Hi Folks.  I’m Gabby and this is my story. 

My first 1-1/2 years are not important, so the details of my birth and early childhood will remain something of a mystery.  My life actually began with a very kind rescuer who picked me up at a Vet’s office after I was abandoned there because I was diagnosed blind.  I was taken to a very nice foster home in New York to wait for my permanent family.  It wasn’t too long before they finally found me.

They seemed to understand my exuberant personality and my happy-go-lucky approach to life, in spite of the fact that I am blind.  They understood how important it was for me to feel loved and to have a family of my own.  They understood how excited I was to find a canine pack within my family, with wonderful canine and human friends who also needed my love.  With all this, how could I be anything but happy?

I am a Siberian Husky, quite worthy of my breed.  I have a beautiful red and white coat.  Of course, my baby blues are no longer clear and bright, but I really don’t mind.  It’s the humans that sometimes believe that sight is important.  I am not even aware that the rest of the world is not in the same darkness as I am.

I don’t think of my blindness as a handicap.  I can sniff out most anything I need, and I have no trouble finding my way around my home and yard.  Whereas my siblings can identify our friends by sight, I have to give everyone a thorough sniff to be sure who they are.  Sniffing is perfectly understandable in the canine world, and always acceptable if newcomers are truly friends.   

I don’t waste a lot of time pondering the “what ifs” that so often plague humans.  What if I could see?  Well, maybe that would be colorful, but I get along very well as I am.  The important thing is that sight is irrelevant.  It is love on which we canines thrive.  That and the unconditional love we offer in return have nothing to do with vision. 

Within my permanent family, I am lucky enough to have a canine pack, and I can run and play as well as my sighted siblings, although I must admit I get away with a little more than they do at times, mostly because, at two years old, I’m the baby!  You should have seen how surprised my mom was one day when I caught a squirrel in the dog yard.  My sister (my canine alpha) stood ready to assist in the hunt, but I’m an independent kinda guy, and they respect my wish to remain so.

I’ll admit, there are times when my humans need to verbally cue me to my surroundings or to obstacles in my path, but only when they are outside the perimeter of my home and yard.  You may be surprised to know that I’m being trained to follow the verbal cues of a sled dog.  Sometimes we play a trick on a passing stranger who asks about the cues.  My mom explains that they are sled dog terms and it’s part of my training for working in harness next winter when I’ll be pulling skijoring humans.  The fun is that only mom and I know I’m blind - not to mention the boost to my ego as we continue on through crowds of people, just like any other canine and human out for a walk.  Honestly, I’m not doing too badly for a once abandoned blind boy.

If I had one just one wish, it would be for a loving home for all rescues, especially those with special needs.  I am extremely fortunate to have a family that loves me, a pack that accepts me, and a lot of people who cherish my love.  I have what I need, but others don’t.  Don’t think of us as handicapped.  We still have the ability and desire to enjoy life with a family that loves us as much as we are willing to love them back.  More than anything else, I wish for every canine to find a family that loves them the way mine loves me.

Many Siberian Huskies - and other canine breeds - are still caught in the turmoil of instability, homelessness and lack of care.  If you have it in your heart to accept and love a homeless rescue, please make this blind boy smile and contact me about adopting a rescue less fortunate than I am.  I may have a homeless friend that’s just right for you.

I often think about this:  Somewhere out there is someone who underestimated me when they saw me in that foster home in New York, and they will spend the rest of their life without my love.  Help my friends in need, and help yourself at the same time.

 Click HERE to send E-mail to Gabby