• last year
Couple brings home a blind pup. Then came the surprise.
Transcript
00:00 He is deaf and blind.
00:01 Someone put him in a box and left him on the sidewalk.
00:03 [dog whining]
00:05 I am Melissa Shapiro, and this is Georgie's story for GeoBeats.
00:08 He's a very cute dog, isn't he?
00:10 Georgie was a tiny little puppy when he was abandoned on a sidewalk in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
00:16 Georgie, hi!
00:19 I'm a veterinarian.
00:19 All these people started sending me messages telling me about this deaf and blind dog
00:23 because I have Piglet.
00:25 Piglet is deaf and blind.
00:26 I said, "No, I cannot have another dog here.
00:29 We have seven dogs."
00:30 But as it turned around and around between me and my husband,
00:33 we decided that we would foster him, which of course turned into adopting.
00:36 He's fast asleep.
00:38 [dog barking]
00:41 He's really interested in being active.
00:42 [dog whining]
00:44 As soon as he hits the ground, he gets really, really happy.
00:47 [dog whining]
00:49 He has the most adorable belay dance that he does.
00:53 [dog barking]
00:54 The first thing I did with him in the very beginning when I got him was take him to the beach.
00:58 And he's running down the beach.
01:00 [dog panting]
01:02 [laughing]
01:04 [dog whining]
01:06 Georgie!
01:07 He's happy, and that is his personality, and that's what I love so much about him.
01:11 What's the matter?
01:12 [dog barking]
01:13 You have your toy?
01:14 [dog whining]
01:17 I started teaching Georgie tap signals from the beginning.
01:20 Instead of speaking to them or giving them hand-sign language, you just have to touch them.
01:24 Come here.
01:25 Sit!
01:26 Georgie has his own style of running.
01:29 Excuse me, young man.
01:30 What I found so interesting was that he started in the center and moved out,
01:34 rather than finding a spot to kind of center himself on the side and move out that way.
01:39 We have a lot of fun taking walks, and he has figured out how to sort of walk about two feet to my side.
01:44 [dog barking]
01:46 And he's looking, but he is not seeing anything because he is blind.
01:51 But he, I think, is smelling, and he must detect some motion.
01:54 So he's figured out how to walk with us.
01:57 [music]
02:01 He's exploring all the time.
02:03 Everything goes in his mouth.
02:04 He learned in our living room where the dog beds were,
02:06 and he goes around and finds things to bring to the dog beds.
02:09 [music]
02:12 His sense of touch is probably equal or more important to him than his nose.
02:17 He has such joy.
02:18 It's so adorable because he can't see what's in front of him, so he holds his feet out in front of him.
02:23 Maybe another dog was there and has moved,
02:25 he'll start barking and trying to play with the dog that isn't there anymore.
02:28 [music]
02:30 Somebody's here.
02:31 [music]
02:35 He's playing with somebody who isn't there anymore.
02:37 [music]
02:38 Georgie is a free spirit, happy guy.
02:40 [music]
02:43 He has disabilities that are very challenging.
02:46 [music]
02:48 But it is his attitude towards his life that does not involve his disabilities at all.
02:54 Come on, Georgie.
02:55 Come on, baby boy.
02:57 [music]
03:03 Georgie.
03:04 [music]

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