My husband & I take in small dogs from the local kennel sometimes, who would otherwise be euthanized. I got a call one day from them to come down, that they had a 3-pound poodle that they could not adopt out because of her age & special needs. Being blind & deaf, they were going to euthanize her. I could have her if I wanted her. So I went down immediately.... They said that animal control was called to a scene at an apartment where the owner was dead for over 2 weeks. There were 2 poodles there with the body. The family took the one dog & dumped this one at the local kennels. So we walked into where they keep the dogs. From a huge dog kennel with a tiny litter box, they pulled out this tiny 3 pound little black fuzzball of a dog. You could not see her face or eyes or toes... just a mass of dark, dirty matted fur. We took her home & bathed her; the dirt ran off her & she was white under it all! I am a professional groomer, so I got out the clippers & began cutting off the hair that was matted. I even managed to give her a fancy show pom-pom cut... just for fun, as I thought she should look & feel fancy. It was a huge difference to look at her. I put a little shirt on her, as she was cold & scared. I got a baby bassinet & a child's playpen for her to be near me in & safe. In a day she wanted out. She did the perimeter of the rooms & knew them in 1 day. She at that point ran the house. I still had her sleep in a baby bassinet next to me at night for her safety. I took her in as a hospice case. I didn't expect her to live a week or month.... she lived 4 years to be 22 years old. She died in my arms at home. She was a strong brave soul. Her blindness or her deafness never stopped her from doing things... she was amazing & her story should be known . I always said she was a tiny angel on Earth. It was a pleasure to be around her. I miss her as she passed away in 2018.

Jennifer Leder
LAKEWOOD, OH