Lucy has been in our care since March of last year after being surrendered. Thanks to her dedicated foster carer, she has made incredible progress. With guidance from experienced trainers and vets, Lucy has received the care and support she needs to thrive. Now, she’s ready to find her forever home.
Since Lucy was born blind and has a neurological condition, she does have some special needs. However, with the right family, she’ll continue to live a happy and fulfilling life. Lucy’s profile is detailed and long, we hope this will help with all the information about her and her needs.
Lucy is a very special case, born blind with a genetic neurological condition called Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. She also displays some mild symptoms of ataxia indicative of CerebellarHypoplasia CH (not formally diagnosed). This impacts her co-ordination and voluntary body movement though it is typically not degenerative and she has learnt to compensate and isindependent with her mobility and basic functions.
After commencing rehabilitation mild seizures in the evenings were identified but this is now well controlled with anticonvulsant medication 250mg twice daily. She wouldrequire 6mth vet reviews and a yearly blood test to monitorlevels. She occasionally has minor ocular seizures for a few seconds on the odd day, but this does not impact her at all.
Lucy otherwise is healthy and has a good quality of life despite her quirks. She has improved greatly with her balance, walking and running.
Personality: Apart from her stunning looks and wagging tail she is a smart,happy go lucky and friendly dog. Puppy like in nature; she is very social with people and dogs despite her first 12mths of life not being a happy one. Prefers to be close to her humans and has lived with another dog and cat in foster care. When she is very happy and excited, she will spin around in circles. If too excited or silly her foster sister will discipline her and remind Lucy of acceptable behaviour especially when a visitor comes to the house. She has some husky traits with her cheeky strategic/ stubbornside, zoomies, talking for dinner and stealing the tea towel hanging on the oven door! Her Maremma side occasionally shines through with an alert bark if she hears an ambulance siren or thunder but settles quickly. Her vocalisations range from low growly to high pitched talkies. Once exercised she settles and does her own thing for the rest of the day. She’s curious in what you are doing outside andparticipates in raking up the leaves or keep you company washing the car. No separation anxiety and has been left for up to 6hrs on occasions but it’s not ideal for her to be left alone constantly if all family members are working full time away from home.
Special Needs/Behaviours: She can be distracted, unsteady on her feet at times and startles with unfamiliar noises. Lucy has received intensive support from her foster carer andtrainers specialised in sensory disabilities and CH. Gradual exposure to new experiences has helped develop herresilience however if she is over exposed to too much stimulusfor too long it can overwhelm/frustrate her. On her bad days her body language and emotional state changes to let you know her limitations are reached and when to stop and give her space to reset. If not, she can lose her balance and fall over in a panic. She does not like to be firmly held or restrained at these times, becoming mouthy as she tries to quickly get back up on her feet. Training techniques have helped to prevent or manage these situations. Clear consistent communication helps her know what is happening and what you expect of her. Being vision impaired she compensates and relies heavily on her hearing, smell and touch. She uses her mouth or front paws to investigate. She can live with another sighted calm dog if it doesn’t mind being bopped with a paw.
Environment: Lucy needs a calm quite household with no small children. A two-person home would be beneficial as her humans need to be around more often, than not. Would benefit living with another tolerant dog for company. The home needs to be uncluttered, ground level access withno stairs so she can move in and out of the house safely and be part of the family. Slippery floorboards and tiles are not her friend as her back legs splay easily without grip. Floor mats/rugs in different textures helps with stability and to navigate and find things e.g. Water/food bowls, her beds or toys. An area with carpet is an advantage. Lucy can map floorplan spaces and save to her memory and learns to navigate new spaces within a week or so. If over excited she can bump into furniture/walls though. She has developed resilience over the past 12 mths getting used to household appliances, T.V. and traffic. She doesn’t like dogs barking constantly or loud noisy motor bikes.
Feeding Lucy came from a home where she lived with sighted dogs and was fed with them. She had to fight to protect her food from being taken from her and had difficulty eating properly. She MUST be fed separately in a safe quiet area away from other dogs. Eats dry food twice a day with prime loaf for dinner. She’s a special wag stick to chew to keep her teeth healthy.
