LOVE IS BLIND

Mocha sorting out one of our sheep dogs:)

2010-03-16T22:46:00.001+13:00

Mocha loves to run

2010-03-11T09:45:00.003+13:00

2009-06-16T00:45:00.000+12:00

Mocha before his eye removal

2009-03-21T21:12:00.002+13:00

This is how Mocha looked before his left eye was removed. This is the picture that was used to find them a new home, Impossible to resist! And I wasn't even looking for a dog...:-)
Adopting them was one of the best things I have done!
Even with one eye missing he still looks sooooo handsome!!!!

Traveling in style.

2009-03-09T20:46:00.005+13:00

Mocha and latte love riding in the car in their own personal travel pod. It is really one for a big dog but I like them to have plenty of room so they can play as well as sleep in it. If anyone (like a cat) tries to get into it they growl and chase them out, they are very protective of their travel home! When they first came to us they were really scared and were shaking all the time but it only took a few rides for them to get use to the car, although it took a bit longer for mocha because he can't look out the window to see what is happening and where we are going. We talk to him a lot so that he knows we are there with him. We don't like to leave them when we go away so now they come with us almost everywhere, unless it is a really hot day.

Our favorite game

2009-03-02T18:47:00.004+13:00

Mocha and Latte love playing with their ball, but they just can't decide who owns it...:-) They have more balls but they always both want the same one.

Some of the other animals in our family

2009-02-23T23:08:00.003+13:00

Mocha caught a fly today!

2009-02-23T18:28:00.003+13:00

There was a fly buzzing around mocha's head, I watched him sitting very still and following it around with his head, listening, He suddenly lunged out at the fly and caught it....! His senses must be really sharp to be able to do that! If i hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it. I think a sighted dog would have a job doing that! He is just amazing!!

Morning walk

2009-02-10T20:46:00.005+13:00

Every morning we take all our dogs for a 45 minute walk, including Mocha and Latte. They really love it and get all exited when I pick up their halters and leads. Most people think that chihuahuas don't need exercise but I think it does them a lot of good, we have been taking them for about 3 months now, They have no trouble keeping up and an added bonus is that I have not had to trim their nails since we started. Mocha usually follows Latte but when I take him walking by himself he is very confident and walks at full speed and even likes to run. In this clip Mocha and Latte run to catch up with King and Maya. Mocha is the one in front:-) Mocha just proves that blind dogs can do anything!
PS. Sorry about the finger on the lens, (I still have a lot to learn about making video's:-)

Getting ready to go out.

2009-02-10T19:09:00.004+13:00

I made these harnesses for them because I could not find anything on the market that I thought was safe or secure enough, especially for Mocha. With this harness I could lift him off the ground in an emergency without hurting him. They are made of soft leather with wool fleece lining and do up with velcro.
As you can see in the video clip they have learnt to almost put them on themselves:-) They are sooooo clever!!

Feline invasion

2009-01-29T19:25:00.000+13:00

Meeting Buffy the cat. They had never seen a cat before! They are great friends now. We used this playpen for the first few months for toilet training and sleeping in at night. We don't use the pen anymore.

Toilet training

2009-01-27T21:17:00.003+13:00

We were told that Mocha and Latte were potty trained, but found out later that they were paper trained and we think they had never been outside the apartment they lived in, so you can imagine the panic when we put them down in the grass! They had never seen grass before and they just froze like little statues. It took about a month of taking them out every hour to go potty and now they just stand by the back door when they want to go. The trouble is they never make a sound to let me know and they just wait. They only bark when there is someone at the door. and they growl when they play fight. We have never had such quiet dogs! They have been with us now for 6 months and they are completely toilet trained now and they just love going outside every chance they get. As a matter of fact they are pretty perfect little dogs and we love them to bits :-)

Exploring their new home

2009-01-27T19:08:00.000+13:00

Mocha doesn't have too many chrashes

Meet Mocha and Latte on their first day home

2009-01-26T22:30:00.000+13:00

This picture was taken on the day we brought them home.
When we first considered adopting Mocha and Latte I was very apprehensive and had countless sleepless nights worrying that I would not be able to handle and look after a blind dog.
We had to wait 3 weeks before we could pick them up and in that time I nearly changed my mind. I am so glad I didn't because adopting them is one of the best things I have done.
Mocha is a very clever boy who has no idea he has a handicap, We have 2 other dogs, King a hunt away (retired sheepdog) and Maya a border Colly (heading dog) Both pets now :-) and Mocha is definitely the alpha dog in the pack! He is an amazing little dog and everyone who meets him can't believe he is blind! It is almost like he has radar, he seem to be able to sense solid objects and changes direction when he gets close, he even runs outside!