There are few things that make me happier than stories of neglected or exploited creatures receiving a second chance in life.
I only need to think of a dog’s life being altered for the better to get all warm inside. You can trust me when I state that the following story has left me feeling precisely that.
All dogs deserve to feel safe and adored throughout their lifetimes. Unfortunately, some puppies will simply never get that chance.
In May 2020, Hazel, a pit bull, was abandoned by her caretakers and ended up at Mr. Bones & Co. and Rescue the Runway. She was in poor condition and had sustained multiple injuries.
According to the shelter, Hazel was eight to nine years old, emaciated, and wasting away due to diabetes when she finally received the assistance she deserved.
“She came to us after a life of backyard breeding, a blind senior struggling with diabetic ketoacidosis which almost took her life,” Mr. Bones & Co. and Rescue the Runway wrote.
Due to juvenile diabetes, Hazel had lived most of her life blind, and didn’t know how the world around her looked. The only way for her to navigate was by using her other senses; hearing, feeling, and scent.
Hazel, who had also been bred repeatedly, had to overcome a lot of obstacles, but she proved to be a resilient little woman and one mighty little survivor. She captured the affections of the personnel of Mr. Bones & Co. and Rescue the Runway, but they couldn’t keep Hazel eternally.
Thankfully, there were kind individuals willing to go out of their way to assist Hazel, and give her food, shelter, and a safe location before finding her adoptive parents.
When her foster parents, Elli and Sam, heard about her situation, they acted immediately. The couple were more than willing to take on Hazel with the intention to find her a permanent home
“When we heard Hazel was blind, we wanted to make sure we did some research. We attempted to kind of figure out the best method for her to get her bearing,” they told The Dodo.
After taking her in, Elli and Sam developed an ambitious system to manage Hazel’s visual challenges.
The foster parents built a safe environment where Hazel could play without hurting herself on sharp corners or hard surfaces. They also had sound signals and said ”no” as soon as Hazel was heading somewhere hazardous. They also had a signal if they wanted her to come nearer.
Before long, Hazel began to adjust, and made enormous improvements day by day. Being in a safe environment helped a lot, and soon enough she was wiggling her tail and playing without hurting herself.
Hazel was taking strides toward finding her forever home, but needed sustained support before the adoption process was complete.
In the summer of 2020, Hazel’s life took a new turn when she met her next set of foster parents, Allison and Pete. The kindhearted couple would have much the same function as Hazel’s previous foster parents, but with one major difference: they would experience a minor miracle regarding Hazel’s vision.
“Mr. Bones & Co. put out a message that Hazel needed a home. But also, that at some point, within the timeline that we were going to have her, she was going to go in for surgery to restore her sight,” Allison said.
While caring for Hazel, Allison and Pete witnessed a monumental transformation in her life when she regained her sight after eye surgery. In October 2020, Hazel had bilateral cataract surgery with artificial lens implantation.
Everything went well, and after a few days of recuperation in the hospital, her foster parents went to collect her up – it was an emotional meeting indeed.
Trust us when we say that the moment she saw her adored foster parents for the first time was really moving.
Hazel’s post-surgery eye care included multiple eye injections for a number of weeks. It was Allison who administered them, with the assistance of delicious treats.