Sleeping Lucy sleeps inside at night on her bed right through the night. She sleep on her own bed close to her pack. During the day she prefers to settle on her bed in the living room. If suddenly disturbed she can wake in a fright and growl. She settles quickly though.
Training Consistent reinforcement required and she is food motivated. She knows cues; ‘Sit, Stay, Walk On, Back, Stop, Check in and Pull up’. ‘Leave’ command is still in progress to manage her impulse control on walks as she wants to rush up and say hello to other people/ dogs. Liver treats for training/rewards and slowly reduced over time once goals are met.Special toys and puzzles, nose works keep her mind engaged and improve coordination.
Toileting: House trained and gets restless when she needs to go out. If the back door is left open, she takes herself outside. Sleeps right through the night.
Exercise: Lucy requires routine exercise and loves going out. This has helped develop her muscle memory, strength and improve her balance greatly. She is strong and needs a confident calm handler. Wears an Ezydog harness with grip handle. Pulls initially but settles quickly. Handler must pay attention to ensure Lucy doesn’t hurt herself. Her foster sister has taught her to how to walk on lead and given her confidence with walking on different ground textures.Gravel paths are great as she can hear footsteps. One person needs to walk Lucy so they can focus their attention on her with consistent training. She sometimes likes to hold an item in her mouth to give her a purpose/ comfort. She can now walk without another dog 500m – 1km but it can be a stop/start process that requires patience. She enjoys processing new scents and recently started running short distances in a straight line on a good day showing off her sled dog instincts.
Off leash Lucy needs a good run every 2nd or 3rd day for 20- 30min to burn off energy. This routine is balanced carefully not to overtire her. The day after is a quieter short walk or rest day. She must be under constant supervision at a safe quiet fully fenced oval with level ground. NOT A BUSY DOG PARK! She has learnt to recall with some success using a bell and ‘Check in’ cue or clapping of hands. Once familiar with the area she maps the size and fence lines. The ‘Pull Up’ cue helps to let her know she’s coming up to a fence or obstacle. She currently has her foster sister to follow around and has socialised well with one other known calm, well behaved dog that gives her space. She is submissive with other dogs. Exposing her to strangers & unknown boisterous dogs is unsafe and will stress/ overwhelm her! This also can trigger unwanted seizures.
Grooming Her coat is fluffier and denser than a husky so regular brushingis required in short intervals. A toy helps distract her, so she doesn’t try to grab the brush thinking it’s a game. Very good with having her claws trimmed. She has not yet received a bath only a dry shampoo. She has shown interest in water though and may like a paddle in akiddy pool.
Car Travel Must be secured in the back of an SUV or Wagon. (a luggage safety grill is an advantage). Not suitable to transport in the back seat! She is very good being lifted in and out of the car. She knows the cues ‘Pick Up’, ‘Back’ and ‘Close door’. Secured with a seatbelt tether attached to the baby seat anchor located on the ceiling. This prevents her legs from getting tangled so she can sit, stand and turn around safely. She gets very excited and chatty when going in the car.
When arriving at the park she is learning that she will only be let out when she is nice and calm. Once she has had her exercise she settles and sits quietly on the way home.
Visitors to the house Meeting new people can excite Lucy and she is learning to reign in her bouncy response. She is improving and settles within 5 mins of meeting someone using the Back command and ignoring her until she has four paws firmly on the ground.
Outdoor activities Lucy has sat a local very quiet café a few times. She is still working on her impulse control if other people are close by chatting or have another dog. People frequently approach and want to pat her or take a photo, so boundaries need to be firmly in place whilst she is in training. When she wears her blind bandana, this does attract people frequently asking questions about what is wrong with her. Her handler needs to be confident in managing interactions.
The usual husky rules apply, with no pocket pets, plus secure 5ft+ dig proof fences, lots of love and daily exercise. Please complete an application if you can give Lucy the home she will continue to thrive in.
