to him so he can grow and learn
with his new family.

He is neutered, up to date on shots

AUGUST 2008 - A FOREVER
HOME!

Barnaby has been adopted by
Wendy Akeman of Oklahoma

Congratulations!

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