The M Network has moved into downtown and as a result, my daily routine has shifted greatly and so has Bindi’s. With the big change of a new move and new possibilities, I decided that it might be time for Bindi to slow down. She has been my little shadow for almost 10 years. Eight and a half of those were as my seizure alert service dog.
Bindi’s health is great for a 10-year-old dog. She eats healthily home cooked food and gets plenty of activity and mental stimulation. I believe Bindi’s active lifestyle is why she bounced back from her first eye surgery so quickly. Although slow at first, she adapted to walking on the leash with a left side blind spot and her ability to trust and listen to my commands has gotten even more impressive than before. The reason I decided Bindi needed a change is because I need a change too. I haven’t had a black out or a seizure in over 7 years. It’s time I take that responsibility off Bindi and get to know her on a different level.
From the start, Bindi was wired hot. Her little ears almost never stopped moving. We worked together and trained from the start, minus her three-day getting to know me period in the beginning. She was trained to be a service dog at 6 months old. Bindi’s number one job has always been to listen to me and watch me for physical changes. If that happens, she gets rewarded with food, frisbee or affection. As a result, she has also felt the pressure to be on point at all moments and I wanted her to have a break.
In the six months since our move, Bindi has been a home dog. She still travels to bookstores and coffee shops but she no longer has the daily grind of going to work or dealing with me and my needs. In this time, our relationship has changed and I think we are both enjoying it. On a typical day after work, Bindi would go to her bed and basically have her own space until dinner time. Now when I come home, she’s happy. She gets all her needs met and some days we spend 30 minutes just reconnecting on the floor. Our time together is more about doing things together and not being together and having to do things, like go to the DMV for example.
Bindi and I had started a new chapter and things were falling into place. Then Dec. 29, 2018 Bindi’s heavy breathing woke me up early and her only remaining eye was swelling. I took her to an emergency vet and not long after the doctor tells me Bindi is in the final stages of eye deterioration, and she recommended we inject the eye to stop fluid production and deaden the eye.
All of this began when Bindi turned five years old. I noticed a haze over one of her eyes. The next morning, we were at the Vet making an appointment for an emergency Glaucoma surgery. We had discovered Bindi had a genetic disorder among Cattle Dogs called Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA).
It’s an inherited disease in which the eyes are genetically programmed to go blind. PRA is not painful, but also not curable. Once I learned about this disorder, I knew that someday Bindi would be completely blind. That day, I believe has already come and passed. She started to bump into walls and needed help finding her water bowl. It’s happened less and less and Bindi has adapted to the deterioration. With little to no vision, she learned to navigate her space, walk straight, heel to a leash and she can even still catch a frisbee! She can’t find me to bring it back unless I clap but somehow my little dog has figured out how to see without her eyes.
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Bindi’s appointment on the 28th also revealed an eye ulcer that has gotten worse since. The new recommendation is that Bindi have her only remaining eye removed. I’m hoping that once this is done, Bindi will be able to make the full transition into being blind. This will also eliminate the dangers of her bumping into walls or getting ulcers in the eye.
Bindi is smart and she is already using her other senses to fill in for her lack of vision. Looking back at the last 6 months, I’m happy Bindi had a chance to acclimate to home life. She’s much happier without so many rules and she gets treats just for being her sweet self. She’s her own dog now and in many ways, we’ve switched roles. In being Bindi’s Service-Human, I’ve also gained a better understanding of this type of relationship and how much love is present when someone feels your stress as their own.
In the next few weeks, Bindi will have her last eye surgery and be in recovery. Even though Bindi is almost 10 years old, cattle dogs are one of the few breeds that typically live long, healthy lives when well taken care of. With that said, Bindi is not going to be a rug dog. Once Bindi has healed enough, she will want to work in some way. It’s all she’s known but this time, we will be working together for her needs. After Bindi has had enough time to heal, I don’t expect it to take long before we go outside and play blind frisbee.
