Andy is a 3-4 year old male boxer who came from a terrible hoarding case and was at a shelter for quite a while before coming to CBR. His cell mate from the shelter, and from the hoarding case, is also a CBR foster resident. He came to CBR unable to walk “normally”. He would walk in a dog version of an army crawl partially due to fear, and partially due to never being able to move around in the shed he was locked in.  Now he stands up when he walks, and will even run full force outside. Andy came to his foster parents just skin and bones at 30 pounds (even after being at the shelter for months). He has filled out to 45 pounds, after putting on a healthy 15 pounds.  

Andy is also blind, which means he requires less attention to detail  than a seeing dog. He doesn’t jump on counters, steal stuff, or chew things. He will occasionally sniff out a stinky sock and carry it around. 

He mapped out and memorized his foster parent’s two story house in less than three days. He has no trouble using the doggie door, stairs or jumping onto a king size bed. 

He also enjoys all the same things sighted dogs like such as play time, running outside, belly rubs and treats.

Andy requires no extra medical care for his blindness.  He learns routines quickly such as meal times and sleep schedules.  He LOVES other dogs and relies on them heavily to be his eyes. He really trusts his foster sibling.  He does well with older children, and is not aggressive at all. He talks just like any boxer, even gives the head tilt when he’s curious about something.

Things Andy is Working On:

• Putting a leash on his collar so he can be walked.

• Petting him or touching him with more than two hands. He is still hesitant to human touch, but he wants it so bad. 

• He is afraid of adult men. So his foster parents are working on trusting men.

• He can be a tripping hazard. He often walks next to peoples lower legs touching them, as if he’s using them as a guide.

• His foster parents are working on expanding his comfort zone outside of the bedroom, which he determined was his safe zone. He avoids all human interaction, even pets outside of the bedroom.