Tootsie’s Vision Blind Dog Rescue has been in operation since 2015. In the last five years, this non-profit organization has rescued close to 400 vision-impaired dogs, providing them with necessary health care and finding them wonderful forever homes. We rescue dogs regardless of breed, age, infirmity or size.
This year has been particularly busy and they have not only rescued and placed many dogs who were languishing in public animal shelters, but assisted in rehoming dogs for people who have died or could no longer care for their animal, offering advice and assistance to help people adjust to a family dogs newly developed vision problems, and have brought the message about what wonderful companions blind dogs are to schools and various community events.
Tootsie’s Vision also will help sighted dogs if they are able and just recently, they helped find a starving mother dog and her five puppies a home
with a New Mexico rescue. They have transported dogs to homes as far away as California, Washington State, Arkansas, and Idaho, and have become rescue partners with shelters throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Tootsie’s Vision has built its member base to almost 6,000 people and has folks who help organize fundraisers, a transport coordinator, many drivers, dozens of fosters, and a number of repeat adopters.
As a result of all the community support, Tootsie’s Vision continues to get dogs out of shelters and improper placement situations and find them bright futures.
A recent rescue illustrates how important this rescue has become to blind dogs. Tootsie’s Vision was notified by a volunteer for the Roswell Animal Shelter that a stray blind dog was admitted there who was terrified, weak, in obvious medical distress, and unable to even walk. Because this dog likely had less than a day to live, we had a volunteer pull her from the shelter and drive through a bitter snowstorm at night, to get her to Albuquerque. Soraya stayed with a temporary foster and the veterinarian said that she had been starved almost to death over the course of her life. The adopter, a nurse, drove down from Colorado to get her and spent a week giving her intravenous fluids, pureed dog food through a dropper, and made sure that she was warm and safe. This dog is now walking around, eating independently and getting stronger every day. She is very much loved, perhaps for the first time in her life, and will have a happy future ahead.
Tootsie’s Vision has been so successful because they have managed to find people who truly care about special needs dogs and who have no hesitation to give their time, energy, money, resources and love to make sure every blind dog has a bright future.
