New Sight For Sophie's Eyes
Donazione protetta
Thank you for taking the time to read the story of Sophie and me.
In 2008, I wasn't looking for another pup to join the household. My boy Dylan was a wonderful soccer and fetching partner but, for some reason, I kept browsing the SoCal Australian Shepherd Rescue site. One day while scrolling through the different city and county dog pound listings, I saw a face that truly melted my heart. I drove from Pasadena to Baldwin Park and found her locked away by herself. She was pressing her body up against the bars, her head facing away. Then, when I put the back of my hand up to the bars, she gave it a quick lick. She was super sweet!
https://youtu.be/QiCQ_Hmz17Q
(See Ms. Wigglebutt on the day of her arrival home.)
A visit to the "green" area had her racing at top speeds, back and forth to stretch those cramped legs. When she took a break and came over to say hi again, I asked her to "Sit." Her backside plopped down and she looked up at me with eyes so bright. "So, do you want her?" the pound official asked. Yes! Yes! Yes! It isn't often we can pinpoint with such certainty the key moments of our lives. Looking back, there's no doubt we've made each others' lives momentously better.
Dog #A3817041

After arriving home...
Sophie lives to run through woods, streams, and trails. My furry clients run faster hoping to catch her and take the lead. When she gets going, she positively beams with joy; a silly smile runs from ear to ear; pink flag of a tongue flopping and flipping with abandon.

It was about 8 months ago when I noticed changes in her behavior. When you're together for 22 hours out of the day, you notice when things are slightly off...like her not seeing the tennis ball right before her while playing fetch. Or always missing the first step on stairs and bumping her chin before recovering. Not to mention that she was falling further behind, slowing down, for no apparent reason.
Then came the day I could no longer ignore what I knew was happening. While running with her and training a new runner, she trotted directly into the end of a drainage pipe. While brushing that ignomy off with her usual coolness, she plowed right into one of those tall, orange, road cones.
That was it! The gray-blue haze in her eyes was physical evidence of the cataracts, while, emotionally, she was more and more "velcro'd" to my hip. She was also rubbing her face into my leg or hand as though trying to remove something from her eyes. The short of the long, I saw my vet who suggested an exam by the Eye Care folks for what appeared to be cataracts.

From the eye care folks we learned that Sophie is completely blind in her right eye and has, maybe, 20% vision in her left eye. In the shade, she's not too bad on trails but when the sun is out and the iris closes down, her vision goes from bad to worse.
Cataract surgery for both eyes will run about $6500. I've looked into pet insurance, of which only two companies cover cataracts...as long as they aren't an already existing condition. I will likely take advantage of the Care Credit card which offers 0% interest for about a year, after which it jumps to an unholy 26.55%.
With this surgery, she will regain her full eyesight for the rest of her life. Thankfully she's only 9 and in perfect health. If I wait much longer, the cataracts will get worse and threaten her chances for long term success.

This past holiday season, Paws in Motion hired an illustrator to create caricatures of our fur clients. If you're able to donate $125 or more, we'll create a digital version of your pet. If you're able to donate $225 or more, you'll receive a digital and 4"x6" color print version of your pet as a thank you. If you're able to donate $325 or more, you'll receive the digital version plus your 4"x6" color print will be beautifully framed. Just email or send along the image you'd like for us to illustrate. Perhaps it could be a gift for someone special...

I know this site takes a small percentage of your donation and that's cool but consider reaching out to me in other ways to feel the full effect of your donation.
Sophie and I thank you for your support. I can't wait to share with you her post-surgery transformation!
Peace and love,
Matt, Sophie, and Dylan
In 2008, I wasn't looking for another pup to join the household. My boy Dylan was a wonderful soccer and fetching partner but, for some reason, I kept browsing the SoCal Australian Shepherd Rescue site. One day while scrolling through the different city and county dog pound listings, I saw a face that truly melted my heart. I drove from Pasadena to Baldwin Park and found her locked away by herself. She was pressing her body up against the bars, her head facing away. Then, when I put the back of my hand up to the bars, she gave it a quick lick. She was super sweet!
https://youtu.be/QiCQ_Hmz17Q
(See Ms. Wigglebutt on the day of her arrival home.)
A visit to the "green" area had her racing at top speeds, back and forth to stretch those cramped legs. When she took a break and came over to say hi again, I asked her to "Sit." Her backside plopped down and she looked up at me with eyes so bright. "So, do you want her?" the pound official asked. Yes! Yes! Yes! It isn't often we can pinpoint with such certainty the key moments of our lives. Looking back, there's no doubt we've made each others' lives momentously better.
Dog #A3817041
After arriving home...
Sophie lives to run through woods, streams, and trails. My furry clients run faster hoping to catch her and take the lead. When she gets going, she positively beams with joy; a silly smile runs from ear to ear; pink flag of a tongue flopping and flipping with abandon.
It was about 8 months ago when I noticed changes in her behavior. When you're together for 22 hours out of the day, you notice when things are slightly off...like her not seeing the tennis ball right before her while playing fetch. Or always missing the first step on stairs and bumping her chin before recovering. Not to mention that she was falling further behind, slowing down, for no apparent reason.
Then came the day I could no longer ignore what I knew was happening. While running with her and training a new runner, she trotted directly into the end of a drainage pipe. While brushing that ignomy off with her usual coolness, she plowed right into one of those tall, orange, road cones.
That was it! The gray-blue haze in her eyes was physical evidence of the cataracts, while, emotionally, she was more and more "velcro'd" to my hip. She was also rubbing her face into my leg or hand as though trying to remove something from her eyes. The short of the long, I saw my vet who suggested an exam by the Eye Care folks for what appeared to be cataracts.
From the eye care folks we learned that Sophie is completely blind in her right eye and has, maybe, 20% vision in her left eye. In the shade, she's not too bad on trails but when the sun is out and the iris closes down, her vision goes from bad to worse.
Cataract surgery for both eyes will run about $6500. I've looked into pet insurance, of which only two companies cover cataracts...as long as they aren't an already existing condition. I will likely take advantage of the Care Credit card which offers 0% interest for about a year, after which it jumps to an unholy 26.55%.
With this surgery, she will regain her full eyesight for the rest of her life. Thankfully she's only 9 and in perfect health. If I wait much longer, the cataracts will get worse and threaten her chances for long term success.
This past holiday season, Paws in Motion hired an illustrator to create caricatures of our fur clients. If you're able to donate $125 or more, we'll create a digital version of your pet. If you're able to donate $225 or more, you'll receive a digital and 4"x6" color print version of your pet as a thank you. If you're able to donate $325 or more, you'll receive the digital version plus your 4"x6" color print will be beautifully framed. Just email or send along the image you'd like for us to illustrate. Perhaps it could be a gift for someone special...
I know this site takes a small percentage of your donation and that's cool but consider reaching out to me in other ways to feel the full effect of your donation.
Sophie and I thank you for your support. I can't wait to share with you her post-surgery transformation!
Peace and love,
Matt, Sophie, and Dylan
Organizzatore
Matt Seng
Organizzatore
Altadena, CA