Smiley, The Blind Golden Retriever, Teaches Others To Overcome Disabilities

There’s a blind Golden Retriever in a small Ontario town who hasn’t let a rough start in life get him down. Instead, that dog – aptly named Smiley – has taken an unfortunate disability and turned it into an inspiration for others.

Smiley’s owner, Joanne George, has been making the rounds at news outlets lately to talk about her special Golden Retriever. For the past seven years, Smiley has traveled to nursing homes and schools as a therapy dog, teaching others not to let their disabilities get them down, CBS News reported.

Why is this particular Golden Retriever so special? Well, Smiley was born without eyes, and he can teach people a thing or two about getting over hard times, she said. Though blind, he gets around on his own pretty well – seeing with his paws by carefully high-stepping when he walks.

“Does he bump into things? Of course, he does. But he does it very carefully… Dogs can come back from anything, they forget their past. We as humans, dwell on the past.”

It doesn’t get much darker than Smiley’s start in life. The blind Golden Retriever was born in a puppy mill, with dwarfism and without eyes. George rescued the dog when he was around 2-years-old.

“He was very scared, [the dogs] had never been out of that barn,” she told ABC News.

As soon as he got home, the blind Smiley bonded with her deaf Great Dane, Tyler, and quickly made friends with strangers. That’s when she knew Smiley would make a great therapy dog.

“People were so drawn to him, so inspired by him.”

So Smiley was given a job. He joined the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program in Stouffville, Ontario. Since then, the blind Golden Retriever has visited nursing home residents, patients in retirement homes, and even goes to story time with special needs kids at a local school.

But one of Smiley’s favorite patients is a mute man named Teddy – he’s the first person the dog visits when he gets to the nursing home. Before Smiley came along, Teddy never smiled, George explained.

“One day, Smiley put his feet up in front of [Teddy] and he started smiling and making noise. All of the nurses rushed into the room and said they’ve never seen him smile — never seen any kind of reaction … I think that’s when I realized how truly inspiring he can be.”

Sadly, Smiley is getting on in years – he’s about 12-years-old, and George is now counting all the memories she’s had with the special Golden Retriever: Smiley went on George’s first date, was her ring bearer, and was by her side when she was pregnant.

“He’s changed my life.”

For a gallery of photos featuring Smiley, the blind Golden Retriever, click here.

[Photo Courtesy Joanne George Facebook]