Dog Who Was Blind Escapes Euthanasia And Finds The Ideal New Family in No Time

At times, pet adoptions feel like they were destined to happen; they seem like a gift from above.

When Jennifer Tripucka from Hoboken, New Jersey adopted two Pomeranian poodle mix puppies rescued from an Iowa puppy mill, she wasn't familiar with caring for special needs pets. Despite one of the pups being blind and the shelter facing overcrowding issues, she decided to take them in.

Jennifer immersed herself in acquiring knowledge to assist Nelson, her foster dog who was blind. She referred to him as Nelson. To explore a training method for visually-impaired pets known as a hula hoop collar, a neck accessory that prevents them from colliding with things, she turned to social media and posed a query on Facebook.

Samantha Hillstrom, who resides in a nearby town, coincidentally owned a 13-year-old poodle that was also visually impaired.

“She posted on a Facebook group that she was looking for a halo for her blind foster dog,” Samantha explained. “I had a blind dog as well, I said I would be happy to share tips with her on how to take care of a blind dog.”

During a video chat between Samantha and Jennifer, Nelson, a little blind pup caught Samantha's eye, and she soon developed an affection for him. Realizing that Nelson could be a great companion for her elderly dog, Finn, Samantha applied to adopt him.

“She was holding Nelson, now known as Beau, and I was holding Finn and by the end of our conversation I just said, ‘I have to apply for this dog.'”

Nelson was adopted by Samantha and given the name Beau, but Finn, the previous pet, passed away only 36 hours after his arrival.

Samantha now believes that she was meant to be Beau’s new mom.

“I truly believe that Finn brought Beau to me,” she said, adding that her experience with special needs dogs helped her care for Beau from day one. “If I was never Finn’s mum and I never learned how to take care of a blind dog and take care of Finn, I never would have been able to take care of Beau.”

While she is devastated by the loss of her dog, she is finding joy in Beau each and every day. The little guy is very smart and is picking up commands with ease. He’s also gotten really good at navigating her apartment using his hoop collar.

“I never set out to adopt one blind dog and I certainly never set out to adopt two blind dogs but what anyone with a dog will tell you is they find who they want in a family,” she said.

It certainly does sound like Beau was meant to come live with Samantha! We hope he continues to ease his owner’s grief.