Ready, Willing, and Mabel!

Sometimes life gives you lemons. For Mabel, that came when she was about 7 years old and got glaucoma. She had surgery in 2009 to relieve her eye pressure, but at age 11 she is completely blind. She was lucky enough to have lived with the same family for all her years, but due to a divorce she finds herself in the position of needing a new forever home.   

Says her foster mom, “Her previous owner told me that Mabel is a wonderful dog.  He took her on long walks in the woods which she loved, but inside the house she was confined to one room in order to protect her from bumping into furniture.  She was reportedly excellent with children and had lived with the owner’s son from his birth to age six.  Her owner also told me that she’s great with other dogs and cats.  Still, we knew that our home would be a huge adjustment for an older dog who had never known a different family.  We have 3 children, and our pets include three hounds and a cat.  Wishing we could coddle her but simply not having the time, she was going to have to jump into the fray and do her best. 

No concern was necessary.  Mabel never stops wagging her tail.  She trusted us to take her home in a two-hour car ride without complaint.  She met her new dog friends with polite sniffing and more tail wagging.  She lets us know when she needs to go out, or needs a drink and can’t find the water bowl.  When the kids come home from school, she barks until they greet her.  And she nuzzles the baby like she’s known her forever.

All these things came as no surprise based on the description of her that we had been given.  But here’s what we didn’t expect:  her spirit.  She is taking it upon herself to understand our house and yard.  She could easily curl up in a corner and stay within her comfort zone.  But time after time, she is bumping into furniture, trying to get through doorways, figuring out the stairs…all for the sake of exploring.  She is fueled by the desire to be with us, to be part of a family.  She deals with the bumps along the way: never forfeiting her goal, simply changing course.  She shadows the other dogs when she is unsure where to go.  I don’t think it’s my imagination that they help her…at times she calls to me for guidance but a dog beats me to it. 

We had been told that she has a lot of life left in her, but it’s more than that.  She inspires me, and we’re lucky to be her foster parents.  You’ll only feel sorry for her until you meet her… then you’ll want the spark that she has.” If you think you can give Mabel her forever home, please fill out our adoption application.