A Blind Pup Named Pal Finds His Perfect Home With Smiley, the Famous Blind Therapy Dog
Only 5 months old when he landed in Canada, Pal the Golden Retriever mix was frightened as he finally stepped out of his crate after a 12-hour flight from Istanbul. Blind since birth, the white-coated pup needed someone to lead him to his new home, and dog trainer Joanne George was the perfect person for the job.
“As soon as I picked up the leash at the airport and walked him a bit, it felt so natural,” Joanne tells Dogster. “I knew how to send my good energy down the leash to that dog because that’s what I learned with Smiley.”
You may have heard of Smiley, Joanne’s older Golden Retriever. A fellow Dogster Monday Miracle, Smiley is also blind, but that hasn’t stopped the hoarding survivor from becoming the perfect pet, a therapy dog, and an international viral sensation. He’s been with Joanne for more than a decade now, and has taught her a lifetime of lessons about helping blind dogs. So when Joanne was scrolling through her social media and saw a post about a blind puppy in Turkey, she knew she and Smiley could help.(read more)
