Luke, the blind dog whose unconditional love made me live again

Luke, a blind Australian shepherd, came to us seven years ago after we rescued him from a working horse farm. He can’t see, but moves with a fearlessness that is inspiring and compensates with his other senses; he notices things by smell and hearing and seems to understand he will run into things without being deterred.

He looks like the classic Australian shepherd — grey, white, brown and black with spots — and his eyes are getting old and filmy but still full of life. At home he knows exactly where everything is and only bumps into things when he gets excited, so we try not to move things unnecessarily and keep things tidy to help him.

Luke is always happy, smiles a lot, and seems to sense when you’re down. He often walks by other dogs without noticing them, and cats can outsmart him by sitting still; one cat will let Luke find him, then move three feet to the left and the hunt starts again.

luke, blind dog, australian shepherd, rescue dog, unconditional love, horse farm, smell, hearing, companionship, blindness