By: Deb Fratantaro
Facebook and the very popular ‘ dog who cannot see’
I met Myron and his owner Raquel through Facebook. Believe it or not, there are thousands of animals out there with their own FB profile, and Myron is one of them. I noticed straight away that Myron had many friends, over 2000 in fact. He is a very popular dog, and I soon found out why.
Myron is completely blind, suffers frequent epileptic fits, and is allergic to almost everything in the environment — but nothing holds this inspirational doggy back.
Myron was born to an extremely malnourished mother, found on the street in distress and in labor. Raquel and her husband Terry chose him from the litter at 4 weeks old and took him home. The mother was ill equipped to feed and nurture her pups as she was in such a bad way herself.
Myron’s eyes looked different
Raquel noticed something different about baby Myron’s eyes, and thought that he was cross-eyed. However, after a few months one of his eyes swelled up like a blue marble and had to be removed. His other eye did the same thing a short while later and was also removed. His eyelids were sewn shut.
A very talented dog
Despite Myron’s ‘disabilities’, he is a wonderfully natured dog and very talented. He knows lots of tricks and he is able to run around, chase a Frisbee, etc, without banging into anything. He has also met many celebrities and had his photo taken with them — as well as being featured in newspaper and magazine articles.
Myron is attacked by an off-leash dog
A couple of months ago, Raquel put a message on FB asking if anybody knew of a dog trainer that might help them make it to the Million Paws Walk this year. Myron had always been a friendly, social dog, but due to being attacked out of the blue by an off-leash dog, he now suffered fear aggression.
Can you imagine being attacked and not being able to see your attacker? Myron reacted by adopting a very aggressive ‘I’ll get you before you get me’ attitude — which of course changed his whole personality.
Enter Les Treuer & Dogtech®
Myron takes 9 tablets per day for his epilepsy and has regular injections for his allergies– the cost of upkeep is high. Due to this, Raquel and Terry could not really afford expensive training, so I had an idea. I contacted my friend, Les Treuer of Dogtech®, who was the closest trainer I knew to Narellan, NSW, where Myron and his family live, and asked if he could possibly donate some of his time.
Fear for Myron’s first day of training
Les happily welcomed Myron into his socialization classes on a Saturday. Raquel was nervous about how Myron would react around other dogs. Myron did have a couple of moments where his fear took over and he lunged out, but with Les showing Raquel how to handle these situations, and my giving Raquel some tips on showing leadership, Myron improved. As you can imagine, Myron was a bit spoiled, but I was able to help Raquel understand Myron is not a BLIND DOG, he is a DOG who can’t see — he is still a pack animal and still requires consistent leadership. Myron improved each week that he attended classes.
The Big day
Finally came Sunday’s Million Paws Walk and with Dogtech® Trainers Les Treuer and John Vella in attendance, Myron behaved beautifully. Raquel, Terry, and I are forever grateful to Les for all of his help.
Myron is now well on his way to being calm and social around other dogs again — thanks to Facebook, Dogtech®, and Les Treuer!
View the slide show of Myron, Raquel, and Les below:
Visit Dogtech® on Facebook at: Dogtech International
K-9 Capers Event – Brisbane, Qld
K-9 Capers Event — Brisbane, Qld
When? Sunday, June 13, 2010 Time: 1:30pm – 4pm
Where? Sandgate — Curlew Park dogs off-leash area — Curlew St
Join Justin Jordan/Dogtech® Queensland at this popular K-9 Caper Event sponsored by the Brisbane City Council.
Fun for the family
K-9 Caper Events include eight activities based on basic obedience, agility, and fun! They include:
The activities are easy and fun to encourage everyone to take part. Dogs do not have to be obedience or agility trained.
Small an large dogs are catered for during events with equipment changes.
Prizes
Prizes include Encouragement Certificates for handling skills.
Children
It is the parent’s responsibility to look after children at all times. For safety reasons, children cannot enter activities that require speed or make dogs excited.
Join us on Sunday, 13 June 2010 for a fun filled doggy day Event!